Outfoxed: News Corp. Channel Beat CNN In Total Number of Viewers for January
Fox News Channel beat rival 24-hour cable news channel CNN in total viewers for the month of January, the first time the upstart News Corp. channel has attracted more viewers than CNN for a full month in both the prime-time and 24-hour time periods.</br></br>Fox News has been closing the ratings gap with AOL Time Warner Inc.'s CNN for some time, but this is the first full month that Fox has beaten CNN by both measures. Although January isn't over until Friday, the broadcast industry considers the month over Jan. 27.</br></br>Fox News averaged 656,000 viewers over a full 24-hour time period in January, an increase of 109% from the prior year, according to Nielsen Media Research. CNN averaged 596,000 viewers, up 51%. MSNBC, a joint venture of Microsoft Corp. and General Electric Co.'s NBC, averaged 296,000 viewers, up 23%. In prime time, Fox News averaged just over one million viewers, compared with 921,000 for CNN and 358,000 for MSNBC.</br></br>The battle among the cable-news channels is fiercest for 25- to 54-year-olds, since this is the main group advertisers are trying to reach when they buy ads on cable news. Among this group, Fox News averaged 277,000 viewers during the 24-hour period, an increase of 159%; CNN averaged 202,000, an increase of 64%; and MSNBC averaged 150,000, an increase of 25%.</br></br>Also at issue is the battle to translate ratings into revenue increases during a recession. Industry executives estimate CNN's main domestic channel still enjoys at least double the advertising revenue of either MSNBC or Fox News, reflecting the premiums CNN has built into its rates over time. Executives estimate CNN ad revenue for its main U.S. service at more than $250 million, compared with more than $100 million apiece for MSNBC and Fox News. CNN Headline News also is estimated to pull in more than $100 million in ad revenue.