Earlier this year, MSNBC newly appointed chief Rebecca Kutler Has the kind of reshuffle of prime time which is rare in television news. Viewers are attached to hosts and habit is a powerful force. But Kutler, seeking to put his buffer on the network and to improve audience numbers in the progressive press channel, made high -level movements. She pulled the catch “Reidout”, Joy Reid 7 p.m. the program and replaced “Alex Wagner tonight” In great listening hours – programming changes that were not without controversy, generating backlash from some of the main stars of the internal network and among certain viewers loyal to the existing range.
Now, with about two months of data, the figures suggest that the overhaul of the range is, at the very least, to a slow start out of the door.
At 7 p.m., MSNBC launched “The evening of the week”, ” an overall show anchored by Michael Steele,, Symone Sanders-TownsendAnd Alicia Menendez. From May 5 to June 29, the show has an average of 828,000 viewers in total and 84,000 in the demo 25-54 coveted by the advertiser. These figures represent a 31% drop in total viewers and a 35% drop in demo compared to the same period last year, when “The Reidout” occupied the slit. (Yes, it still beats easily Cnn in the number of viewers.)
At 9 p.m., MSNBC replaced “Alex Wagner Tonight” by “The briefing with Jen Psaki.” Between May 6 and June 29, “the briefing” reached an average of 1.019 million viewers and 90,000 in the demo, down 17% and 28%, respectively, from the same period last year. To be fair, MSNBC presented a number of “Avengers”– Style panels driven by Rachel Maddow Last year. And network notes have benefited from Donald Trump Historical trial, which excited the progressive public of the chain. Boost Hour de Wagner’s Boost Hour into account of the network reduces the 8% drop among total viewers and 17% in the demo. Anyway, the figures are still down.
Admittedly, there are early signs of momentum for Psaki, which builds the public from Chris Hayes’ 8 p.m. In June, “The Briefing” saw its audience in the demo 25-54 increase by 17% compared to May, and it almost doubled the total public of CNN at 9 am. It also surpasses its entry, up 11% in the total of viewers and 5% in the demo – metats that give MSNBC leaders the confidence that the show works, just needs time to flourish. “The Weeknight” has also shown growth from one month to the next, with a 12% increase in total viewers and a 35% bump in demo in June, eight weeks after launch. However, at this current moment, the two hours remain below last year’s figures – and, more importantly, are not exactly acts of overall performance of the block during great listening hours.
Of course, MSNBC is not the only one to see drops from year to year. Last year, the presidential election with high issues fueled the audience in cable information. Some progressive viewers have since listened to the news – or cut the cord – which followed the re -election of Trump, contributing to a wider fatigue of news with an impact on the entire industry.
That said, 2025 is nothing less than a year of frantic and hair on fire, with the big and deep titles of Trump dominating the titles both from a national and international point of view. In other words, there is a lot News to chew and keep the viewers running on their televisions to learn the last people. The dynamics raise questions about the reasons why MSNBC has not really seen an increase in the public as viewers were concerned about the state of their country – and democracy itself – discover reliable sources of information.
At CNN, the main competitor of MSNBC, the grades are also down, but not as sharp. At 7 p.m., for example, “Erin Burnett Outfront” 8% case in total viewers and 7% in demo, compared to the more significant MSNBC drops of more than 30% in the same slot machine. At 9 p.m., “The source with Kaitlan Collins” is down 5% in total viewers, but has cultivated 4% in the demo.
Of course, it is well known in the television sector that strong leads are essential to the success of a program in prime hours, and the difficulties of MSNBC at 7 p.m. seem to cause the whole block. The 19 ha time slot has always been a delicate hour for the network, partly because of the very strong audience figures Nicolle Wallace And Ari Melber job. MSNBC would surely like to stem bleeding and avoid losing viewers from these transfers, but the new overall show has so far failed to do so. In particular, the Hayes show at 8 p.m. is down 32% in total viewers and 38% in the demo, from one year to the next. Part of this is probably due to Trump’s fatigue, although another factor is surely the transfer less than Ideal than Hayes receives from the nascent program at 7 p.m.
However, while the first figures do not sing calculation sheets, television leaders would not be quick to remind skeptics that it takes time to develop the public. Patience, they say, is the name of the game. Viewers must develop habits around new shows, and programs often require months to find their foot. In other words, during a slow start, it will take more than two months to finally judge Kutler’s bet during great listening hours.
