Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2026

CNN goes first two weeks of October without any program reaching 1 million viewers

The network once known as the “most trusted name in news” started to lose public trust after its massive fake news about Iraq's alleged nuclear weapons, that actually never existed. This fake news cost the lives of thousands American soldiers (and countless Iraqis) and billions of dollars lost on a fake war against nothing. CNN continues to lose trust for its biased news against whoever did not vote for Biden, and its promotion of an extremist hate-culture against "the other" 84 million American voters. The result of dividing USA is that the fanatical network has gone 21 days without averaging a 7-digit viewership.
CNN's struggle to maintain relevance following the departure of President Donald Trump has never been more glaring. The news channel is suffering from an unprecedented drought in viewership, going the first two weeks of October without any program averaging 1 million viewers, an astonishing 21-day streak that began in September.

CNN's total day viewer average has plummeted to 484,000, a distant third behind Fox News' 1.4 million and MSNBC's 685,000 from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15, according to Nielsen data. CNN's weekday primetime average reached just 729,000 while Fox News topped with 2.6 million versus MSNBC's 1.5 million.

The last time CNN had at least one program averaging 1 million viewers was Sept. 24.

"AC:360" anchor Anderson Cooper, who had the most-watched CNN program in September averaging 916,000 viewers, has been capped at the knees so far this month, falling a whopping 17% to an average of 759,000 viewers. Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 3 million viewers, quadrupling CNN's viewership. MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" averaged 1.3 million in the same time period.

"Cuomo Prime Time" anchor Chris Cuomo nabbed Cooper's leading status from last month averaging 818,000 viewers, a 6% drop from September. Fox News' "Hannity" continues to trounce Cuomo, averaging 2.76 million viewers while MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" averaged 2.17 million so far this month.

Don Lemon continues to suffer in the 10 pm ET primetime slot, averaging just 619,000 viewers two weeks into October, a 15% drop from his 724,000 average last month. Meanwhile, Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" has averaged 2.2 million viewers, more than tripling Lemon's audience, in the first two weeks of October while MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" reached 1.3 million viewers.

As bad as CNN's primetime lineup is doing, the network's daytime programming continues to hemorrhage viewers as well.

"The Lead" anchor Jake Tapper has failed to reach 700,000 viewers so far this month, averaging just 671,000 after previously averaging 737,000 in September.

CNN's left-wing media guru Brian Stelter also had a great fall below the 700,000 threshold, reaching only a 665,000 average between his first two October installments of his Sunday program "Reliable Sources."

Stelter has only exceeded 1 million viewers twice since March, one of them being the breaking news coverage of billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space flight in July, the other in August amid the Biden administration's chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The network's flagship morning program "New Day" continues to hit new lows, averaging a devastating 386,000 viewers after losing 10% of its audience since last month so far. The John Berman-Brianna Keilar duo remains as some of CNN's least-watched talent in all of the network's weekday programming.

Even William Shatner's adventure into space couldn't give CNN the boost it needed, topping at just 986,000 viewers during the 11 am ET timeslot when the Blue Origin crew launched and returned to Earth.

CNN's evaporating viewership comes as the network continues to be plagued by scandals and controversies. Embattled anchor Chris Cuomo was accused of sexual harassment by veteran TV producer Shelley Ross last month after the primetime star spent much of 2021 being engulfed in the scandals of his brother, ousted Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Last week, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta was forced to admit by podcast superstar Joe Rogan that his colleagues should not have characterized the use of ivermectin as a COVID treatment as the equivalent of taking "horse dewormer."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Aramco Warns Global Oil Market Faces ‘Catastrophic’ Shock if Strait of Hormuz Remains Closed
Iran Launches Drone and Missile Attacks Across Gulf Targets Including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain
Saudi Arabia Elevates Fahad Al-Saif as Vision 2030 Enters Crucial Implementation Phase
Saudi Aramco Expands Routes to Move Oil Without Reliance on the Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Reaffirm Mutual Defense Cooperation Following Iran Strike
Saudi Arabia Plans Major Ukrainian Arms Deal to Counter Iranian Drone Threat
Pentagon Signals Intensification of U.S. Air Campaign as Iran Conflict Escalates
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham Raises Prospect of Mutual Defense Pact With Saudi Arabia Amid Iran Conflict
Why Saudi Arabia Is Unlikely to Have Wanted U.S. Airstrikes on Iran
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Oil Exports Set to Reach Record High as Gulf Routes Face Disruption
Saudi Arabia Pushes East–West Oil Pipeline Toward Full Capacity as Hormuz Crisis Disrupts Global Energy Flows
Oil Prices Retreat From Peak as G7 Weighs Release of Strategic Reserves
Pentagon Identifies U.S. Soldier Who Died After Iranian Strike on Saudi Air Base
Why Saudi Arabia’s $50 Billion ‘The Line’ Megacity Slowed — and How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping the Plan
United States Withdraws Diplomatic Staff from Saudi Arabia and Southeast Turkey as Regional Conflict Escalates
Fanatics Moves Tom Brady Flag Football Showcase from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles Amid Regional War
Saudi Arabia Seeks Strategic Support from Pakistan After Iranian Missile and Drone Attacks
Saudi Arabia Begins Oil Output Cuts as Hormuz Disruption Forces Storage Limits
Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory Tightened as Middle East War Triggers Regional Security Alerts
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran It Will Be ‘Biggest Loser’ as Drone Strikes Spread Across Gulf States
Lindsey Graham Urges Saudi Arabia to Join US Effort Against Iran as War Expands
Saudi Crown Prince Holds Strategic Calls With Spanish and Ukrainian Leaders Amid Regional Tensions
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways Shifts Operations to Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Airspace Disruptions
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Why Jeddah’s Night Race Has Become One of Formula One’s Most Distinctive Events
F1 Leadership Addresses Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Races as Middle East Conflict Raises Safety Concerns
Zelenskyy Offers Saudi Crown Prince Assistance to Counter Iranian Drone Threat
Seventh U.S. Service Member Dies from Injuries After Iranian Strike in Saudi Arabia
Civilian Infrastructure Increasingly Hit as Iran Conflict Expands and Saudi Arabia Reports First Fatalities
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran to Halt Attacks and Signals Potential Retaliation
US Embassy in Riyadh Issues Security Alert Urging Americans to Shelter in Place Amid Regional Attacks
Projectile Strike on Saudi Residential Building Kills Two as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran While Expanding Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Widening Middle East War
Iran’s President Rejects U.S. Surrender Demand as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Gulf States
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Swarm Targeting Strategic Shaybah Oil Field
Pakistan Faces Growing Pressure to Balance Ties With Iran and Saudi Arabia as Regional War Intensifies
Middle East Conflict Tests Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision to Transform Saudi Arabia Into a Global Hub
Proposed U.S.–Saudi Nuclear Deal Could Ease Traditional Nonproliferation Requirements
Iran Claims Strike on U.S.-Linked Oil Tanker Near Saudi Waters as Maritime Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Says Air Defences Destroyed 23 Drones and Three Missiles Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran Against ‘Miscalculation’ After Missile and Drone Attacks Across Gulf
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Across Gulf as Air Defences Activate in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
×