Driven by live coverage of the Jan. 6 committee hearings, MSNBC was the second-most-watched basic cable network for the month of July, both in total day (765,000 viewers) and during primetime (1.295 million viewers). This is according to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen for the month of July.
Relative to June, NBCU’s politics-focused cable network grows +1% in total primetime viewers, but shed -3% among adults 25-54 in primetime from the previous month. In total day, the network shed less than -1% in total viewers and -2% among adults 25-54. Relative to July 2021, MSNBC shed just -1% in total primetime viewers and -1% in total day viewers, but -21% in the primetime demo and -18% in the total day demo.
During the final summer hearing for the Jan. 6 committee, MSNBC was the most-watched network on all of TV for the 8th time in network history and the first time since April 2021, with the largest hearing audience to date (4.9 million viewers).
NBCU’s politics-focused cable network averaged a far larger total audience than CNN in July, but continues to come up short to its main rival in the key A25-54 demo, and of course finishes behind Fox News in primetime and total day viewing.
The average impressions for July 2022 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):
- Prime time (Mon.-Sun.): 1,295,000 total viewers / 133,000 A25-54
- Total Day (Mon.-Sun.): 765,000 total viewers / 84,000 A25-54
On the programming front, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace was the most-watched cable news program in the 4 p.m. hour. Morning Joe ranked No. 2 in its timeslot for the 21st month in a row and topped CNN for the 89th month in a row among total viewers. The extended hour of Morning Joe at 9 a.m. grew +11% over July 2021 and +8% over June 2022.
Now airing weekly on Mondays, The Rachel Maddow Show was the fifth-most-watched among all original cable news programs in July, and posted its third consecutive month of viewership growth among total viewers and A25-54.
Below, the network’s July ’22 Nielsen ratings press release:
MSNBC RANKS #2 ACROSS ALL OF CABLE FOR SECOND STRAIGHT MONTH
MSNBC Dominates January 6th Hearing Coverage, Finishes as the Top TV Destination for Coverage, Recaps, and Analysis
MSNBC Tops CNN in Weekday Viewership for 18th Straight Month, Delivers Year-Over-Year Viewership Growth for the 2nd Straight Month
MSNBC Primetime (M-F 8pm-11pm) More Than Doubles CNN’s Total Audience, Beats CNN for the 68th Month in a Row
“Morning Joe” (M-F 6am-10am) Finishes #2 Across All of Cable, Beats CNN Among A25-54, Extends Its Total-Viewer Winning Streak to 89 Months
MSNBC Dayside (M-F 10am-4pm) Ranks #2 in All of Cable Television for the 2nd Straight Month
“The Rachel Maddow Show” (M 9pm-10pm) Beats CNN for the 110th Straight Month, Ranks #5 Among All Original Cable Programs
MSNBC Digital Delivers Double-Digital Growth During January 6th Hearings
MSNBC Tops All Cable Networks in African American Viewership for 2nd Straight Month
Viewers Watch MSNBC for an Average 365 Minutes Per Week, Doubling CNN Viewer Average
NEW YORK (August 2, 2022) – In July, MSNBC was the #2 cable network and the top television destination for January 6th hearing coverage, recaps, and analysis. MSNBC also swept CNN in total viewers and delivered year-over-year growth in every key daypart, according to Nielsen.
MSNBC’s live coverage of the first eight January 6th hearings (6/9-7/21) averaged 3.5M total viewers, making MSNBC the most-watched TV network for hearing coverage. Moreover, MSNBC dominated the cable news competition during the hearings, regularly topping the combined viewership of CNN and FOX News. MSNBC’s dayside coverage, including live hearings and pre- and post-hearing analysis, delivered four times as many viewers as time period norms among total viewers and A25-54. Primetime hearing recaps averaged three times as many viewers as CNN each night.
During the final summer hearing on 7/21, MSNBC was #1 in primetime across all of television for the 8th time in network history and the 1st time since April 2021, with the largest hearing audience to date (4.9M viewers). MSNBC also beat the FOX News programming lineup in both total viewers and A25-54 during every hour that night.
In July, MSNBC’s primetime programming (M-F 8pm-11pm) ranked #2 across all of cable television for the 2nd month in a row (ahead of #3 HGTV, #4 Hallmark Channel, and #5 CNN) and delivered 1.7M total viewers, more than doubling CNN’s audience (806K). Prime dominated CNN among total viewers for the 68th month in a row. In A25-54, prime delivered 172K viewers.
Dayside (10am-4pm) also finished #2 in all of cable (ahead of #3 CNN, #4 HGTV and #6 ESPN) for the 2nd straight month, averaging 816K total viewers (vs. CNN’s 751k). In A25-54, dayside averaged 93K viewers.
On weekdays (6am-2am), MSNBC averaged 1M viewers and beat CNN (689K) for the 18th straight month. MSNBC was one of only three top 20 cable networks with year-over-year viewership growth in both June and July, while CNN had year-over-year viewership declines for the fourth straight month.
“Morning Joe” ranked #2 across all of cable television for the 21st month in a row and topped CNN for the 89th month in a row among total viewers. “Morning Joe” (M-F 6am-10am) averaged twice as many viewers as CNN (869K vs. 408K). The extended hour of “Morning Joe” at 9am continues to grow +11% over July 2021 and +8% over June 2022. In A25-54, “Morning Joe” averaged viewers 97K (vs. CNN’s 81K) and beat CNN for the 3rd month in a row. From 6am-10am, “Morning Joe” ranked #1 in cable news among African American viewers (196K), ahead of #2 CNN (97K) and #38 FOX News (15K).
“The Rachel Maddow Show” (Mondays 9pm-10pm) topped CNN in its time slot for the 110th straight month. “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which ranked #5 among all original cable programs in July, posted its third consecutive month of viewership growth among total viewers and A25-54. MSNBC’s Monday-Friday 9pm programming (“The Rachel Maddow Show” and “MSNBC Prime”) averaged 1.6M total viewers, more than doubling CNN’s viewership (639K). Among A25-54, MSNBC’s 9pm programming beat CNN for the 2nd straight month, delivering 155K viewers (vs. CNN’s 145K).
The following shows also topped CNN for the month in total viewers: “Way Too Early with Jonathan Lemire” at 5am for the 4th straight month; “José Díaz-Balart Reports” at 10am for the 2nd straight month; “Andrea Mitchell Reports” at 12pm for the 2nd straight month; “Chris Jansing Reports” at 1pm for the 2nd straight month; “Katy Tur Reports” at 2pm for the 2nd straight month; “Hallie Jackson Reports” at 3pm for the 3rd straight month; “Deadline: White House” from 4pm-6pm for the 61st straight month; “The Beat with Ari Melber” at 6pm for the 27th straight month; “The ReidOut” at 7pm for the 4th straight month; “All In with Chris Hayes” at 8pm for the 4th straight month; “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” for the 86th straight month; and “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” for the 72nd straight month.
MSNBC was #1 across all of cable among African American viewers (202K) for the 2nd straight month, ahead of #2 CNN (124K) and #42 FOX News (25K).
In July, viewers watched MSNBC for an average of 365 minutes per week, twice as many minutes as the average CNN viewer (189 minutes).
MSNBC Digital text content, which includes MSNBC Daily, The ReidOut Blog, Maddow Blog, and Know Your Value, drove record traffic levels in July, up 74% versus the same month last year. The last six months have been the brand’s strongest on record in total text page views. MSNBC Digital also saw elevated traffic levels during the January 6th hearings, reaching double-digit lifts in audience and video consumption. MSNBC Live TVE, in particular, saw lifts of more than 100% versus the norm.
TV Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. July 2022. Persons 2+ unless indicated. Weekday = M-F 6am-2am. “Original Cable Programs” excludes Repeats, Sports, and Jan. 6 Hearings.
Digital Source: Adobe Analytics & Partner Portals, July 2022.
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