Media

CNN climate town hall finishes last in viewers among cable news broadcasts

by Joe Concha - 09/05/19 4:13 PM ET

CNN’s 7-hour town hall on climate change with 2020 White House contenders finished last among the three cable news networks in terms of average total viewers, according to early numbers from Nielsen Media Research.

CNN averaged 1.1 million viewers from 5 p.m. to midnight, the hours devoted to back-to-back town halls by 10 Democratic contenders.

MSNBC finished second with 1.7 million total viewers during the time period, with Fox News winning the time period with an average of 2.5 million. Both channels provided regular programming on Wednesday night.

Anchors Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon moderated the event, along with chief climate correspondent Bill Weir.

It featured 10 Democratic candidates: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

During the 8 p.m.-11 p.m. hours of prime time, Fox News averaged 3.2 million total viewers, placing first. MSNBC was second with a 2.2 million average and CNN third with 1.4 million.

However the average 1.4 million tuning in to CNN for the event was well above its average in primetime in 2019.

CNN hosted the climate change event amid increased attention being devoted to the subject during the Democratic primary.

The Democratic National Committee has come under criticism by climate change activists for not scheduling a debate solely dedicated to the topic.