It remains unclear to the majority of people, and especially to Tucker Carlson’s fans, why Fox News decided to cancel his program and “part ways” with him, but it was a poor business decision, at least so far.
Not only was Carlson the network’s ratings monarch, but he also drew record numbers of the so-important 25-54-year-old demographic that is so valuable to advertisers.
According to the most recent viewership figures, this key demographic abandoned the network in droves on the first night a substitute host filled his time slot.
The Daily Caller reported that Show Buzz Daily data indicate Carlson’s replacement program, hosted by Brian Kilmeade, “earned fewer ratings in the key age demo on its first night compared to Carlson’s average the week prior on Monday, April 17.”
The program received a 0.24 rating in the 25-54 age group, while Carlson’s show received a 0.37 rating in the same demographic on April 17th, according to the data. The program averaged approximately 2.6 million viewers, which is less than Carlson’s Monday broadcast, which averaged approximately 3.7 million viewers.
Cable News Rankings Mon Apr 24
1⃣@TheFive @DanaPerino @GregGutfeld @JudgeJeanine @HaroldFordJr @JasonInTheHouse*
2⃣@Maddow
3⃣@Kilmeade*
4⃣@SeanHannity
5⃣@JessePrimetime @WillCain*
6⃣@BretBaier
7⃣@IngrahamAngle
8⃣@NicolleDWallace
9⃣@AriMelber
🔟@GutfeldFox! pic.twitter.com/XI7MP5SXSz— RoadMN 📈 (@RoadMN) April 25, 2023
When it aired on Friday, April 21, Carlson’s final episode drew in a total of 2.65 million viewers, surpassing the viewership of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” and MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes.” According to Adweek, in 2022, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” ranked second in total cable news viewership with 3.3 million viewers in total. The program’s ratings were second only to Fox News’ non-primetime program, “The Five.”
“Fox News has consistently dominated cable news in ratings in recent years, prevailing over its main competitors CNN and MSNBC. Carlson’s show repeatedly topped the network’s shows by exceeding multi-million total viewership,” The Daily Caller noted further.
Fox News has not explained its decision to replace Tucker Carlson, despite widespread speculation.
“Carlson has told people he doesn’t know why he was terminated. According to the source, Scott refused to tell him how the decision was made; she only said that it was made ‘from above.’ Carlson has told people he believes his controversial show is being taken off the air because the Murdoch children intend to sell Fox News at some point,” Vanity Fair reported.
The New York Times, meanwhile, allegedly cited “sources” who said Carlson irritated colleagues, was unpopular within the Fox News community, and frequently broached topics that made senior management uneasy, such as the January 6 Capitol riot.
Carlson and longtime CNN personality Don Lemon were dismissed on the same day, within hours of one another. Both have retained the same industry-leading attorney in anticipation of filing legal action against their former employers.
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
“Neither host has announced a lawsuit or dispute against their employers. But the litigator they’ve retained — Bryan Freedman — has a record of helping TV hosts secure millions from their old networks. Former CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter reported that both Carlson and Lemon are retaining Freedman’s services, while The New York Times also wrote that Lemon had hired Freedman,” Business Insider reported on Tuesday. CONTINUE READING…
