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Former President Donald Trump’s indictment announcement Tuesday led to a bump in cable news viewership, with MSNBC overtaking Fox News for the primetime crown with 2.63 million viewers.
Trump’s third criminal indictment was announced on Tuesday and included multiple charges of conspiracy and obstruction. The indictment, which is related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Election, detailed the former President’s actions during the Jan 6. riot.
MSNBC, the only network to broadcast special coverage of the indictment, swept overall primetime figures as the No. 1 most-watched cable news channel. Fox News came in second place with 2.19 million total viewers, while CNN lagged behind with 1.06 million viewers, according to Nielsen-live-plus-same-day figures.
The trend continued in the demo for primetime, with MSNBC leading the pack with 350,000 viewers in the key cable demographic among adults 25-54. Fox News came in second with 279,000 viewers, and CNN came in third with 208,000 viewers in the demo.
From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, MSNBC was in special coverage mode to detail the charges outlined in the indictment brought against the former President. The network’s special coverage was led by Rachel Maddow, Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Lawrence O’Donnell and Stephanie Ruhle.
CNN opted not to transition to special coverage, remaining in regular primetime programming while bringing in additional anchors for context, an individual with knowledge of the network told TheWrap.
At 8 p.m., MSNBC’s special coverage of Trump’s indictment scored 2.86 million total viewers. Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” came in second with 2.46 million total viewers and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” saw 1.22 million total viewers.
In the demo, the trend continued for the 8 p.m. programming hour, with MSNBC special coverage securing 377,000 viewers in the 25-54 age range. Fox News followed with 251,000 viewers, and CNN came in third with 228,000 viewers in the demo.
At 9 p.m., MSNBC’s special coverage scored 2.63 million total viewers, Fox News’ “Hannity” came in second with 2.21 million total viewers, and CNN’s “The Source With Kaitlan Collins,” finished in third with 1.07 million total viewers.
MSNBC scored 369,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo for the 9 p.m. hour, with Fox News nabbing 277,000 viewers, and CNN with 218,000 viewers.
Meanwhile, shortly after the indictment news broke during the primetime schedule on Tuesday, Fox News top executives privately dined with Trump in an effort to convince him to participate in the network’s upcoming debate, according to The New York Times.
