An unexpected development arises.
Cable television news is undergoing a significant change in a long-standing business norm.
The most watched shows on Fox News (FOX) – Get a free reportCNN (wbd) – Get a free reportand MSNBC (CMCSA) – Get a free report have traditionally been the evening programming of the networks.
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That seems to be changing, as afternoon programming is attracting an increasing number of viewers, according to a history in the New York Times on March 16.
For example, neither Tucker Carlson nor Sean Hannity now attract the majority of viewers on Fox News.
That honor goes to “The Five,” a talk show that airs at 5 p.m. in the East, while 2 p.m. on the West Coast.
On MSNBC in January, Ari Melber’s 6 pm ET show had the largest viewership on the network. That was the first time since the network began in 1996 that an 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. show accomplished that.
Erin Burnett and Jake Tapper had the most viewers on CNN in January, at 7 pm and 4 pm respectively.
“The reasons are innumerable,” writes the New York Times. “Without the visceral urgency of a dangerous virus, or an incumbent president tweeting erratically late into the night, America’s news obsessives may simply feel more comfortable changing channels late at night rather than waiting. nervously the latest development.”
The rise in popularity of streaming services also seems to be a factor in the change.
“Americans 65 and older are the primary audience for 24/7 news channels, but these older viewers are increasingly turning to streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime for their entertainment.” , according to him Times. “According to Nielsen, Americans 65 and older watched nearly twice as many hours of broadcast television in December 2022 than in December 2020, the largest increase among any age demographic in that period.”
Jonathan Klein, former president of CNN, spoke about the importance of streaming services in relation to the trend.
“Unless there’s something super compelling going on in the world, prime time viewers now have plenty of other streaming options to watch,” Klein said, according to the report. Times. “There’s a lot more choice than there used to be. You can stream ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ It’s hard for news to compete with Maverick.”
