MSNBC’s ratings have been in freefall since Election Day — including its star anchor, Rachel Maddow — with the left-leaning network’s audience shrinking by nearly half while staffers panic inside the halls of 30 Rock.
Maddow — who reportedly agreed to take a $5 million-a-year pay cut with a new five-year contract worth $25 million a year — has seen her ratings plummet, sparking fears that her compensation greatly increases the risk of layoffs among the rank and file.
Despite one host reportedly saying the 51-year-old anchor is “evaluating Viagra,” since Nov. 5, “The Rachel Maddow Show” saw its audience drop 41% to 1.4 million total viewers. In the demo, Maddow lost 50% of her audience, bringing in just 118,000, Nielsen said Wednesday.
Last Monday, Maddow’s program drew just 1.3 million total viewers — down 13% from last week and a paltry 84,000 in the key 25-54 demographic — her smallest audience of the year and worst performance in the demo since 2015.
That’s part of a nearly 50% decline at MSNBC, where employees are still reeling from last week’s announcement that the network would be spun off next year from parent Comcast, along with its other cable channels — with a high enough to even suggest that MSNBC might be forced. to change her name.
The sudden spinoff news and declining ratings prompted Joe Scarborough, co-host of “Morning Joe,” to nervously joke on air, “We could all be fired a year from now.”
Nielsen estimated that 37% of “Morning Joe’s” audience evaporated after he and co-host Mika Brzezinski revealed they met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago to mend their contentious relationship — turning off many from their liberal audience.
Since Election Day, MSNBC as a whole averaged just 497,000 viewers per day, down 47%, with a slight 49,000 drop in the ad-coveted adults 25-54 demographic, according to data from Nielsen .
MSNBC declined to comment on the ratings carnage. A network source told The Post: “A drop in viewership after the election was always expected, and the internal thinking is that it will pick up in the New Year, after the inauguration.”
CNN also saw double-digit losses, falling 33% and slipping to just 357,000 total daily viewers and 65,000 in the prime demo. CNN lost 39% of its total primetime viewership, drawing just 453,000 viewers.
By contrast, Fox News said its ratings rose 32% to nearly 1.9 million and viewership in the demo rose 35% to 248,000, cementing its dominance as the longest-watched cable news network since the win. of President-elect Donald Trump.
While Fox News saw its primetime ratings jump to 3.2 million, an 86% year-over-year increase in total viewers, MSNBC — also home to Lawrence O’Donnell and Chris Hayes — saw its total audience fall 52 % to 644,000.
Elsewhere, MSNBC’s other flagship shows, including Joy Reid’s “The ReidOut” and “11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” hit all-time lows in the key demo.
Fox, which is home to Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld and Harris Faulkner, saw record growth, grabbing 62% of the cable news audience in total daytime ratings for November.
Ratings fluctuations are normal after a presidential election, with an MSNBC insider noting that the declines are on par with the 2016 post-Trump victory, as well as the summer after Biden’s poor debate performance.
The person added that MSNBC’s decline is beginning to subside. However, the numbers are still down from pre-Trump levels, which a network source said has caused a lot of “angst” internally.
In addition to ratings woes, MSNBC faces an uncertain future, which could include layoffs and a restructuring.
As part of the spinoff, Comcast said it would retain NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports and other properties. The announcement caused panic among MSNBC employees about how it might affect reporting and staff at the left-leaning network, which relies heavily on NBC News.
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