CNN's Ratings Crisis Deepens as July Viewership Plummets

CNN's viewership cratered in July, with primetime numbers falling to a staggering new low that places the network distantly behind its cable news competitors. Despite a month filled with major news events, the network's primetime lineup averaged only 497,000 total viewers, marking a catastrophic 42% drop from the same period last year. The figure was labeled "disastrously bad" by former CNN host Chris Cillizza.

For comparison, MSNBC attracted an average of 865,000 primetime viewers, while Fox News dominated the landscape with an average of 2.41 million viewers.

The ratings slump was not confined to primetime. Across the entire broadcast day, CNN averaged just 370,000 total viewers. This figure was well behind MSNBC's 530,000 and was dwarfed by Fox News's average of 1.5 million daily viewers.

The situation appears even more dire in the key 25–54 age demographic, which is crucial for advertisers. CNN’s primetime viewership in this demographic fell to just 92,000, a staggering 55% decline from the previous year. While this number narrowly beat MSNBC’s 81,000, it trailed far behind Fox News, which pulled in 257,000 viewers in the same demographic.

This ratings freefall is occurring amidst a period of significant financial and structural turmoil for the network. According to financial data revealed in a January trial, CNN's revenue has plummeted by approximately $400 million over the last three years.