TV ratings for the third day of impeachment proceeds have arrived, and they’re not half bad.
According to preliminary data from Nielsen, the morning session, which lasted from approximately 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. ET attracted an average of 11.4 million total TV viewers and 2.25 million A25-54 viewers across 6 Nielsen-measured networks.
Viewership, as one may have guessed, increased in the afternoon session to 13 million total viewers and 2.6 million adults 25-54. The afternoon coverage period was approximately 3:30 p.m. ET to 5:45 p.m.ET.
It’s pretty tough to compare day 3 ratings with previous days considering the different time intervals.
Day 2 (Friday, Nov. 15). hauled in an average of 12.7 million total TV viewers across 6 Nielsen-measured networks. The common coverage period on that day was 9 – 11 a.m. ET and 1 – 2 p.m. ET.
Day 1 coverage (Wednesday, Nov. 13) attracted an average of 13.79 million total TV viewers across 10 Nielsen-measured networks. But, if we look at the aforementioned 6 Nielsen-measured networks, a total average of 13.1 million viewers watched the day 1 proceedings from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET.
Again, neither CNNI nor C-Span are included because they are not Nielsen-rated. The same goes for viewership on streaming.
Tuesday, Nov. 19
| Impeachment Hearing Day 3 Morning Coverage | |||
| Network | Total Viewers (000) | A25-54 Viewers (000) | Time Period (ET) |
| Fox News | 2,254,000 | 330,000 | 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. |
| MSNBC | 2,246,000 | 319,000 | 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. |
| ABC | 1,904,000 | 444,000 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
| CBS | 1,749,000 | 379,000 | 9 a.m. – 12:21 p.m. |
| NBC | 1,718,000 | 468,000 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
| CNN | 1,557,000 | 310,000 | 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. |
What IS clear is that Fox News was the most-watched network during the morning common coverage, across cable and broadcast. According to preliminary data from Nielsen (and again, this could change later today), Fox News averaged 2.254 million viewers, +4,500 more than MSNBC.
ABC was the top broadcast network in total viewers, while NBC was easily the most-watched network, broadcast or cable, among adults 25-54.
| Impeachment Hearing Day 3 Afternoon Coverage | |||
| Network | Total Viewers (000) | A25-54 Viewers (000) | Time Period (ET) |
| MSNBC | 2,539,000 | 349,000 | 3:30 – 5:45 p.m. |
| Fox News | 2,518,000 | 374,000 | 3:30 – 5:45 p.m. |
| NBC | 2,169,000 | 531,000 | 3:25 – 5:46 p.m. |
| ABC | 2,073,000 | 493,000 | 3:25 – 5:49 p.m. |
| CBS | 1,942,000 | 458,000 | 3:25 – 5:46 p.m. |
| CNN | 1,715,000 | 350,000 | 3:30 – 5:45 p.m. |
MSNBC pulled ahead in the afternoon session. It was the most-watched network, broadcast or cable, from 3:30 – 5:45 p.m. ET, averaging +20,000 more total viewers than Fox News.
NBC moved ahead of ABC in the afternoon in total viewers, and remained the dominant network among adults 25-54.
| Impeachment Hearing Day 3 Total Coverage (Cable News) | |||
| Network | Total Viewers (000) | A25-54 Viewers (000) | Time Period (ET) |
| Fox News | 2,450,000 | 376,000 | 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
| MSNBC | 2,326,000 | 338,000 | 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
| CNN | 1,593,000 | 349,000 | 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
Fox News held up as the top cable news network for day 3 coverage, averaging 2.45 million total viewers and 376,000 adults 25-54 from 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET. MSNBC and CNN split second place honors, per above.
*Preliminary Nielsen live-plus-same-day data