All in all, CNN viewers would rather watch Don Lemon than Beto O’Rourke. The network’s hour-long town hall with the Texas congressman and Democratic presidential candidate drifted to a distant third-place finish in Tuesday night’s cable news ratings–and was down significantly from the network’s average Tuesday night ratings delivery.
According to ratings data compiled by Nielsen, the O’Rourke town hall delivered a total audience of 714,000 viewers, while MSNBC and Fox News Channel both exceeded two million viewers in the same time period: 2.196 million for MSNBC and 2.260 million for top-rated Fox News.
CNN’s ratings delivery was down nearly 30% compared to its average Tuesday night, which over the last few months has typically reached more than one million viewers. O’Rourke even failed to exceed the audience that watched a CNN town hall featuring third-tier candidate John Hickenlooper, which drew 745,000 viewers in March. The lowest-rated town hall so far this cycle was CNN’s event with Julian Castro, which reached just 654,000 viewers in April.
Federal Judge Sides with CNN, Politico, MS NOW in Battle Against White House
Massive trove of Republican voter and donor info breached in Biden DOJ probe: Senate chairman
Apple Launches New Gadget with ‘Painfully Bad’ Ad That’s Making People ‘Actively Not Want to Buy the Product’
Iowa Dem Senate candidate says he’s too busy campaigning to attend all state House votes
Missing Summer Wells’ father arrested on domestic assault charge in Tennessee
Mystery woman sought after American found dead in Costa Rican tourist destination
Watch: Kathy Hochul Stumbles in Debate Opening Statement and Republican Opponent Bruce Blakeman Pounces
The Houthis Are Receiving Help Directly from China as They Attempt to Build Their Own Game-Changing Weapon: Report
Trump says ‘we are looking into’ other Dan Sullivan on Alaska ballot, warns about governor’s race
New York governor debate heats up as Blakeman, Hochul spar over Trump, sanctuary status, ICE shooting
Does anyone want to win this race? Talarico and Paxton stumble to finish line in Texas Senate contest
‘Tsunami of Republican Money’ Could Turn Midterms Upside Down, Says Top Democrat
NY Dem Congressional Candidate Wants Cornell 7’s ‘Severed Heads on Pikes,’ Ignores That There’s Been No Trial
99,000 arrested at Mexican border in Trump’s first year versus two million in Biden’s year one
Schumer warns of Republican advantage that could change the battle for Senate control
Among viewers 25-54, the demographic group most valued by national advertisers, CNN’s O’Rourke town hall had 194,000 viewers, down 38% from its average Tuesday night delivery of 313,000. In the demo, Fox News finished first with 362,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC (315,000).
The poor ratings will raise questions about O’Rourke’s ability to generate buzz in a crowded field, but also about the debate among Democrats over the wisdom of going where the viewers are and appearing on Fox News. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren recently announced she would not accept an offer to appear in a Fox town hall, while candidates like Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have reached large audiences on FNC. Sanders’ Fox town hall remains the highest-rated town hall this cycle, with a total audience of 2.554 million viewers.
