MSNBC DOUBLES CNN’S PRIMETIME AUDIENCE
#1 News Network on YouTube in July, #1 Cable News Network on TikTok Year to Date
#1 Cable News Network in Influential D.C. Market
More Than 80 Million Downloads Across MSNBC’s Audio Portfolio Year to Date
(New York – July 29, 2025) – With a news cycle driven by key political and global breaking news moments, MSNBC finished July with twice as many weekday primetime viewers as CNN (1.1 million vs. 549,000) and with more viewers than CNN in total day for the 40th consecutive month (530,000 vs. 370,000).
Despite the traditional summer viewership swoon, millions of Americans continued to watch MSNBC’s news coverage and analysis throughout July. The average MSNBC viewer spent nearly eight hours per week watching the network in July, almost twice the CNN viewer average.
Additionally, MSNBC total day viewership in July was up 47% compared to the pre-inauguration period, marking the largest increase of any cable news network (CNN +20%; FOX News +1%). MSNBC was also the #2 cable network (ahead of #3 ESPN, #4 CNN ) for July. Among Black viewers, MSNBC was the #1 cable network in July, and a top four cable network in total day among Hispanic viewers and Asian-American viewers. MSNBC was also the most-watched cable network in Washington, D.C. for the second consecutive month.
MSNBC has doubled its audience during a decade of secular television viewership decline. In 2025 to date (January through July), MSNBC is averaging 101% more primetime viewers and 81% more total day viewers than during the first seven months of 2015, despite a significant decline in the number of pay TV households (-33%). CNN total day viewership, on the other hand, decreased by -8% from 2015 to 2025.
MSNBC Primetime Doubles CNN’s Total Audience; New Primetime Programs See Double Digit Growth Since Launch
In July, MSNBC’s weekday primetime programming (Monday through Friday, 8 to 11 p.m.) doubled CNN’s viewership, securing MSNBC’s 40th consecutive monthly win over CNN.
MSNBC’s newest weekday programs, “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” and “The Weeknight,” both delivered double-digit A25-54 growth since their launch in May. “The Briefing” (Tuesday through Friday, 9 p.m.) averaged 88,000 A25-54 viewers (966,000 total viewers), up 19% from May. “The Weeknight” (Monday through Friday, 7 p.m.) averaged 85,000 A25-54 viewers (812,000 total viewers), up 23% since launch.
Additionally, every MSNBC weekday perspective and analysis program (4 p.m. to 12 a.m.) averaged more total viewers than its CNN timeslot counterpart.
In addition to the network’s continued dominance over CNN among total viewers throughout primetime, “The Rachel Maddow Show” (Mondays, 9 p.m.), which had four times as many total viewers as its CNN counterpart (2.02 million vs. 524,000), also more than doubled CNN in the A25-54 demo (219,000 vs. 93,000). “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace” (Monday through Friday, 4 to 6 p.m.) also topped its CNN competition among the A25-54 demo (111,000 vs. 88,000), drawing the show’s largest demo audience since April.
“The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” closed the gap with CNN in the demo, finishing the month tied with A25-54 viewers (73,000).
“Morning Joe” Remains Dominant Morning Cable News Program in Influential Washington D.C. Market; Tops CNN Across Key Demos
In July, “Morning Joe” (Monday through Friday, 6 to 10 a.m.) nearly doubled CNN’s audience from 6 to 10 a.m. among total viewers (594,000 vs. 303,000), marking its 125th consecutive monthly win. “Morning Joe” also topped CNN among A25-54 for the fourth consecutive month (54,000 vs. CNN’s 52,000).
“Morning Joe” remains the most-watched cable network in the influential Washington, D.C. market for the fifth consecutive month, finishing ahead of #2 ESPN, #3 FOX News, and #4 CNN.
Additionally, “Way Too Early with Ali Vitali” averaged more total viewers than its CNN 5 a.m. counterpart for the 40th consecutive month (226,000 vs. 127,000) and topped CNN among Adults 25-54 (22,000 vs. CNN’s 21,000).
More Viewers Turn to MSNBC Than CNN in Dayside for Fourth Straight Month
“MSNBC Reports” (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) averaged 499,000 total viewers in July and topped CNN for the fourth straight month (476,000). MSNBC also delivered its largest total viewer advantage over CNN in the daypart since November 2024.
MSNBC Weekend Programming Sees Double-Digit Growth Since Inauguration; “The Weekend: Primetime” Continues to Build Audience
Since the inauguration, MSNBC’s weekend programming (Saturday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.) has delivered double-digit viewership growth among both total viewers (36%) and A25-54 (53%) compared to pre-inauguration norms.
Plus, MSNBC’s newly introduced weekend evening ensemble program, “The Weekend: Primetime” (Saturday through Sunday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.), delivered 9% growth among total viewers (379,000 vs. 349,000) compared to its launch month.
“Velshi” topped CNN among total viewers for the second time since expanding its timeslot (470,000 vs. 457,000).
#1 News Network on YouTube in July, #1 Cable News Brand on TikTok Year to Date; MSNBC Digital Ranks as the #1 Political News Destination
MSNBC.com ranked #1 in its competitive set for unique visitors, with 32 million unique visitors in June 2025, holding the #1 spot for the fifth time on record. Consumers continue to spend more time on MSNBC.com than any other political news site, ranking #1 for 51 consecutive months in the competitive set for total minutes spent, with 737 million minutes this month.
Throughout the month of July, MSNBC.com posted 150 opinion pieces, including from Rep. Maxine Waters, Michele Norris, Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele.
MSNBC is pacing to be the most-watched news network on YouTube for July (283 million views month-to-date), ahead of FOX News, CNN, ABC News, and CBS News. Year to date, MSNBC has had 2.3 billion views, up 28% year over year. Some highlights from MSNBC’s original videos on YouTube include Chris Hayes on the ‘South Park’ episode of President Trump (3.7 million views), Lawrence O’Donnell on the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ (3.5 million views), and Jen Psaki on President Trump’s comments during an AI summit in Pittsburgh (3.5 million).
Year to date, MSNBC is also the most watched cable news network on TikTok, surpassing three billion views, up 455% year over year. In July, MSNBC had 239 million video views, up 52% year over year. Some of MSNBC’s top performing videos include Democratic lawmakers protesting Elon Musk’s influence over the government (43.8 million), MSNBC hosts reaction to Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (32.6 million), and Ali Velshi’s reporting on Colombia turning away deportation flights from the U.S. (31.3 million).
MSNBC Sees More Than 80 Million Downloads Across Audio Portfolio Year to Date; “The Last Word” Showcast Sees More Than 50% Year Over Year Growth, Most Downloaded Regular Daily Showcast
Year to date, MSNBC podcasts have been downloaded more than 80 million times, with downloads increasing in two straight quarters. Several showcasts posted year-over-year download growth in July, including “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” “All In with Chris Hayes,” “The 11th Hour,” and “Velshi.”
“The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” which debuted at #1 on Apple Podcast charts, also continues to drive downloads, surpassing more than five million total downloads since its premiere. Plus, a linear airing of “The Best People” on Friday, July 4 averaged 688,000 viewers, on top of 1.1 million views on YouTube. “The Best People” is MSNBC’s fourth most popular original podcast ever, based on downloads per episode.
# # #
TV Source: Nielsen, Panel Only, Live+SD, Persons 2+ and Adults 25-54. Total Day = M-Su 6 a.m. to 6 a.m., Primetime= M-F 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 2025: 6/30/25-7/27/25. All stats for the new administration growth vs. pre-inauguration norms is based on 1/20/25-7/27/25 (i.e., since inauguration day) vs. 11/11/24-1/19/25 (between election week and inauguration week). Time period wins based on regularly-scheduled cable news programming; Morning Joe and Way Too Early claims exclude July 4th holiday programming for MSNBC and CNN. New Show comparisons: May = 5/5/25-5/25/25. Engagement: Nielsen, NPower, Reach & Frequency, M-Su 6 a.m.-6 a.m., 6-min viewing qualifier. Race/Ethnicity: Nielsen, NPower, Ratings Analysis Time Period Report 6/30/25-7/26/25. Local Points: Nielsen, NPower, Ratings Analysis Program Report, LPM = Washington, D.C., 6/30/25-7/27/25, P2+, M-F 6a-10a, M-Su 6a-6a.
Digital Source: Comscore Media Metrix, June 2025. U.S. desktop 2+ and mobile 13+ internet population. Unique visitors and total minutes. YouTube data based on YouTube Studio Analytics, July 1-27, 2025. Year to date based on January 1 – July 25, 2025. YouTube video views. TikTok data based on ListenFirst, July 1-27, 2025. Year to date based on January 1 – July 25, 2025. TikTok video views. Audio data from Simplecast.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Richard.Hudock@nbcuni.com
