MSNBC’s Primetime Audience Drops 55% Post-Election, Raises Questions About Future of Traditional Media
More than a month after the November election, MSNBC’s primetime audience, which dropped by half after Donald Trump’s victory in 2016, has still not returned to pre-election levels. The latest Nielsen figures show that MSNBC’s total primetime audience has fallen a staggering 55% from November 4 to December 15.
CNN has faced a similar drop, with a 46.7% decrease in primetime audience, while Fox News has seen its primetime audience grow 10.7%. The decline is widely attributed to viewers feeling disillusioned with the outcome of the election and taking a break from traditional media.
Professor Claire Potter, from The New School for Social Research, suggests that to some MSNBC viewers, the election outcome felt like a “bait and switch.” She notes that viewers were promised good reporting, organization, and energized opposition, but the opposite happened, leading to feelings of anger and betrayal.
Oliver Darcy, founder of the media newsletter Status, wonders if some viewers have permanently turned to other news sources, such as podcasts, YouTube channels, and newsletters. “Something broader’s going on,” he said. “Some people are depressed, others feel betrayed, and some are tuning out for the holidays. It can be a cocktail of things happening here.”
Christina Bellantoni, director of USC Annenberg’s Media Center, believes the MSNBC audience is just taking a break and will return. “People want good, solid reporting. They want reporting that aligns with their own ideology and they just want to tune out at the moment.”
However, some pundits fear that the decline could spell trouble ahead for traditional media. “I think people are exhausted, and I think they’re looking for people to blame,” said Potter. “That blame is piling up on MSNBC, which viewers and pundits say failed to adequately spotlight the anger and frustration in middle-class and Latino voters over issues like inflation and immigration.”
MSNBC’s ratings decline is not unprecedented. The network saw a similar drop-off in viewership following Trump’s 2016 win and George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004. However, it remains to be seen if the network will bounce back in the same way, especially with the shift away from traditional media.
Will viewers return to MSNBC to digest the news following Trump’s inauguration in January? Or have they migrated to new media sources for good? Only time will tell.
