CNBC and FBN split on election night

There was no presidential mandate when it came to the cable news channels.

In fact, this year was a split decision, marking how much progress Fox Business Network has made in the past four years.

FBN drew 138,000 adults 25-54 for its live election coverage Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to Nielsen, with CNBC a very close second with 136,000.

But in total viewers, CNBC had the edge, averaging 322,000 to FBN’s 284,000.

CNBC’s viewership was down 27 percent from the 2008 election, when FBN was only a year old and not yet measured by Nielsen.

Though certainly some of that was because of viewers switching channels this year to FBN, CNBC was hardly the only network to see declines. Overall this election drew 6 percent fewer viewers on election night than in 2008.

Though CNBC maintains its edge in total viewers during the business day, FBN’s ratings have been creeping up, most notably for well-known hosts like Lou Dobbs, who joined the network last year.

“Lou Dobbs Tonight” posted its most-watched month ever in October, averaging 172,000 viewers.
 

Tags: business news, cable, cable news ratings, cable ratings, cnbc, election, election night, fbn, fox business, fox business network, lou dobbs, lou dobbs tonight, viewers