Rachel Maddow Ratings: Beats Olbermann's "Countdown" To Be MSNBC's Top Show

The student has surpassed the master, at least for one night.

"The Rachel Maddow Show" was MSNBC's top-rated broadcast Tuesday night, unseating Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" as the network's top show.

Maddow drew 1.8 million total viewers compared to Olbermann's 1.6 million. Maddow also outdrew Olbermann in the advertiser-friendly 25-54 demographic, taking 25,000 more young adults than her lead-in "Countdown."

Full ratings numbers below (via TV By The Numbers):

8PM - P2+ (25-54) (35-64)
The O'Reilly Factor- 3,060,000 viewers (731,000) (1,253,000)
Election Center-1,166,000 viewers (431,000) (576,000)
Countdown w/Keith Olbermann- 1,635,000 viewers (509,000) (771,000)
On the Money--207,000 viewers (65,000) (106,000)
Nancy Grace -1,166,000 viewers (412,000) (618,000)

9 PM - P2+ (25-54) (35-64)
Hannity & Colmes-3,136,000 viewers (716,000) (1,375,000)
Larry King--1,710,000 viewers (496,000) (801,000)
Rachel Maddow Show-1,801,000 viewers (534,000) (872,000)
Business of Innovation--a scratch w/102,000 viewers (a scratch w/42,000) (59,000)
Glenn Beck- 656,000 viewers (211,000) (354,000)

10 PM P2+ (25-54) (35-64)
On the Record w/Greta--2,908,000 viewers (727,000) (1,367,000)
Anderson Cooper 360-1,828,000 viewers (647,000) (898,000)
Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann-1,127,000 viewers (412,000) (616,000)
Saving General Motors-187,000 viewers (93,000) (121,000)
Nancy Grace -717,000 viewers (373,000) (420,000)

Update: The hosts of Morning Joe congratulated Rachel Maddow on her ratings success Thursday morning. Joe Scarborough, who has sparred with Maddow in the past, had particularly kind words for her, saying:

TV folk are some of the craziest folk I know, as Krusty the Clown might say. But she is a good, good person. We probably don't agree on anything politically. But she's respectful of people, and it's great. File this under, one of those good people doing well."

Watch:

Comments

[toocoldout]

I love her show and am thrilled it's doing so well. She's a total natural on TV and so smart too.

[newdreams]

The only credibility Morning Joe brings to the table are with its guests. Joe, Mika, and Pat Buchanan are ridiculously irrelevant.

[Hatchibakku99]

I'm totally devoted to Keith and Rachel -- I usually watch the first run AND the rerun of their shows each night, in case I missed anything the first time through. Besides asking all the right questions, they are both courteous to their guests -- they don't interrupt and step all over their guests' comments. Admittedly, Keith doesn't seem to have guests with opposing viewpoints the way Rachel often does, but his team of analysts -- Howard Fine, Richard Wolffe, etc. -- shed a lot of light on the issues. It's good that they don't have to fight to get their comments heard. Overall, I give two thumbs up to MSNBC's new night-time lineup. And HUGE thanks for delivering us from the prison shows!!!!

[boogiewoman]

Rachel Maddow is the best thing since sliced bread. Now thats a smart woman. Mourning Joe is an awful show. I think Joe S. is arse hole, David S. has my permission to kick his arse.

[oommoore]

I have a question. Why won't John McCains surrogates go on her show?

[fumerunner]

As much I like Rachel Maddow and her show, I don't understand why Dan Abrams and Verdict weren't just shifted to 10pm EST. Are there budget constraints there? Is MSNBC legally obligated to show prison shows for a third of the day?
--
While I am pleased that Ms. Maddow's show is drawing well, I was shocked to see the numbers for FOX and their cabal of simpleton cretins. Is it that bad? Sheesh. No wonder why a horrific candidate like McCain is just about even with Obama. With so many people's eyeballs on FOX, it's amazing that Obama's numbers are as high as they are.
--
FOX is really so complicit in the last eight years, aren't they? I just utterly despise them so much so that I have stopped going to a local bar/restaurant because the owner always FIX news on---on every TV in the joint. I have kindly asked to put on CNN or MSNBC on one of the TVs and he always has some excuse not to change the channel. So does anyone know of any good lefty bars in the Lehigh Valley of Pa.?

[MarcInCA]

Dan Abrams/Verdict was almost unbearable, but at least it was better than those stupid prison shows.

And as for FOX, don't worry too much. Conservatives only watch FOX, everybody else watches a variety of channels. Plus FOX has been losing ground in the ratings for the last couple years.

[steve-annie]

You know, it's the damnedest thing ... I've noticed that Faux News seems to be on everywhere I go. And not just bars, for example, where a single owner may be following his own personal preference. My doctor's office always has it on in the waiting room all day. I go to a big hospital for follow-ups twice a year and it's on in their waiting rooms. And recently I had to take my mom to two different ERs (because I wouldn't let them admit her to the first snakepit the ambulance took her to) and there was Faux News being broadcast in both of those ERs. Call me paranoid, but I have the sneaking suspicion they're paying people to show them.

[rw97]

Yeah, I think it would have been good to have Dan Abrams show in the later time shot. He was the only one to continually go after Karl Rove for his contempt of congress, the constitution etc. He was giving the ex governor of Alabama Don Siegelman a forum. Siegelman was a victim of Rove's dirty tricks.

[darlingdem]

Rachel's success is VERY well deserved. She is definitely one of today's top political commentators. Kudos to MSNBC for finally giving Rachel her own show! I knew she'd be terrific.

Speaking of MSNBC: I would implore network executives to not do anything hasty...like name David Gregory as moderator of Meet The Press. I'm concerned...because, now that Keith and Chris will not be leading MSNBC's election coverage on key nights, and David is...I hope that's not a sign that he's being groomed to be Russert's replacement. He is so biased and such a know-it-all. I find him to be very obnoxious. When he comes on, I go for the remote and switch to The Situation Room.

I do watch a lot of MSNBC however...and I'm starting to think that MSNBC DOES have someone in their ranks capable of taking the reins of MTP: David Schuster. He knows his stuff...and when he does interviews, he really holds his guests feet to the fire. I really think he has the potential to grow into that job. (I know he made that remark about Chelsea...but MSNBC must realize his talent/value...since they didn't cave under pressure from Hillary to fire him. They must understand that ANYONE can make a mistake.)

Anyone else impressed by David's knowledge and interviewing skills...and think he may just have the chops to become the heir to MTP??

[demdan07]

Schuster is too biased to take over MTP.

[Jim--C]

i watch hardball,count down,and maddows show. they're all good.i just wish that mathews would take some lessons from maddows about how to conduct an interview.

[carbar]

Rachel's cool, but why is anybody surprised at the Palin interview ratings on Fox news?

Why is Fox never chastised for its one sideness as MSNBC have been?

Love, Larry King, but hate the squabbling btwn guests he has on. Too many at the same time. Same reason I can't take much of Fox. All that shouting and saddest of all erroneous info they spew!

Rachel talk to folk who has a mind and able to use it! Congrats, Rachel and to us as viewers for respecting us!

[MsJezebel]

She is awesome. I love that she is respectful of others. And I love it when she has her "fake uncle Pat" on.

[jellinda]

Keith and Rachel are a great team, back to back and I would not consider it a proper way of winding down from a long day without both of them! Thank goodness for their commentaries and insights. They are the oasis in a desert of lies and distortions.

[kappa08]

"They are the oasis in a desert of lies and distortions."

...well said

[rw97]

Rachel provided a list of invitees who've declined to be on the program that included:

Carly Fiorina
Douglas Holtz-Eakin (McSame's Blackberry)
Ed O'Callaghan
Meg Whitman
Jane Swift
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Olympia Snowe

[SadiSays]

They are all afraid to appear before her because they realize she would poke holes in every foolish morsel of spin they would attempt to throw at her...

Rachel is no joke...

[MandieD]

So true. I adore Rachel -- her intelligence is incredible. She's rapidly become a role model to me.

[micnuge]

Keith and Rachel are terrific back to back! I will never miss them.

[Busterdawg]

Who cares, really...

[jgalvan]

At least you are not obnoxious like so many other people - you are obnoxious in a different and worse way!

[SadiSays]

Ummm, obviously most everyone else who has taken the time to post a message about the story....duh....

[oneblackvote]

Go Rachel Go. I knew you could do it. I will watch you every night and tell all of my friends to watch. We have to beat Fixed News. That is my goal. I will do all that I can to help.

[chicagowe]

lol what a joke msnbc getting destroyed by fox and cnn. interesting how all these dems talk about how they're registering record voters and have swollen their base, and they say they are the intelligent informed party yet fox and cnn viewership keeps rising and msnbc keeps dropping. and then when obama loses in november they will all blame fox and cnn, lol.

[valleygent]

Simple to figure out Neocon...Democrats have better things to do then sit around and watch the boob tube.

[jgalvan]

Perhaps your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

[MM5]

LOL.....LOL...

[MandieD]

That's a very long run-on sentence ...