CNN brought Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper back to host CNN New Year’s Eve Live for a second consecutive year, and while the broadcast may have been fun to watch (and be a part of), the results were mixed, ratings-wise.
The 2018 edition of CNN’s wild and crazy broadcast averaged 1.82 million total viewers across the 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. time period. That’s -18 percent vs. what the previous year’s broadcast drew. The special also drew 786,000 A25-54 viewers across the time period, which is -13 percent vs. the previous year.
If one digs into the 11 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. time period, CNN was -15 percent in total viewers, and -8 percent in A25-54 viewers vs. the broadcast drew in the time period the previous year.
All of that said, CNN still dominated the cable news competition across the board.
Cooper and Cohen were joined in rainy Times Square by CNN’s Richard Quest. Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin were reporting from New Orleans, and provided entertaining moments throughout the night, per usual. At one point during the broadcast, Lemon referred to the show the “gayest New Years show on air.”
Randi Kaye reported from on a yacht in St. Barth’s, where she consumed champagne from a massive bottle poured into her mouth by a guy dressed as Superman. Last year, Kaye was in in Denver hanging out a Cannabis Tours Puff, Pass and Paint Party bus.
Bill Weir checked in from the Florida Keys, and provided a lighthearted viral moment.
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen react exactly how you’d expect when Bill Weir mispronounces conch #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/uH8QSpTSXk
— Ali (@Simposium5) January 1, 2019
Similar to last year, celebrities checked in. Dave Chappelle chatted with Cohen and Cooper from Ohio. Then, there was actress Jane Curtin, who said she wanted to make sure the “Republican party dies,” in 2019.
Cooper had an interesting New Year’s Eve. Apparently the veteran newsman isn’t a fan of tequila, and his reaction to ripping a shot on-air has gone viral.
Kate dashes off email to management asking if we shouldn’t consider having a show where @andersoncooper just does shots… #CNNNYE #HourTwo pic.twitter.com/qYK9sx9rhi
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) January 1, 2019
Over on Fox News, Fox News All-American New Year drew 1.38 million total viewers across the same 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. time period. That figure is -18 percent vs. what the program drew in 2017. 259,000 adults 25-54 tuned into the broadcast, which is -34 percent vs. New Year’s Eve 2017.
Carley Shimkus and Griff Jenkins co-hosted from 8 – 10 p.m., while Pete Hegseth and Kennedy co-hosted from 10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Dec 31, 2018 / Jan. 1, 2019 | 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.:
| Network | CNN | FNC | MSNBC |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 1,820,000 | 1,383,000 | 1,075,000 |
| • A25-54: | 786,000 | 259,000 | 93,000 |
Dec. 31, 2018 / Jan. 1, 2019 | 11 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.:
| Network | CNN | FNC | MSNBC |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,797,000 | 1,840,000 | 691,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,197,000 | 358,000 | 113,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company via Npower. Based on the Live+SD feed.