MSNBC on its Debate ratings win…
MSNBC’s release on the Debate numbers from last night (which are Live+SD so don’t be sending me comments or emails asking why these numbers don’t match the numbers I posted in the ratings entry below this one. They’re different sets of numbers so they won’t match.)…
MSNBC scored a huge ratings victory last evening with its presentation of the Democratic Candidates Debate, hosted by “NBC Nightly News” Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams. According to Nielsen Media Research Data, MSNBC won the 7:00 to 8:30 pm (ET) debate timeslot with 2,261,000 total viewers, putting it ahead of the cable news competition including CNN (500,000), Fox (1,789,000), and Headline News (411,000). MSNBC Also scored big in the adult demographic during the debate with 806,000 viewers, versus CNN (128,000), Fox (452,000) and Headline News (108,000).
A total of 1.18 million total viewers tuned to MSNBC during primetime (8:00-11:00 pm ET), putting the network in second place overall for the night, ahead of CNN (648,000) and Headline News (438,000). MSNBC won the Adult 25-54 demographic during primetime with 472,000 viewers, versus CNN (179,000), Fox (423,000) and Headline News (123,000)
MSNBC’s post debate analysis in the 9:00 to 10:00 pm hour (ET), hosted by Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, placed second for the hour in total viewers and the adult demographic, with 894,000 total viewers and 395,000 viewers in the demographic, as compared to CNN (834,000 total viewers and 195,000 in the demo) and Headline News (327,000 total viewers and 98,000 in the demo).This was MSNBC’s best performance in total viewers during 7:00 to 8:30 pm hour since March 19, 2003, the start of the Iraq war, when 2,624,000 viewers tuned in, and its best performance in the adult demographic since Election Day (11/02/04) when 1,035,000 viewers tuned in.
MSNBC.com, the site for political coverage, provided users with complete insight and analysis of the first Democratic Presidential debates. Traffic to www.politics.msnbc.com
, increased five times over that of a typical day, and 45 percent of the Political section content users consumed was debate-related. Nearly 150,000 users cast their votes using msnbc.com’s new interactive “Rate the Candidates” feature. The Democratic Candidates Debate Telecast Live From the campus of The University of South Carolina in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The debate was also broadcast on NBC News2Go, which is available on MediaFLO USA’s award-winning mobile TV service, called FLO TV. FLO TV is currently available to Verizon Wireless subscribers.
Live plus Same day are what everybody should care about because there were no commercials.
Comment by Randy — April 27, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
There seems to still be a pretty big drop off after the debate (CNN came pretty close in total viewers). Is that normal for debates?
Comment by Obama in 08! — April 27, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
More people watched American Idol than the debate.
Comment by julie — April 27, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
Well, the debate ended at 8:30, so they had some retention from 8:30-9. At 9, they still were over 300,000 over their usual numbers, and doubled Larry King in the demo.
Comment by Randy — April 27, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
No kidding Julie? Next thing you know, you’re going to tell me that more people vote for American Idol than the number of people who voted for President in 2004. Oh wait…
Why don’t you try comparing apples to apples, huh?
Comment by Shaun — April 27, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
It seems kind of strange to compare the ratings numbers, because the programing is not the usual. I think we all knew there would be a big bump. I was wondering, are these numbers good for a dem. pres. debate in general?
Comment by Obama in 08! — April 27, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
So dose this mean MSNBC will have a Dem debate everynite now? :)…enjoy it while you can because after it’s over you’ll be in the basement again.
Comment by mlong — April 27, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
Randy… your logic is flawed. Just because there were no commercials, does not mean that the DVRing public actually watched what they recorded. Until the ratings can show who WATCHED what they taped, it’s meaningless.
Comment by ImNotBlue — April 27, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
Shaun: That is no way to talk to a lady! :)
Comment by Ira — April 27, 2007 @ 10:41 pm
Seeing that the debate drew major ratings for MSNBC (as opposed to their usual numbers), I think they dropped the ball in their post-debate segment, which I thought came off as second-rate (I think a high school media team could have done as well if not better). I would think that viewers who don’t frequent the network may have stayed with the analysis and perhaps could have had a taste of what MSNBC is all about. Too bad the post-debate coverage left a rather bland taste.
Comment by FishOil — April 28, 2007 @ 1:01 am
They did retain 1.7 million people from 8:30-9:00
Comment by Randy — April 28, 2007 @ 2:53 am
Why are we having these debates so early. I did not watch it. I did watch AI or HGTV. We have no idea what will be happending in America a year from now. we could be at war with Iran(Not our choice and Iraq will be long gone) We could be in a real depression or recession or some other big problem. I will look at debates in a year and so will a lot of other people. It is just to early and to scripted.
Comment by cathy — April 28, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Agreed cathy.
Comment by ImNotBlue — April 28, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
The problem is that everything will be decided by early February this year because so many states moved their primaries up. This was just the first one of many, and I was happy to be able to hear for the first time from all the candidates.
Comment by Randy — April 28, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
ImNotBlue: Your logic is actually flawed. L+SD ratings are the folks who WATCHED a program - taped or otherwise. A network doesn’t get credit for just being recorded, they get credit when the recording is watched.
Comment by Don — April 28, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
i I find it funny the authour points out how MSNBC pulled off second place in primetime ratings in all different slots, and also points out CNN and Headline News trailed them, but he couldn’t pull himself to recognise that FOX leads them all on that night, and evry night! If you avoid the whole truth, maybe they wont tell your hiding the facts. MSNBS’s debate crushed CNN’s, but FOX did the best at holding the candidates to the truth about what theyve said before, and if theyre dodging at that time. Good job FOX and MSNBC! BAD CNN!
Comment by reese — June 4, 2007 @ 9:45 am