MSNBC Beats Out CNN For First Half of 2010 in Primetime

MSNBC beat CNN in primetime in the first half of 2010, finishing well ahead of the formerly dominant news network among both total viewers and in the key adult demographic, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. MSNBC also beat CNN in primetime for second quarter of 2010.

"Morning Joe" beat CNN for the second consecutive quarter in total viewers, and is pacing to beat CNN for the year for the first time since 2000 in that time period. MSNBC bested CNN at 6, 7, 8 and 9 pm in total viewers, and at 7, 8, 9 and 10 pm among Adults 25-54.

CNN's "Larry King Live" and "Campbell Brown" had their worst quarters ever among both Adults 25-54 and total viewers. This was CNN's worst performance in primetime in nine years, since 2Q 2001.

Following are ratings highlights for MSNBC for 2Q 2010:

• MSNBC finished 2Q 2010 in primetime (M-Su, 8-11 pm) with a 36% advantage over CNN among A25-54 (237,000 vs. 174,000) and a 28% lead in total viewers (758,000 vs. 594,000). Year to date, MSNBC is on track to beat CNN for the second year in a row among A25-54 (253,000 vs. 187,000) and for the first time ever among total viewers (781,000 vs. 642,000).
• "Morning Joe" finished 2Q 2010 ahead of CNN among total viewers for the second consecutive quarter (402,000 vs. 335,000). Year to date, "Morning Joe" is on pace to finish ahead of CNN for the year for the first time in the time period since 2000.
  "The Ed Show" beat CNN's "The Situation Room" among total viewers for the first time ever for the quarter (634,000 vs. 526,000). This is "The Ed Show's" best performance ever among total viewers.
• "Hardball with Chris Matthews" at 7 p.m. beat CNN's "John King USA" among A25-54 (173,000 vs. 142,000) and total viewers (654,000 vs. 450,000), in King's first full quarter on CNN. This is the fourth consecutive quarterly win for "Hardball" over CNN at 7 p.m. among A25-54.
• "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" beat CNN at 8 p.m. for the 15th consecutive quarter among A25-54 (263,000 vs. 138,000) and for the ninth consecutive time in total viewers (1,059,000 vs. 477,000). This was "Campbell Brown's" worst quarter ever among both A25-54 and total viewers. Additionally, the encore of "Countdown" at 10 p.m. ET beat a live edition of "Anderson Cooper 360" in A25-54, finishing ahead of CNN in that hour for the first time since 2Q 2001.
• "The Rachel Maddow Show" beat CNN's "Larry King Live" in 2Q 2010, the third consecutive victory among both A25-54 (255,000 vs. 176,000) and total viewers (995,000 vs. 674,000).
  "The Dylan Ratigan Show" finished 2Q 2010 as the only cable news show in the hour to grow year over year, up six percent in A25-54 (88,000 vs. 83,000) and seven percent in total viewers (327,000 vs. 306,000), while CNN plunged 22 percent in A25-54 and 40 percent in total viewers.
• On the weekends, MSNBC's Longform programming is number one in primetime in the 25-54 demographic for both 2Q and year-to-date. For 2010-to-date, MSNBC averaged 278,000 viewers 25-54, while CNN had 160,000 and Fox had 238,000. For 2Q 2010, MSNBC had 226,000 viewers in the demo, CNN averaged 157,000 and Fox had 198,000.

Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSNBC's home on the Internet is msnbc.com. Msnbc.com boasts state-of-the-art technology of Microsoft and the first-rate reporting of NBC News.

MSNBC's morning news lineup begins at 5:30 a.m. (ET), with "Way Too Early with Willie Geist," which takes a humorous look at the big stories of the day. From 6-9 a.m. (ET), Joe Scarborough hosts "Morning Joe," with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist, featuring interviews with top politicians and newsmakers, as well as in-depth analysis of the day's biggest stories.

Dylan Ratigan picks up the day's live coverage on his show "Morning Meeting," from 9-11 a.m. (ET), followed by an hour of live news anchored by Tamron Hall and Alex Witt. Dr. Nancy Snyderman brings into focus the latest health and medical news on her show, "Dr. Nancy," which airs live from 12-1 p.m. (ET).

Leading off the MSNBC primetime lineup is the highly acclaimed political program, "Hardball with Chris Matthews," 5-6 p.m. (ET), a fast-paced daily look at the latest news from Washington, DC. "Hardball with Chris Matthews" also re-airs at 7 p.m. (ET). "The Ed Show" with Ed Schultz continues coverage from 6-7 p.m. (ET). "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" at 8 p.m. (ET) counts down the day's top stories with Keith's own inimitable blend of wit and style. "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" also re-airs nightly at 10 p.m. (ET). The critically acclaimed "Rachel Maddow Show" airs from 9-10 p.m. (ET), giving viewers the popular host's unique take on the days events (the program re-airs nightly at 11 p.m. ET).

Employing the newsgathering resources of NBC News and its more than 200 affiliate stations, MSNBC offers viewers the highest-quality news coverage. The daytime anchor team includes veteran reporters and correspondents Andrea Mitchell, Contessa Brewer, ChrisTina Brown, Tamron Hall, Monica Novotny, Norah O'Donnell and Alex Witt.

Weekends, MSNBC telecasts continuing live news coverage as well as long-form documentaries, including "MSNBC Investigates," "MSNBC Reports," and "Headliners & Legends."

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