The Nielsen fast nationals have arrived, and it looks like Fox News Channel and CNN will share ratings honors for last night’s coverage of the New York Primary. Fox News was the most-watched cable news network throughout the night, while CNN won the 25-54 news demo by a substantial margin. MSNBC put up strong total viewer numbers as well, averaging over 1.7 million viewers during the prime time daypart, a figure significantly above its Tuesday prime time average.
Fox News’ coverage of the primary peaked during the 9 p.m. hour when key races were called during its America’s Election Headquarters program, anchored by Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly. AEHQ delivered 3.5 million total viewers and 670,000 in the news demo, according to early Nielsen data.
*The final live + same day ratings from last night will arrive at approximately 4 p.m. ET, and we will post them not long after.
NY Primary coverage: Tuesday, April 19
Prime time (8-11 p.m. ET)
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,007,000 | 2,568,000 | 1,712,000 |
| • A25-54: | 600,000 | 913,000 | 499,000 |
8 p.m. – 12 a.m.
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,666,737 | 2,325,679 | 1,560,377 |
| • A25-54: | 552,133 | 836,509 | 461,571 |
Live coverage block (7 p.m. – 2 a.m.)
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,023,000 | 1,773,000 | 1,239,000 |
| • A25-54: | 429,000 | 630,000 | 357,000 |