Fox News was the No.1 destination for coverage of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.
The network averaged 2.3 million total viewers, the only network to eclipse the 2 million mark, and 415,000 adults 25-54. Both are No. 1 across television.
MSNBC was the second-most-watched network for impeachment coverage. However, it averaged the fewest adults 25-54 of any of the “big 6” networks to carry the impeachment trial coverage over the 12 days (Jan. 21-Feb. 5, 2020).
Coverage of the Senate Impeachment vote on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET officially ended the trial, with Trump’s acquittal.
| Senate Impeachment Trial Coverage (Jan. 21-Feb. 5) | |||
| Network | Total Viewers (000) | A25-54 Viewers (000) | Duration (minutes) |
| Fox News | 2,534,000 | 415,000 | 2,075 |
| MSNBC | 1,481,000 | 208,000 | 2,016 |
| CBS | 1,474,000 | 292,000 | 1,853 |
| ABC | 1,243,000 | 282,000 | 1,727 |
| CNN | 1,134,000 | 269,000 | 2,100 |
| NBC | 906,000 | 227,000 | 1,929 |
*Nielsen live-plus-same-day data
CBS had a solid 12 days on the ratings front. It was the No. 1 broadcast network for Senate impeachment trial coverage averaging 1.47 million total viewers and 292,000 adults 25-54 across 12 days.
CNN televised the trial for the longest amount of time: 2,100 minutes over 12 days. Fox News was right behind with 2,075 minutes of Senate trial coverage, followed by MSNBC (2,016 minutes).
Of the broadcast networks, NBC News stuck with the trial for a longer period of time than CBS and ABC: 1,929 vs. 1,853 vs. 1,727.