MSNBC’s primetime lineup had its worst January ever in the key 25-54 age demographic.
The month was packed with major news. A truck attack on New Year's in New Orleans. A Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Vegas. Biden issuing last-minute pardons. Trump’s inauguration. Tensions in the Middle East. Yet, MSNBC struggled to pull in viewers.
Only 63,000 people in the key demo tuned in from 8-11 p.m. ET. That ranked them No. 31 on cable. Fox News had 353,000, and even struggling CNN pulled 118,000.
DePauw University professor Jeffrey McCall explained why this matters. "Advertisers seek the 25-54 demo because media consumers in that age range generally have money to spend and are not necessarily locked into brand loyalties," he said.
"They’re buying cars, fixing houses, and shopping for their kids," McCall added. "That’s why advertisers target them so aggressively."
MSNBC trailed behind channels like TV Land, Lifetime, Freeform, BET, Hallmark, and even Food Network in the key demo. That’s a major problem for ad revenue. "Networks with poor showings in the 25-54 demo will appeal to a narrower range of advertisers and likely have to discount their advertising rates," McCall noted.
Their primetime lineup isn’t helping. "Inside with Jen Psaki" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, while "All In with Chris Hayes" runs the rest of the week. Rachel Maddow, despite her reduced schedule, temporarily filled the 9 p.m. slot. "Alex Wagner Tonight" aired most of the month, with "The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell" closing out the night.
Even a high-profile interview didn’t boost numbers. On January 16, Biden sat down with O’Donnell for his final presidential interview. Only 97,000 viewers in the demo tuned in. Reruns of "Seinfeld," "Family Guy," and "The Office" did better.
The struggles weren’t just in primetime. MSNBC’s total day demo viewership averaged 45,000. Fox News had 253,000, and CNN had 80,000. MSNBC finished behind 26 other cable networks.
Individual shows fared no better. Fourteen Fox News programs, including "The Five," "Hannity," and "Gutfeld!" outperformed "The Rachel Maddow Show" in the key demo.
Ethan Alter from Adweek explained why this is a big deal. "Adults 25-54 is the prized demographic among advertisers, so strong showings there are key for a cable network’s ad revenue," he said. MSNBC saw demo declines after the election, likely due to fatigue and the holidays. January was an improvement over December but still worse than last year.
MSNBC defended itself with a press release. It highlighted double-digit audience growth since Trump’s inauguration. "From 4 p.m. to midnight, all weekday MSNBC programs grew their audiences versus the prior month and topped their respective CNN time slot competitors," the statement read.
These ratings woes come as Comcast prepares to spin off MSNBC into a separate company. That raises questions about shared resources and editorial control.
"Ensuring the demo numbers remain trending upward will likely be a priority as MSNBC approaches its SpinCo spin-off later this year," Alter noted.
Adding to the upheaval, MSNBC president Rashida Jones recently stepped down after nearly four years. Rebecca Kutler, a former CNN executive, is now the interim president.
Ratings data provided by Nielsen Media Research.