Royal Baby Ratings Deliver For Cable News Networks

The Ratings Are In!

Cable networks dedicated the majority of their Monday coverage to the Duchess of Cambridge going into labor, but preliminary ratings from Nielsen show that networks may have overestimated viewers' interest.

News of the birth was announced shortly after 3:00 p.m. (EST). During the 3:00 p.m. hour, Fox News brought in the most total viewers, while CNN led in the coveted A25-54 demographic. Fox News dominated both total viewers and the key demographic during the 4:00 p.m. hour. CNN came in second place, followed by MSNBC.

According to TVNewser's Alex Weprin, "there was viewer interest in the birth, but the ratings were far lower than other recent events, like the Zimmerman trial and the Asiana crash."

In addition to the cable news networks, broadcast organizations aired special coverage surrounding the birth announcement. CBS News was the only broadcast network that did not interrupt its regular programming to air a special report. It will be interesting to see how the Monday ratings differ from Tuesday's, when Prince William and Kate Middleton emerged from the hospital with their newborn son.

News of the royal birth also dominated newspaper front pages on Tuesday, and will likely enjoy another day of prominent placement on Wednesday now that there are photographs of the royal family together outside St. Mary's Hospital.

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Royal Baby Newspaper Front Pages

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