Politics

Zero CNN Shows Crack Ratings Top 25

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2025

It’s been a brutal month for CNN.

According to the latest Nielsen data for April 2025, CNN failed to land a single program in the top 25 most-watched weekday news shows. Meanwhile, Fox News didn’t just lead the pack—it swept it, claiming 13 of the top 14 spots and outpacing its competition by staggering margins.

Fox News’s “The Five” once again held the crown, averaging over 4 million viewers and nearly 3,000,000 in the key household demographic. “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Gutfeld!,” and “Special Report with Bret Baier” weren’t far behind, each drawing well above 2 million viewers and solidifying Fox’s grip on cable news dominance.

MSNBC at least made a showing, placing several programs in the lower half of the top 25—led by “The Rachel Maddow Show” at number eight, and “Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at number 15. But it was a different story for CNN: a complete shutout. Not a single CNN program cracked the list.

via Clay Travis on X

Fox’s grip on viewers spans every primetime slot and many midday blocks, with programs like “Hannity,” “Ingraham Angle,” and “The Will Cain Show” pulling audiences ranging from 2.2 to 2.9 million. Even Fox’s early morning show, “Fox & Friends,” landed in the top 15 with over 1.4 million viewers.

“Outnumbered,” “America’s Newsroom,” and “The Faulkner Focus” also made strong showings, showing that their dominance isn’t just primetime—it’s wall-to-wall.

CNN’s viewership slide has been steep in recent months, with critics pointing to lackluster programming and an identity crisis as the network attempts to appeal to multiple audience segments at once—pleasing none in the process.

In August 2023, Mark Thompson — the former BBC Director-General and New York Times CEO — took over as CNN’s chief executive, replacing Chris Licht. Thompson’s leadership has ushered in sweeping changes across the network, including major layoffs and an aggressive shift toward digital expansion. Among his initiatives: introducing a paywall on CNN.com and ramping up the company’s streaming efforts. While these moves are aimed at keeping pace with evolving media habits, they have also created controversy over CNN’s future identity and commitment to traditional journalism.

CNN also finds itself tied up in legal battles. One high-profile case involves Project Veritas, a conservative media group that sued CNN for defamation, claiming the network mischaracterized why Twitter suspended their account. A federal appeals court recently allowed the lawsuit to move forward.

CNN has also faced backlash over its portrayal of political figures.

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