Well, well, well—MSNBC’s ratings are in freefall, and honestly, who’s surprised?
After spending years whipping their audience into a frenzy over Donald Trump, promising them a one-way ticket to a progressive utopia, the network now finds itself staring at a 55% drop in primetime viewership. It turns out that outrage, like cheap fireworks, burns bright but fizzles fast. And with Trump set to return to the White House in January, it seems MSNBC is struggling to figure out where to go from here.
Let’s start with the obvious. The liberal echo chamber that MSNBC carefully cultivated has always been a house of cards, built on the premise that they were the last, trusted line of defense against Trumpism. Viewers tuned in night after night for their fix of Maddow monologues and punditry designed to reassure them that their side would prevail. But then the 2024 election happened. Trump won—again. And suddenly, MSNBC’s loyal audience felt like they’d been sold a bill of goods. Who needs a nightly dose of righteous indignation when reality just smacked you in the face?
The excuses are pouring in. Some pundits blame “exhaustion.” Others think viewers are just “taking a break” or “tuning out for the holidays.” But let’s be real: this isn’t just about burnout. It’s about betrayal. When you build your brand on being a safe space for progressives and then fail to deliver results, your audience isn’t just going to shrug and move on—they’re going to bail. And they’re not just leaving MSNBC; they’re abandoning traditional cable news altogether.
MSNBC just set a 20 year ratings low. Just 38,000 viewers in the 24-54 age group last week. Holy crap. https://t.co/TbKmdCupqf
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 2, 2024
Meanwhile, Fox News is enjoying a 10.7% increase in its primetime audience. Funny how that works. Conservatives, who’ve spent years being dismissed as deplorables by the mainstream media, are doubling down on the outlets that actually represent their worldview. MSNBC, on the other hand, is grappling with the harsh reality that progressive viewers are more than happy to get their fix elsewhere—whether through podcasts, YouTube, or independent creators who don’t require a cable subscription.
Well the numbers are in and CNN and MSNBC and the ratings have tanked. In total primetime viewers, MSNBC has lost 55 percent of its viewers with an average of just 620,000, while 45 percent of CNNLOL’s primetime viewers tuned out.
CNN finished the news-heavy year with its… pic.twitter.com/StA574uDC4
— Croxxed Out (@FLCons) December 19, 2024
And here’s the kicker: MSNBC’s competitors aren’t just right-wing media outlets. They’re upstarts like NewsNation, YouTube channels, and yes, even Joe Rogan, whose three-hour sit-down with Trump drew massive attention. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris snubbed the opportunity to engage with Rogan’s audience, opting instead for fluffier platforms like Call Her Daddy. That tells you everything you need to know about the Democrats’ media strategy—it’s out of touch with the voters they desperately need to win back.
What’s even more ironic is MSNBC’s insider spin that these ratings drops are “historical patterns” following Republican wins. Sure, cable news always takes a hit when the opposition regroups, but this isn’t just a blip. It’s a shift. Streaming now accounts for 41.6% of TV viewership, and legacy networks like MSNBC are stuck playing catch-up while hemorrhaging trust and relevance.
The bottom line is this: MSNBC gambled everything on being the voice of the anti-Trump resistance. It worked—until it didn’t. Now, with Trump heading back to the White House, the network faces a choice: adapt to the changing media landscape or fade into irrelevance. And judging by their current trajectory, the latter seems far more likely.
