The press release by MSNBC based on latest Nielsen data paints a grim picture for Fox News, and a rosy one for MSNBC. With a few days to go, MSNBC may just win the month of December also.
Source: Forbes
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow may have poured a Joe Rickey at the news. Maddow, MSNBC's prime-time star, is also an aficionado of mixing her own cocktails, and the Joe Rickey--a bourbon with seltzer and lime--is a favorite for special occasions. Christmas would certainly fit the bill this year, with the political drama surrounding the White House--and the build-up to a government shutdown--pushed MSNBC to its highest-rated week in 17 years.
According to ratings data released Wednesday by Nielsen, MSNBC's prime-time programs averaged 2.578 million total viewers, easing ahead of Fox News Channel (2.240 million) and CNN (1.398 million). In the key demographic of viewers 25-54, the demo coveted by major national advertisers, MSNBC was #1, with 471,000 to CNN's 415,000 and FNC's 355,000--a rare third-place finish for Fox, which has held onto first place for years.
With four weekly wins in a row, MSNBC is on track to beat Fox News in prime (among total viewers and in the demo) for the month of December, with just days left to go.
