T AT&T Inc

By Benjamin Mullin 

U.S. cable-news viewership fell for all major networks in the first three months of the year, as the country moved past the presidential election and its chaotic aftermath.

Fox News lost 32% of its total prime-time audience compared with the quarter ended Dec. 31, Nielsen data show. CNN and MSNBC had smaller declines of 16% and 7.8%, respectively, though each fell more substantially from highs they hit in January.

The ratings gap between the major players is tighter than it was a quarter ago, as all networks try to establish their approach at the outset of the Biden administration.

Fox News retained the No. 1 spot among prime-time viewers for the full quarter, averaging 2.58 million, though its lead has narrowed. MSNBC is second in that category with 2.29 million viewers, and CNN, which was No. 1 in the weeks after November's election, is now No. 3 with 1.99 million.

Meanwhile, CNN moved into first place among prime-time viewers aged 25 to 54, a key demographic for advertisers, even as all networks lost viewers in that category. Fox News is No. 2 in that demographic. MSNBC drew the most daily viewers, with an average of 1.38 million watching over a 24-hour span, according to the Nielsen data.

Fox expanded its prime-time ratings lead over CNN and MSNBC as the quarter went on, and was the most-watched news channel so far in March in the 24-hour-span category.

Since the election, cable-news networks have made significant changes to their programming schedules. CNN said it was adding an 8 a.m. Sunday show, "Inside Politics Sunday with Abby Phillip," and it extended anchor Jake Tapper's weekday show by an extra hour. Fox hired Larry Kudlow, who was director of former President Donald Trump's National Economic Council, to host a weekly show on Fox Business. On Tuesday, the company said former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany would be a co-host of "Outnumbered," a weekday current-events show. MSNBC added analyst Tiffany Cross, host Mehdi Hasan and journalist Jonathan Capehart to its weekend lineup.

Fox News parent Fox Corp. and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share common ownership.

Like many sectors of the media business, cable-news channels are increasing their focus on direct-to-consumer video streaming as U.S. viewers cut the cable cord.

Jason Kilar, the chief executive of AT&T Inc.'s WarnerMedia, is exploring plans for a CNN streaming service, the Journal reported in October.

Fox News is putting additional content on its Fox Nation streaming service, including a long-form documentary series with opinion host Tucker Carlson. MSNBC has developed shows featuring its analysts and contributors for "The Choice," a progressive news and commentary channel on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service.

Write to Benjamin Mullin at Benjamin.Mullin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 30, 2021 17:33 ET (21:33 GMT)

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