Friday was the debut of Up Late with Alec Baldwin (or “Policy Discussions in a Diner“, per The Hollywood Reporter), and his show managed to come in second place after The Ed Show for most mentions during the broadcast hour. Not bad for a show that made no effort to promote the use of social media during its broadcast! I have to say I was surprised how good Alec is; since I haven’t lived in NYC for over 20 years now, I’m not generally interested in the allocation of affordable housing between Manhattan and the outer boroughs. But Alec’s interviewing style is spot on.
Piers Morgan continued his overall dominance, helped by his international friends and foes as well as speculation over CNN’s hiring of Bill Weir and whether Weir would displace Piers. Other reports say no, but Weir-er things have happened…
The Kelly File’s Twitter mentions have stabilized after a good start on Monday and Tuesday:
Click to enlarge
What’s interesting is that the Nielsen ratings, in the 25-54 demographic, had a low start on Monday followed by a huge spike on Tuesday:
Click to enlarge
(The ratings chart only goes Monday through Thursday, as the Friday ratings are not yet available.)
If you look at this chart, Tuesday (day 2) through Thursday follow the same path as the Twitter ratings, but Monday is abysmally low. MSNBC President Phil Griffin complained about the spike on Tuesday looking like an erroneous outlier, but when you look at the Twitter charts, it is more probable that the ratings somehow undercounted Monday. If the Nielsens had been in line with activity on Twitter, we would expect to have seen about 700K in the 25-54 demographic on Monday, not the 289K that was reported. You can easily imagine a fumble on Nielsen’s part in tallying views for the new show on the day of its debut — far more likely than Fox News viewers only got around to noticing the show on Tuesday. If I were Phil, I might leave this one alone and keep your win for Monday in the record books.
Shepard Smith Reporting on the bridge of the Fox News Deck seems to be slipping away in Twitter mentions. Maybe nobody wants their tweets to show up on the Circlerama display.
Note that all times are US Eastern Time. See notes at end for further explanations. For earlier articles on cable news twitter ratings, please see this.
Cable News Ratings for 2013-10-11
Top Shows for the day:
| Category | Mentions | Show |
| Most Mentions During Hour | 3089 | MSNBC: The Ed Show |
| Most Mentions During day | 6908 | CNN: Piers Morgan Live |
Overall ratings by network
| Network | Tweet Count | Unique Tweeters | Reach | Male | Female |
| MSNBC | 38287 | 16771 | 150807500 | 52 % | 48 % |
| Fox News | 29615 | 15749 | 92131768 | 61 % | 39 % |
| CNN | 25527 | 17542 | 350816159 | 61 % | 39 % |
| Comedy Central | 3926 | 3313 | 14351186 | 53 % | 47 % |
| HBO | 3490 | 2063 | 16563915 | 50 % | 50 % |
| E | 2956 | 2400 | 23581113 | 27 % | 73 % |
| HLN | 1637 | 1036 | 14070606 | 42 % | 58 % |
| FXX | 19 | 17 | 76681 | 40 % | 60 % |
For networks that are not predominantly news, only news(-like) shows are included. See the detailed listings below for precise shows
Most popular hastags
| Hashtag | Count |
| #tcot | 3727 |
| #lnyhbt | 3486 |
| #malala | 2432 |
| #edshow | 1994 |
| #thecycle | 1960 |
| #cjstopusconsulate | 1811 |
| #teaparty | 1725 |
| #maddow | 1717 |
| #inners | 1709 |
| #shutdown | 1555 |
Ratings for individual time slots
Ratings for Weekdays 12am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | Hannity | 197 | 6016 | 61% | 39% |
| MSNBC | The Rachel Maddow Show | 210 | 4399 | 51% | 49% |
Ratings for Weekdays 1am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | On The Record w/Greta Van Susteren | 20 | 1245 | 53% | 47% |
| MSNBC | The Last Word w/Lawrence O’Donnell | 50 | 538 | 61% | 39% |
Ratings for Weekdays 2am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | The Five | 1 | 1069 | 70% | 30% |
| MSNBC | Hardball w/Chris Matthews | 33 | 1649 | 53% | 47% |
Ratings for Weekdays 3am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | RedEye | 22 | 1293 | 67% | 33% |
| MSNBC | All In w/Chris Hayes | 19 | 4579 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for Weekdays 4am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| MSNBC | The Rachel Maddow Show | 16 | 4399 | 51% | 49% |
Ratings for Weekdays 5am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | EarlyStartCNN | 28 | 80 | 39% | 61% |
| Fox News | FoxFriendsFirst | 18 | 59 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | Way Too Early (5:30-6) | 9 | 14 | 89% | 11% |
Ratings for Weekdays 6am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | New Day | 200 | 1093 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 135 | 1204 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 24 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 717 | 3750 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for Weekdays 7am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | New Day | 222 | 1093 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 280 | 1204 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 26 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 1146 | 3750 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for Weekdays 8am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | New Day | 235 | 1093 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 330 | 1204 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 50 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 814 | 3750 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for Weekdays 9am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 14 | 88 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | America’s Newsroom | 70 | 122 | 67% | 33% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 33 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | The Daily Run Down | 647 | 2848 | 58% | 42% |
Ratings for Weekdays 10am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 15 | 88 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | America’s Newsroom | 24 | 122 | 67% | 33% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 32 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | Jansing & Co. | 346 | 502 | 63% | 37% |
Ratings for Weekdays 11am
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | Happening Now | 44 | 156 | 54% | 46% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 19 | 250 | 66% | 34% |
| MSNBC | MSNBC Live w/Thomas Roberts | 132 | 274 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for Weekdays 12pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| Fox News | Happening Now | 22 | 156 | 54% | 46% |
| HLN | Raising America | 33 | 99 | 28% | 72% |
| MSNBC | Now w/Alex | 371 | 885 | 64% | 36% |
Ratings for Weekdays 1pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 1 | 88 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 10 | 30 | 70% | 30% |
| HLN | News Now | 2 | 19 | 16% | 84% |
| MSNBC | Andrea Mitchell Reports | 439 | 1150 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for Weekdays 2pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 15 | 88 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | The Real Story w/Gretchen Carlson | 271 | 909 | 49% | 51% |
| MSNBC | News Nation w/Tamron Hall | 155 | 406 | 49% | 51% |
Ratings for Weekdays 3pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 4 | 88 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | Shepard Smith Reporting | 54 | 286 | 62% | 38% |
| MSNBC | The Cycle | 251 | 2338 | 44% | 56% |
| MSNBC | The Cycle (w/ Host Accounts) | 398 | 3289 | 51% | 49% |
Ratings for Weekdays 4pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | The Lead w/Jake Tapper | 239 | 1856 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | Your World | 42 | 197 | 56% | 44% |
| HLN | Now In America | 0 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| MSNBC | Martin Bashir | 588 | 1083 | 45% | 55% |
Ratings for Weekdays 5pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | The Situation Room | 121 | 877 | 60% | 40% |
| Fox News | The Five | 484 | 1069 | 70% | 30% |
| Fox News | The Five w/Hosts | 1007 | 4033 | 69% | 31% |
| HLN | Evening Express | 4 | 23 | 78% | 22% |
| MSNBC | The Ed Show | 3089 | 5114 | 47% | 53% |
Ratings for Weekdays 6pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | Crossfire (6:30 – 7) | 171 | 738 | 63% | 37% |
| CNN | The Situation Room (6 – 6:30) | 118 | 877 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | Crossfire With Hosts (6:30 – 7) | 500 | 3694 | 68% | 32% |
| Fox News | Special Report w/Bret Baier | 253 | 914 | 61% | 39% |
| HLN | Evening Express | 2 | 23 | 78% | 22% |
| MSNBC | PoliticsNation w/Al Sharpton | 581 | 1358 | 56% | 44% |
Ratings for Weekdays 7pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | Out Front w/Erin Burnett | 211 | 588 | 75% | 25% |
| E | E! News | 107 | 2956 | 27% | 73% |
| Fox News | On The Record w/Greta Van Susteren | 331 | 1245 | 53% | 47% |
| HLN | Jane Velez-Mitchell | 59 | 238 | 30% | 70% |
| MSNBC | Hardball w/Chris Matthews | 621 | 1649 | 53% | 47% |
Ratings for Weekdays 8pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | Anderson Cooper 360 | 444 | 1814 | 53% | 47% |
| Fox News | The O’Reilly Factor | 120 | 836 | 64% | 36% |
| MSNBC | All In w/Chris Hayes | 1589 | 4579 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for Weekdays 9pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | Piers Morgan Live | 331 | 6908 | 70% | 30% |
| Fox News | The Kelly File | 878 | 3022 | 59% | 41% |
| MSNBC | The Rachel Maddow Show | 1370 | 4399 | 51% | 49% |
Ratings for Weekdays 10pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | AC360 Later | 145 | 1814 | 53% | 47% |
| Fox News | Hannity | 1158 | 6016 | 61% | 39% |
| HBO | Real Time w/Bill Maher | 1251 | 2581 | 50% | 50% |
| MSNBC | Up Late w/ Alec Baldwin | 1926 | 3295 | 44% | 56% |
Ratings for Weekdays 11pm
| Network | Show | Tweets Hour | Tweets Day | Male | Female |
| CNN | Out Front w/Erin Burnett | 34 | 588 | 75% | 25% |
| CNN | Shutdown Showdown (Special) | 34 | 588 | 75% | 25% |
| CNN | Crossfire (Speical 11:30 – 12a) | 9 | 738 | 63% | 37% |
| Fox News | The O’Reilly Factor | 55 | 836 | 64% | 36% |
| HLN | ShowBiz Tonight | 0 | 23 | 38% | 63% |
Definition of terms used in this report:
- Network: For the purposes of total network mentions, the count is the total unique tweets that mention any of the shows tracked on the network or the network’s general Twitter account (e.g., @CNN).
- Mentions During Hour or Tweets Hour: The number of tweets that mention the show during the hour specified. For shows that are repeat later in the day, the first (and often live) showing usually garners the most mentions by a significant margin.
- Mentions During day or Tweets Day: The total number of mentions a show received from midnight to midnight, eastern time.
- Tweet Count: The number of tweets (including retweets) that mention a show.
- Unique Tweeters: The number of Twitter users who have sent one or more tweets mentioning a show. If a user sends more than one tweet, they still only count once.
- Reach: A measure of the number of impressions a collection of tweets will make. For each tweet that is sent, it adds up how many people follow the person tweeting it — how many timelines that tweet will show up in. Thus, if network A has 10,000 mentions from people with an average of 10 followers, the reach will be 100,000. On the other hand, if network B has 10,000 mentions from people with an average of 100 followers, the reach will be 1,000,000. So network B has much greater reach: tweets mentioning network B will potentially be seen 10 times as often as tweets about network A.
- Male / Female: An estimate of the demographics of a show’s audience. Note that this number is an imprecise estimate.
Cable News Twitter Ratings are still experimental. If you have any suggestions, find any errors, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at admin@socialseer.com
For further discussion of how these stats are calculated, please see this blog post. Especially the part about how I determine the gender of Twitter users.