Fox News’ Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom Debate Draws 5.46 Million Viewers, Giving Sean Hannity A Ratings Bump
UPDATED: Fox News’ Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom debate drew 5.46 million million viewers — 4.75 million in its live telecast and 706,000 for a rebroadcast — giving a ratings bump to Sean Hannity in the time slot.
The Thursday 90-minute debate — billed as a Red State vs. Blue State showdown — easily beat the competition on MSNBC and CNN.
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Fox News also won the night, averaging 3.87 million viewers, compared to 1.34 million for MSNBC and 513,000 for CNN.
For comparison, the most recent Republican primary debate drew 7.51 million viewers across NBC, streaming and digital. The Fox News event was organized by Hannity, and instead focused on comparisons between California and Florida on major issues like crime, immigration and education.
In the 9 p.m. ET time slot, MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight averaged 1.2 million viewers and CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins garnered 515,000. In the 25-54 demo, the Fox News debate drew 742,000, compared to 123,000 for MSNBC and 103,000 for CNN.
The debate also was Hannity’s highest rated telecast this year. He averaged 2.25 million viewers in the time period last month, and 260,000 in the 25-54 demo. The debate was re-aired at midnight ET, or 9 p.m. PT, where interest remained heavy likely because of Newsom’s involvement.
Hannity’s recap at 10:30 p.m. ET drew 3.41 million viewers, and 541,000 in the 25-54 demo.
The ratings are from Nielsen via Fox News and MSNBC.
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