Conservative-leaning Fox News remains king of the hill when it comes to the cable news game, but liberal competitor MSNBC boasted the best growth in its daily audience for the first quarter of 2017, Variety magazine reported Tuesday, citing the latest batch of Nielsen ratings.
Fox News averaged 1.72 million total day viewers — 359,000 in the key adults 25-54 demographic, Variety reported. CNN came in second while third-ranking MSNBC claimed only 781,000 total day viewers and 185,000 viewers in the demo.
Even so, MSNBC “grew its viewership by 55 percent in total day viewers and 40 percent in the key demo compared to quarter one of 2016,” according to Variety. By contrast, Fox News grew 27 percent in total day viewers compared to last year and CNN grew 13 percent.
Part of MSNBC’s dramatic boost in viewership can be credited to prime-time host Rachel Maddow, Variety reported.
The liberal commentator, perhaps among MSNBC’s best known hosts due to her late-night comedy appearances, was roundly mocked earlier this month by both conservatives and even some liberal pundits for a much-hyped segment on President Trump’s 2005 federal tax return that failed to produce a bombshell revelation.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.