Maddow And Lawrence Power MSNBC To Primetime Victory Thursday Night

MSNBC retook the top spot in cable news primetime Thursday evening following Fox News’ three-day stint atop the nightly ratings heap, powered by strong performances by The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.

According to Nielsen, MSNBC averaged 2.902 million total viewers and 494,000 in the key 25-54 demographic during the 8 PM to 11 PM primetime hours on Thursday. Fox News followed with 486,000 demo viewers and a total audience of 2.799 million. CNN pulled in 1.531 million viewers overall and 457,000 in the demo.

During the 9 AM to 5 PM daytime slot, CNN led in the demo with 264,000 viewers while drawing a total audience of 1.000 million. Fox News placed first in total viewership with 1.535 million and pulled in 231,000 in the key demo. MSNBC delivered 1.309 million total viewers and 187,000 in the demographic.

Maddow was the most-watched program in all of cable with 3.419 million total viewers while also leading cable news in the key demo (633,000). Fox’s Hannity, which airs opposite Maddow at 9 PM, took second in total viewership (3.051 million) and third in the demo (483,000).

The Last Word finished third overall in total viewers (3.037 million) and tied for fourth in the demographic (466,000). Fox’s Tucker Carlson Tonight placed second in the key demo (512,000) and fourth in total viewership (2.840 million).

The top-rated program on CNN was Cuomo Prime Time, which drew 1.663 million viewers overall and 466,000 in the demo.