CNN Ratings Revealed After Skydance Takeover Turmoil & Trump Ban

The cable news ratings for the week of October 5 are in, and CNN held strong amid recent turmoil, finishing as the only network to gain in both total viewers and the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic across primetime and total day.

According to Adweek, citing Nielsen big data + panel for the week of October 5, CNN averaged 577,000 total viewers and 100,000 demo viewers across primetime. This was up 4 percent in total viewers and up 3 percent in the demo compared to the week before.

During total day, the network averaged 393,000 total viewers and 56,000 demo viewers. This was up 7 percent in total viewers and up 8 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

CNN, which in recent weeks has faced a White House press ban and seen Skydance take over as new owners, was also up year over year. In primetime, the network was up 26 percent in total viewers and up 52 percent in the demo. During total day, it was up 3 percent in total viewers and flat in the demo compared to the same period last year.

Despite the gains for CNN, it was Fox News that held onto the top spot with 1.6 million total viewers and 145,000 demo viewers during primetime for the week of October 5. This was down 2 percent in total viewers but up 4 percent in the demo compared to the week before.

During total day, the network averaged 1.07 million total viewers and 94,000 demo viewers. This was flat in both measured categories compared to the previous week.

Year over year, Fox News was down 30 percent in total viewers and down 34 percent in the key demo across primetime. During total day, the network was down 28 percent in total viewers and down 35 percent in the demo.

Elsewhere, MS NOW averaged 902,000 total viewers and 88,000 demo viewers in primetime for the week of October 5. This was down 2 percent in total viewers and down 1 percent in the demo compared to the week prior.

In total day, the network averaged 570,000 total viewers and 57,000 demo viewers. This was down 1 percent in total viewers and down 8 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

It was better news for MS NOW year over year, with an increase of 11 percent in total viewers and 13 percent in the demo in primetime. During total day, the network was up 13 percent in total viewers and up 24 percent in the key demo.

Fox News landed in 12 of the Top 15 most-watched cable shows in total viewers, with The Five in first place with 2.649 million total viewers. The three non-Fox News shows in the Top 15 were MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show (1.779 million), The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (1.122 million), and The Briefing with Jen Psaki (1.078 million).

In the demo rankings, Maddow usurped The Five to take the top spot with 252,000 viewers. Fox News again held 12 of the Top 15 slots, with CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip (144,000 viewers) and The Source with Kaitlan Collins (116,000 viewers) rounding out the list.