MSNBC beats CNN in first-ever quarterly victory
For the first time ever, MSNBC drew higher quarterly ratings in a couple key measurements than rival CNN.
MSNBC pulled more viewers and adults 25-54 than CNN for the second quarter in weekday primetime, something the network has never previously been able to claim. Fox News continued to lead the pack.
It was a close race between the two: MSNBC averaged 946,000 viewers to CNN's 939,000. In the key news demo, MSNBC had 289,000 to CNN's 261,000. "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" continued to drive MSNBC primetime, out-rating "Campbell Brown" by 51% in total viewers (1,159,000 vs. 769,000).
If you factor weekends, CNN edged out MSNBC, with the network's Michael Jackson coverage winning several hours.
CNN points out the network had its second-best quarter ever in total day among total viewers, and "Cambell Brown" is up this month vs. the same month last year. Aided by its Jackson boost, this was the network's best June ever. And HLN is having its best quarter ever in top measurements.
In prime, Fox News bested both CNN and MSNBC combined with an average of 2.1 viewers (up 34%) during Q2, compared with CNN (-10%) and MSNBC (+15%).