Topline
The Rachel Maddow Show was the most-watched show on cable last week as the country awaited news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment in Georgia, leading MSNBC to take the top-three spots in a cable lineup usually dominated by Fox News.
Key Facts
Maddow’s show—which aired hours before the indictment was unsealed and featured a coincidental interview with Hillary Clinton—was viewed by 3.9 million people in the 9 p.m. slot, beating everything on Fox News or CNN last week, according to Nielsen data.
Monday’s episode of The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle came in second with 3.4 million viewers at 11 p.m., as details about Trump’s indictment became public, and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell drew 3.2 million viewers at 10 p.m. on Monday.
Spots No. 4 through 7 in last week’s cable ratings were filled with episodes of The Five on Fox News, and Sean Hannity’s 9 p.m. coverage of the impending indictment held the No. 8 spot—2.4 million people tuned into his 9 p.m. show opposite Maddow on Monday.
Fox News was still the most-watched cable network in primetime last week with an average of 1.602 million to MSNBC’s 1.541 million and CNN’s 741,000—but Fox lost 155,000 primetime viewers from the week prior, while MSNBC gained 139,000 and CNN gained 184,000.
This isn’t the first time viewers have turned to MSNBC for coverage of Trump’s criminal charges: The left-leaning network averaged 2.6 million viewers when his August 1 federal indictment was released, trouncing both Fox News and CNN, which were watched by 2.2 million and 1 million people, respectively.
MSNBC overtook Fox News in primetime viewership for one week in June, when the news of Trump’s federal indictment for handling classified documents coincided with the sudden departure of Fox News host Tucker Carlson, but has not done done so since—that week was the first time Fox News lost the top primetime spot in 120 weeks.
The indictment viewership is part of a larger trend that sends viewers to MSNBC for coverage of Trump-related news: Viewers flocked to The Rachel Maddow Show’s coverage of Trump-Russia news in 2018, Maddow’s one-day-a-week show occasionally beats Hannity and MSNBC drew the largest viewership during a House January 6 committee primetime hearing last year.
Key Background
Trump and 18 others were indicted on a total of 41 charges last Monday over claims they ran a “criminal enterprise” designed to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. The former president has said he will surrender to authorities in Fulton County on Thursday in his fourth indictment, over accusations he and his allies worked to overthrow the election results. Trump and his co-defendants each face a racketeering charge and are said to have produced fake Electoral College certificates, pressured public officials to violate their oaths of office and accessed voting machines in rural Georgia. Trump has negotiated a $200,000 bond with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office.
Tangent
In broadcast rankings, Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes on CBS was the most-watched show last week, as 5.2 million people tuned in for an episode on Ray Epps, the Trump supporter who has sued Fox News over its claims he was an undercover government agent who instigated the Capitol riots. America’s Got Talent, an episode of Celebrity Family Feud, America’s Funniest Home Videos and Young Sheldon rounded out the top 5 most-watched broadcast programs.
Surprising Fact
The NFL Network was, for the second week in a row, the third-most watched cable network in primetime behind Fox News and MSNBC. An average of 947,000 people tuned in to the NFL Network in the third week of preseason games.
Further Reading
Trump Will Surrender At Georgia Jail Thursday — Here’s What To Expect As He May Get First Mug Shot (Forbes)
Viewers Flocked To MSNBC As News Of Trump Indictment Broke In Primetime (Forbes)
Trump Indicted: GOP Slams Justice Department In Attacks Following Jan. 6 Charges (Forbes)
Yellowstone Prequel ‘1883’ Finale Outrated Most Other Shows On Cable TV Last Week (Forbes)
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