NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel is airing the Jan. 6 committee hearings when they occur in daytime hours and a striking number of the network’s viewers have made clear they’d rather be doing something else.
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During two daytime hearings last week, Fox averaged 727,000 viewers, the Nielsen company said. That compares to the 3.09 million who watched the hearings on MSNBC and the 2.21 million tuned in to CNN.
It completely flips the typical viewing pattern for the news networks. During weekdays when the hearings are not taking place, Fox News Channel routinely has more viewers than the other two networks combined, Nielsen said.
Last Thursday, Fox had 1.33 million viewers for the 2 p.m. Eastern hour before the hearing started — slightly below its second quarter average but on par for early summer, when fewer people are watching TV.
After the hearing started, Fox’s audience’s sank to 747,000 for the 3 p.m. Eastern hour and even lower, to 718,000, at 4 p.m. Fox cut away from the hearing at 5 p.m. to show its popular panel program, “The Five,” and fans immediately rewarded them: viewership shot up to 2.76 million people, Nielsen said.
The apparent lack of interest explains why the frequently Trump-friendly network stuck with its regular lineup during the committee’s only prime-time hearing, while ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC all showed the Washington proceedings. “The Five” has also been cable television’s most-watched show, on average, for nine months.
ABC won the week in prime time, averaging 3.6 million viewers. CBS had 3 million, NBC had 2.5 million, Fox had 1.6 million, Univision had 1.1 million, Ion Television had 1.04 million and Telemundo had 990,000 viewers.
Fox News Channel led cable networks with an average viewership of 2.17 million in prime time. MSNBC had 1.41 million, ESPN had 1.21 million, HGTV had 938,000 and Hallmark had 777,000.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” won the evening news ratings race with an average of 6.6 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 6.1 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 4.5 million.
For the week of June 20-26, the 20 most-watched program in prime time, their networks and viewerships:
1. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.13 million.
2. “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 6 million.
3. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 6: Colorado at Tampa Bay, ABC, 5.82 million.
4. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 5: Tampa Bay at Colorado, ABC, 5.15 million.
5. “60 Minutes” (Sunday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 4.8 million.
6. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 4: Colorado at Tampa Bay, ABC, 4.6 million.
7. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 3: Colorado at Tampa Bay, ABC, 4.1 million.
8. “FBI,” CBS, 3.82 million.
9. “The Price is Right” (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 3.74 million.
10. “Stanley Cup Pregame” (Monday), ABC, 3.7 million.
11. “Stanley Cup Presentation,” ABC, 3.69 million.
12. “NCIS,” CBS, 3.58 million.
13. “The Neighborhood,” CBS, 3.57 million.
14. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 3.49 million.
15. “The Price is Right” (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 3.47 million.
16. “Stanley Cup Pregame” (Friday), ABC, 3.27 million.
17. “Stanley Cup Pregame” (Wednesday), ABC, 3.262 million.
18. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Friday), Fox News, 3.255 million.
19. “Stanley Cup Pregame” (Sunday), ABC, 3.23 million.
20. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Thursday), Fox News, 3.19 million.
I’d rather listen to a real comedy show
Who has time to watch TV? It’s so “yesterday”. TV watching is for lonely losers.
A parade of Trump Administration “gadolim” testified about his attempted Putsch against America. Not one mentioned the lie about “Antifa” or other nonsense. His top aids and AG testified against him. He wanted to lead the armed rioters to the Capitol. The Secret Service forced him not to go.
The leading congress men/ women who are the smartest can’t focus on our real issues while its Jan 6. Its physically impossible. I do applaud and commend them for hard work. Its obvuous that folks like Liz cheney and Tohmason are putting alot of work into this. Yes phineas its physcially time consuming and talks weeks of full time prep to present this info to the American people in a theaterical fully rehearsed and well thought out process. You like to sell a pack of lies how one can do both but you can’t. Humans can only spend x amount of a time during the day. this is a full time job. So no they aren’t focused on the impiratnt stuff. And yes Jan 6 is not important. Its history its gone.
Sure they tune it out.. If the truth hurts tune it out!
conspiracy theories, & Quanon, have been defining features of some of Trumps supporters. & that’s why they find Trumpism so appealing
If you’re an uneducated unemployed redneck somewhere in a forsaken backwater in the south or a down & out blue collar worker in the rust belt – you’re facts hurt, your real life’s a mess, the reality is too panful to admit
So you create a new imaginary reality. Trump gives you a feeling of power, comradery, license to be rude, one of the only delights of live availed to you is “to stick it to the liberals”
This is one of Trump’s legacy – a hole swath of America living in fantasy land burying their head in sand. not even interested in finding any facts that are inconvenient to them