Cable News Ratings: MSNBC Beats CNN In Demo
MSNBC bests CNN in 25-54 demo, gives network best primtime performance in history, but Fox News still tops.
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/28/2008 12:52:00 PM EDT
Fox News finished October as the most watched cable news network and the second ranked cable network in primetime behind TBS. It was the 82nd consecutive month that FNC was the most-watched news network in total day and primetime.
But the eyebrow raising story to emerge from a month dominated by politics was MSNBC. The traditionally third-place network inched passed CNN in the primetime in the 25-54 sales demographic, to give the network its best primetime performance in its 12-year history.
At 9 p.m., The Rachel Maddow Show averaged 700,000 viewers in the demo compared to Larry King Live's 673,000 viewers, according to Nielsen.
At 8 p.m., Countdown with Keith Olbermann was decisively ahead of Campbell Brown's No Bias, No Bull, 784,000 viewers to Brown's 582,000. At 7 p.m., Hardball with Chris Matthews edged out Lou Dobbs Tonight, 458,000 viewers to Dobbs' 428,000.
