A NewsNation ratings surge on Saturday night delivered a blow to CNN and MSNBC, with the upstart network outperforming both legacy outlets in the highly coveted 25-54 demographic. According to Nielsen Media Research, NewsNation averaged 44,000 viewers in the demo during the 8 p.m. hour with its special report, The Killing of Charlie Kirk. CNN’s rerun of Real Time with Bill Maher pulled in 38,000 viewers, while MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime lagged behind at just 32,000.
During its primetime special, NewsNation confirmed two major details about Kirk’s assassination: that he was not wearing a bulletproof vest, and that facial recognition technology had already put the alleged killer on the FBI’s radar.
Even outside the special, NewsNation bested its bigger rivals. At 7 p.m., NewsNation Prime with Natasha Zouves earned 34,000 viewers in the demo, roughly 5,000 more than CNN’s Newsroom. At 10 p.m., CNN fell behind by 10,000 viewers, and MSNBC’s 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle trailed by 11,000 in the next slot.
The ratings win highlights the broader struggles of liberal cable outlets. MSNBC, soon to be spun off from Comcast and rebranded as My Source News Opinion World (MS NOW), has already faced controversy, including the firing of contributor Matthew Dowd after he suggested Kirk was to blame for his own murder. CNN continues to face legal and reputational setbacks, including a $5 million defamation verdict in January.
NewsNation, by contrast, continues to build momentum since its 2021 rebrand from WGN America. With a mission of providing “fact-based, unbiased news,” the network is positioning itself as a serious alternative to cable news giants. As anchor Elizabeth Vargas demonstrated during the GOP primary debate she cohosted, NewsNation is emerging as a player that the media establishment can no longer ignore.
