Ratings Disaster: CNN Primetime Viewership Down 23% Year-over-Year

CNN suffered another ratings embarrassment last week, once again losing a significant amount of viewers in comparison to the same week last year.

AdWeek reports that in the week of August 13-19, CNN experienced a 23 percent drop in total viewer average during primetime in comparison to the same week in 2017. During the daytime, there was another drop in ratings of 24 percent since last year.

MSNBC only experienced a drop of 8 percent in primetime and 5 percent in daytime since last year. Fox News Channel, on the other hand, actually increased their viewership by 4 percent all around.

CNN’s ratings drop is not surprising given the network’s often hysterical coverage of the Trump White House.

Just this week, anti-Trump CNN commentator Ana Navarro attacked First Lady Melania Trump, joking that she “suffered oxygen deprivation to the brain.”

CNN also relies heavily on a “food fight” formula where panelists who disagree are brought on to segments to argue with each other.

The network keeps a handful of pro-Trump contributors around, inviting them on air to argue with anti-Trump commentators. This often produces bizarre moments–last weekend, CNN analyst Phil Mudd melted down on air after pro-Trump contributor Paris Dennard pointed out that individuals with security clearances can use those clearances in the private sector to financially benefit them.

“We’re done. We’re done. Get out!” Mudd snarled.

The network has engaged in direct activism in the past year, with some CNN reporters openly trying to get Alex Jones’ Infowars banned from social media platforms.

CNN was also widely criticized last year after tracking down and threatening to reveal the identity of the creator of a humorous, edited gif of President Trump tackling a CNN logo.

Finally, the network reached a new low when some of its’ commentators defended and excused far-left political violence. Most notably, Chris Cuomo has excused Antifa violence committed against “bigots.”

“Two wrongs and what is right. The bigots are wrong to hit. Antifa or whomever–anarchists or malcontents or the misguided–they are also wrong to hit. But fighting hate is right. And in a clash between hate and those who oppose it, those who oppose it are on the side of right,” Cuomo said in a recent television segment.