May 2009 Cable Rankings: TNT #1 In Primetime, Fox News Top 5 In Primetime and Total Day

Fox News ranked #4 in total viewers among all cable channels in primetime for the month of May 2009, according to Nielsen Media Research. TNT rode NBA playoffs fever to unseat the USA Network at #1, while ESPN (#3) and Nick at Nite (#5) rounded out the top five.

TNT averaged 3.553 million total viewers in primetime; USA averaged 2.796 million, ESPN averaged 2.098 million, Fox News averaged 1.959 million, and Nick at Nite averaged 1.572 million.

CNN came in 23rd with 767,000 total viewers and MSNBC came right behind at #24 with 756,000 total viewers.

In total day rankings, Nickelodeon continued its streak at #1 with an average of 2.083 million total viewers, while TNT (1.520 million), Nick at Nite (1.499 million), USA (1.453 million) and Fox News (1.102) million rounded out the top five.

CNN ranked 21st in total day with an average of 535,000 total viewers, while MSNBC placed 30th with 377,000 total viewers.

Comments

[Harvey Broadway]

You want hope & fairness go to Switzerland, I'm for America and my family - everyone else can disappear.

[lisaman]

How very American of you! LOL

Democracy is great as long as it turns out the way you want it.

[Harvey Broadway]

Looks like a lot of people want to watch Reality instead of political show tunes.. I'm surprised MSNBC hasn't shown Obama walking on water or healing the sick.. Last night a guy on MSNBC said that Obama was above politics, above Republican & Democrat, almost GOD-like - WHAT?! No wonder people are watching Fox News.. MSNBC is just in some euphoric parallel-universe with Obama, I wouldn't believe anything they report right now..

[johndtuttle]

Hate and Fear outsell Hope and Fairness. News at 11 on Faux.

[jasongrundy]

Once again, I watch Olberman everyday on PODCAST...Does this count in the rating? Probably not

[Beantownbadboy]

Wow! Every time the ratings are published, the angry MSNBC apologists and shut ins come out and start with the excuses,i.e., I don't have expanded cable, it's not on in the airports, bus terminals or doctor's offices, unemployment offices, etc,etc. Last night I watched Mr. Ed, Tweety, KO and Giggles Maddow consecutively, for the first time and it was a real hoot. When I read about how much these people are paid for dishing out this drivel I get nauseous. Each show is warmed over tripe of the previous show, nothing new or original or worse yet, entertaining. Mr.Ed pounds away about fighting for the middle class, and hammering Limblow, ya right! Tweety , when he isn't drooling on himself, is positively ecstatic over everything politic. KO is obsessed with Billo and I'm starting to wonder if it may be a man crush. Giggles Maddow as far as I'm concerned should be on a high school radio station reading the weather. You go girl! Love the haircut and suits. Oh well, we still can look forward to those riveting weekend prison shows. MSNBC is a joke, just look at the ratings and weep. And I haven't even had my morning coffee yet!!!!

[psmarc93]

Shakespeare isn't popular today, does that make him a bad writer? Unlike Shakespeare, Dickens wasn't too popular during his day, but was far outpaced by Walpole and Lytton -- never heard of them, my point exactly. Granted, for the most part FOX News generally is more popular, except when you read the breakdown on demographics. The 35-55 year olds watch Olbermann and Maddow far more than O'Reilly or Hannity combined. Considering that, and the fact that MSNBC has been gaining viewers at a phenomenal rate while FOX has been losing viewers slowly, the futre of FOX is that Murdock will change format and in ten years he'll be forced to model his station after CNN and MSNBC to retain viewers.

[Beantownbadboy]

The numbers and ratings don't agree with you. In fact, it's just the opposite. FYI, MSNBC is starting to consider major changes, whatever that means, in the nightly lineup. As long as Faux is more than doubling their rival's numbers, no change,no chance. Sorry.

[barra]

WOW! A charter member of the "world is flat club".....I don't even know where to start after reading that "bizarro world" synopsis! EVERY SINGLE POINT you made is the antithesis of reality.......Why flaunt utter ignorance??

[PDXTransplant]

I really believe it has a lot to do with cable too. As in my area you have to have expanded cable to watch MSNBC, but not for FOX or CNN. Why wouldn't that have an impact on the viewer count? Most bars, restaurants, gyms, have cable and the channel is on the most common channel which is CNN or Fox. Why isn't this taken into consideration?

[Daniboy]

MSNBC 30th-great job Olbe! Get O"Reilly-Hannity-Beck--move to top 5---but again great job Olbie!

[Bagger]

I don't get MSNBC through cable.

[Daniboy]

Oberman is just misunderstood.

[Melissa]

Olbermann & Matthews are unwatchable! Olbermann is a very angry man.

[psmarc93]

Angry? Possibly, but O'Reilly and Hannity have made quite alot of bucks by marketing their rage.

[brklynivn]

And O'Reilly and Hannity are sooo happy!

[Yancey3]

KO and RM are a 2 hour hate fest.

[Imzadi]

Unlike Insanity, the Drugster, Glen Berzerk,and O'Liely. Fail.

[rwext]

Maybe now if Horseface would actually have the cajones to debate any with a diverse opinion, If Maddow would leave her smarmy screed at AirAmerika with its condescending guffaws, and tingly leg and Sergeant Schultz et al would leave the hate speech and not mention Bush, Oreilly, Hannity and Cheney and GOP , they might jump to 28

[sleeperd]

If those vacuous, lightweight, lefty, pseudo-intellectual airheads stopped doing all that, they wouldn't be on the air.

[Rep/Dem both suck]

As a liberal, I must confess I watch Glen Beck a few times a week for the same reasons I watched Flavor of Love and I Love Money, stupid people are so entertaining. I mean when Beck really gets into it with the conspiracy theories, and screaming about how this is his country and what Obama and the liberals are doing to it. It's a barrel of laughs. Besides shows that I consider intelligent aren't my favorites, because I in general don't watch TV to learn. I would imagine that most Americans are the same way, in this country sex and stupidity sells.

[Daniboy]

Gee-I watch Beck because he is middle America. But I guess you Libs do look down at middle America!

[shastacola]

Who are you to decide who "middle America" is?

[Mannock]

No he's not. Middle America has more intelligence than him. ANd Middle America has a sexual identity.

[psmarc93]

No, Beck reinforces an outdated image of middle America as real middle America is overwhelmingly Democratic, socially liberal, and increasingly Hispanic.

[houseboat67]

Olbermann can take push back. You see he is a real man. Unlike those simpering little girls BillOandHannity. He is also, thankfully, not a registered s e x offender.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBu1b_GpXM8

[ModerateMouse]

Ouch.

[jordan3189]

When was the last time the "real man" debated anyone? O'reilly would bring that detroit guy on and talk about it. let's see what bathtub boy does,

[GrandGuignol]

From the Andrea Mackris complaint:

"During the course of O"Reilly's telephone monologue on August 2, 2004 he suggested that Palintiff Andrea Mackris purchase a v ibrator and name it, and that he had one shaped like a c 0 c k with a little battery in it that a woman had given him. It became apparent that the O"Reilly was mastrbting as has he spoke."

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris14.html

[barra]

Why are you so obsessed with this fantasy? You post this garbage on EVERY media thread! On October 13th, 2004 disgruntled Fox employee Andrea Mackris responded to an extortion suit filed by O'reilly by countersuing O'reilly for sexual harassment. Immediately after O'Reilly's attorney insisted to have tapes played in court, Mackris dropped all charges. Both parties agreed to cease and desist with their respective lawsuits and entered into a confidentiality agreement. Rumors abound that O'Reilly paid Mackris' legal expenses to expedite this resolution but that is purely speculative due to the confidentiality agreement. Let it go, will ya?.... There are plenty of websites for that type of entertainment, perhaps you could find one.

[freeme6]

Ask him where he went to college! Oberman has a good story for that!!

[jordan3189]

Olbermann fans will love this : http://www.detnews.com/article/20090604/METRO01/906040450/1409/Detroit-development-CEO-fires-back-at-Olbermann

[GrandGuignol]

Ooohh. Stop the presses.

I find Bill O's disturbing interview with Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo far more interesting:

http://adreamdeferred.org/blog/8071-bill-o-reilly-interviews-miss-new-jersey-about-the-negligee-situation

[w8aminute]

I think it speaks volumes more that two Nickelodeon channels are rated in the Top5....is that the official babysitter of American kids? I hope they sneak some engineering programming into their lineup.

[2008FedUP]

One of 2 reasons....their watchers are backwoodigans OR the people of minds watch to see how news can be MADE UP of LIES and HATE. Then u click back to CNN or MSNBC to see what is really going on. Constant hate and wrongful reporting is a disease they have. Sooner or later without "treatment" u know what happens!

[2bad]

Of course Fox News has high ratings. The sheep only have one place to go to eat the grass. Thinking Americans have multiple choices for truthful information.

[andyg]

Why don't you watch MSNBC more and it may reach 29 next time.

[ModerateMouse]

If I tried to convince my friends to listen to a band because they were top 10, I would be laughed out of the bar.

I am laughing at you.

[2bad]

Must of hit a sore spot on one of the sheep!

Sorry to hurt your fragile feelings Sparky

Keep eating the grass!