CNN’s Booze-Free New Year’s Eve Special Still Trounced Fox News Competition in Ratings
CNN led the cable news networks’ coverage of New Year’s Eve this past weekend, beating Fox News and MSNBC – which did not offer any original programming for the event.
CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live, which limited on-air consumption of alcohol, averaged 2.082 million total viewers, topping Fox News’s All American New Year’s Eve.
Fox’s 3-hour live programming brought in 1.184 million total viewers and reached a peak of 223,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic in the hour before midnight. Notably, a college football game aired on New Year’s Eve and conflicted with the ball dropping at midnight.
CNN’s live show, four-and-a-half hours hosted by a sober Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, raked in a large audience in the demo, averaging 806,000.
Don Lemon’s New Year’s Eve special, which aired after Cooper and Cohen, also beat the competition in total viewers and the demo.
In 2021, Cooper and Cohen closed out the year with some alcohol-fueled on-air ranting, drawing an audience of 2.1 million total viewers.
While Fox News still won the day Saturday in terms of total viewers with 953,000, CNN scored a decisive win in the demo with 282,000 viewers.
Across prime time, CNN averaged 806,000 prime time demo viewers, while Fox News averaged 110,000. MSNBC bottomed out with only 37,000 demo viewers and 200,000 total viewers in prime time.
Here is a full breakdown of Saturday’s cable news ratings by show:
Total Viewers (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 727 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 377 |
MEHDI HASAN – THE CHOICE: 254 |
1969: A SUMMER LIKE NO OT: 23 |
— |
| 7a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 985 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 401 |
2022: HEADLINES: 266 |
WAKE UP AMERICA WEEKEND: 73 |
— |
| 8a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 1251 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 470 |
VELSHI SPECIAL: 499 |
— | — |
| 9a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 1444 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 586 |
— | SATURDAY REPORT: 162 |
BLUE BLOODS: 73 |
| 10a | CAVUTO LIVE: 1350 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 711 |
MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE: 647 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 165 |
| 11a | CAVUTO LIVE: 1225 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 797 |
— | AMERICA RIGHT NOW: 96 |
BLUE BLOODS: 185 |
| 12p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 1034 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 749 |
ALEX WITT REPORTS SPECIAL: 653 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 215 |
| 1p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 958 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 665 |
— | SATURDAY AGENDA: 68 |
BLUE BLOODS: 212 |
| 2p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 849 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 653 |
MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE: 566 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 270 |
| 3p | JOURNAL EDITORIAL REPORT: 825 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 647 |
MORNING JOE-SPC: 514 [3:15 PM-3:59 PM] |
GREG KELLY THIS WEEK: 74 |
BLUE BLOODS: 315 |
| 4p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 797 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 671 |
SYMONE SPECIAL: 481 |
AMERICAN MEDICINE TODAY: 44 |
BLUE BLOODS: 309 |
| 5p | BIG SATURDAY SHOW, THE: 955 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 781 |
POLITICS NATION SPECIAL: 518 |
COUNT; THE: 39 |
BLUE BLOODS: 312 |
| 6p | FOX REPORT WITH JON SCOTT: 982 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 683 |
CIVIL WAR: 303 |
RECORD WITH GRETA WEEKLY: 39 |
BLUE BLOODS: 298 |
| 7p | FIVE, THE SPCL: 1172 |
ALL THE BEST/WORST 2022: 678 |
— | MARK KAYE SHOW, THE: 48 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 163 |
| 8p | WHO CAN FORGET 2022: 1117 |
NEW YEARS EVE LIVE W/ AC: 2082 |
STONE GHOSTS IN THE SOUTH: 213 [8:15 PM-8:59 PM] |
ROB CARSONS WHAT IN THE: 87 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 106 |
| 9p | COUNTDOWN/NEW YEAR: 958 |
— | RICHARD ENGEL ON ASSIGNMT: 199 |
BENNY REPORT; THE: 80 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 74 |
| 10p | ALL AMERICAN NEW YEARS: 1209 |
— | LOVE AND THE CONSTITUTION: 195 |
NEWSMAX NEW YEAR?S EVE WI: 87 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 55 |
| 11p | ALL AMERICAN NEW YEARS: 1385 |
— | — | — | NEWSNATION PRIME: 53 |
25-54 Demo (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 89 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 61 |
MEHDI HASAN – THE CHOICE: 25 |
1969: A SUMMER LIKE NO OT: 4 |
— |
| 7a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 133 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 71 |
2022: HEADLINES: 26 |
WAKE UP AMERICA WEEKEND: 5 |
— |
| 8a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 149 |
CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: 67 |
VELSHI SPECIAL: 45 |
— | — |
| 9a | FOX & FRIENDS SATURDAY: 177 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 95 |
— | SATURDAY REPORT: 6 |
BLUE BLOODS: 4 |
| 10a | CAVUTO LIVE: 129 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 162 |
MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE: 57 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 11 |
| 11a | CAVUTO LIVE: 139 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 204 |
— | AMERICA RIGHT NOW: 3 |
BLUE BLOODS: 15 |
| 12p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 115 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 182 |
ALEX WITT REPORTS SPECIAL: 58 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 18 |
| 1p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 116 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 142 |
— | SATURDAY AGENDA: 0 |
BLUE BLOODS: 25 |
| 2p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 92 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 143 |
MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE: 56 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 30 |
| 3p | JOURNAL EDITORIAL REPORT: 68 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 140 |
MORNING JOE-SPC: 38 [3:15 PM-3:59 PM] |
GREG KELLY THIS WEEK: 3 |
BLUE BLOODS: 45 |
| 4p | FOX NEWS LIVE: 92 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 126 |
SYMONE SPECIAL: 43 |
AMERICAN MEDICINE TODAY: 2 |
BLUE BLOODS: 29 |
| 5p | BIG SATURDAY SHOW, THE: 88 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 133 |
POLITICS NATION SPECIAL: 52 |
COUNT; THE: 0 |
BLUE BLOODS: 13 |
| 6p | FOX REPORT WITH JON SCOTT: 91 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 138 |
CIVIL WAR: 41 |
RECORD WITH GRETA WEEKLY: 1 |
BLUE BLOODS: 14 |
| 7p | FIVE, THE SPCL: 110 |
ALL THE BEST/WORST 2022: 158 |
— | MARK KAYE SHOW, THE: 1 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 16 |
| 8p | WHO CAN FORGET 2022: 93 |
NEW YEARS EVE LIVE W/ AC: 806 |
STONE GHOSTS IN THE SOUTH: 33 [8:15 PM-8:59 PM] |
ROB CARSONS WHAT IN THE: 7 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 9 |
| 9p | COUNTDOWN/NEW YEAR: 87 |
— | RICHARD ENGEL ON ASSIGNMT: 33 |
BENNY REPORT; THE: 5 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 4 |
| 10p | ALL AMERICAN NEW YEARS: 150 |
— | LOVE AND THE CONSTITUTION: 40 |
NEWSMAX NEW YEAR?S EVE WI: 11 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 10 |
| 11p | ALL AMERICAN NEW YEARS: 223 |
— | — | — | NEWSNATION PRIME: 9 |
As for the three cable news networks overall, here are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.
Total viewers:
CNN: 916,000
Fox News: 953,000
MSNBC: 377,000
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 282,000
Fox News: 120,000
MSNBC: 44,000
Here are the prime time averages — encompassing shows which air from 8-11 p.m. — in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.
Total viewers:
CNN: 2.08 million
Fox News: 1.09 million
MSNBC: 200,000
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 806,000
Fox News: 110,000
MSNBC: 37,000
For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.
