Fresh embarrassment for struggling MSNBC as new line up leads to disastrous ratings drop

Viewers are fleeing MSNBC just weeks after the liberal network debuted a new primetime lineup in a bid to salvage tumbling viewership.

So far this month, MSNBC dropped 41 percent in the primetime demographic and 34 percent in the total day demo compared to May 2024, leaked ratings figures show.

It’s a stinging blow for Jen Psaki who on May 5 took over for Rachel Maddow during the 9pm timeslot from Tuesday to Friday.

Maddow, who’s been the top host on the network for years, previously said she had faith that Joe Biden‘s former press secretary would do even better than her in the role.

Maddow temporarily returned as the five-night-a-week primetime host to cover President Donald Trump‘s first 100 days in office, but has since retreated to anchoring only on Mondays.

The latest ratings for ‘The Briefing with Jen Psaki’ came on May 22, when it failed to crack the coveted 1 million viewer mark. Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, which also airs at 9pm, had 2.3 million total viewers that night.

Psaki’s show also performed dismally with the 25-54 key age demographic, only pulling in 55,000 viewers in that category. By comparison, Hannity had 210,000 viewers in the key demo.

On May 5, MSNBC premiered The Weeknight, a panel show featuring Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez.

Jen Psaki has been handed the responsibility of replacing Rachel Maddow
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Maddow previously said she had faith that Psaki would do even better than her in the role
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Jen Psaki replaced Rachel Maddow on Tuesdays through Fridays at 9pm. Ratings data shows she hasn’t been able to improve viewership numbers

The Weeknight, a panel show featuring Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend (left to right), also has dismal ratings compared to last year
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The Weeknight, a panel show featuring Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend (left to right), also has dismal ratings compared to last year

The show is the official replacement for Joy Reid’s former program, The ReidOut, which was canceled in February following her inflammatory social media posts and poor ratings.

The Weeknight, which airs at 7pm, had just 707,000 viewers on May 22, but only 56,000 of them were in the key demographic.

The show has an average of 770,000 viewers, which is 36 percent lower than the 1.2 million that watched MSNBC at 7pm this time last year.

Psaki has also presided over a long term loss in eyeballs. Her show has averaged 973,000 total viewers since it premiered, a 46 percent drop from the average of 1.82 million who were watching her timeslot when Maddow was hosting during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

Psaki’s numbers are also down 20 percent from the average of Alex Wagner, who hosted the show last year while Maddow was anchoring on Mondays.

Even Maddow herself is failing to keep audiences interested. Her Monday program averaged 1.8 million total viewers since MSNBC launched its new shows, which represents a 24 percent dip from last year when she pulled in 2.4 million viewers.

CNN is also lagging far behind Fox News, but all of its shows, with the exception of Abby Phillip’s at 10pm, have been beating MSNBC in the key demo.

NewsNation, an upstart cable network that has been around for four years, also reported growth in viewership this month, according to Nielsen figures.

Its lineup of shows, its most popular of which is hosted by Chris Cuomo, have experienced a 21 percent year-over-year boom in total viewers and a 50 percent jump in the key demo.

Fox's 'The Five' remains its most popular show and the most popular in cable news overall, averaging 3.77 million viewers a night this month

Fox’s ‘The Five’ remains its most popular show and the most popular in cable news overall, averaging 3.77 million viewers a night this month

Steve Kornacki, pictured on election night 2024, has announced he is stepping down from MSNBC. Kornacki, known for his data analysis, will stick with parent company NBC News as the two entities split
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Steve Kornacki, pictured on election night 2024, has announced he is stepping down from MSNBC. Kornacki, known for his data analysis, will stick with parent company NBC News as the two entities split

Ari Melber, 45, is reportedly considering leaving MSNBC and is even considering launching his own media company
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Ari Melber, 45, is reportedly considering leaving MSNBC and is even considering launching his own media company

Fox’s ‘The Five’ remains its most popular show and the most popular in cable news overall, averaging 3.77 million viewers a night this month.

Fox is the only network of the big three to put up year-over-year ratings gains in May. Its shows saw a 21 percent increase in total viewers, and a 22 percent jump in the key demo.

The tumbling ratings at MSNBC – plus the decision by Comcast executives to spin off the network into a new publicly-traded company – has caused turmoil amid its ranks.

Election night darling Steve Kornacki announced in April that he would quit his role at MSNBC, instead sticking only with NBC News.

The 45 year-old broadcaster will now devote his expertise to shows like ‘Meet the Press,’ ‘Today’ and ‘NBC Nightly News,’ as well as the network’s streaming channel, NBC News Now.

MSNBC could also soon lose Ari Melber, who has reportedly been meeting with rivals for new opportunities. This could involve the launch of his own media company.

Melber hosts the 6pm show The Beat, which has been running since 2017, and is considered a ratings winner for the network.

He also serves as chief legal correspondent and has amassed a healthy following on YouTube, which is a huge part of new MSNBC boss Rebecca Kutler’s vision for the future of the flailing network.