I added John Oliver’s HBO show, Last Week Tonight, to the ratings mix. Whether that’s appropriate or not is an interesting issue, but as you will see below it is a non-trivial change. You can always review the detailed numbers to factor it in our out of the rankings, and I will try to footnote things if the show tops the charts as it does this week.
Sunday was somewhat a tie between MSNBC’s The Melissa Harris-Perry Show and HBO’s Last Week Tonight for most mentions during a broadcast (see note 1 below the jump). In terms of most mentions during the day, Meet The Press won, although if you remove it from the running (given that many of the mentions are driven by broadcast TV rather than cable TV), then The Melissa Harris-Perry Show would have won that as well. (See note 2 below the jump).
All in all, then, The Melissa Harris-Perry Show won Cable News Twitter Sunday.
Note 1: I only measure mentions on an hour by hour basis, so technically speaking Last Week Tonight’s numbers include a half hour of tweets after the 30 minute show ended. Is that important? Is any of this important? I’ll leave that to you.
Note 2: Tweets throughout the day are always a shakier measure than tweets during the broadcast. It’s not just Meet The Press, but any time the show or host has significant exposure outside of their cable news broadcast. Sean Hannity is a great example of this, with his radio show generating a large number of those mentions that are indistinguishable (to a computer) from those of the cable news show.
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 Twitter Ratings for 2014-09-14
Top Shows for the day:
| Category | Mentions | Show |
| Most Mentions During Hour | 1666 | HBO: Last Week Tonight |
| Most Mentions During Day | 7480 | MSNBC: Meet The Press |
Ratings for individual time slots
Ratings for 12 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Consider This | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 18,143 | 100% | 0% |
| Fox News | Judge Jeanine | 105 | 2,340 | 83 | 1,575 | 8,459,662 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 1 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 30 | 826 | 16 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | 13 Hours at Benghazi | 11 | 304 | 6 | 236 | 1,798,372 | 61% | 39% |
Ratings for 2 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | TechKnow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Fox News | RedEye | 161 | 914 | 51 | 590 | 2,770,118 | 72% | 28% |
Ratings for 3 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 8 | 826 | 5 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Huckabee | 1 | 230 | 1 | 149 | 785,351 | 44% | 56% |
Ratings for 4 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 7 | 826 | 7 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | CNN International | 166 | 3,603 | 155 | 3,009 | 52,795,165 | 52% | 48% |
| Fox News | Judge Jeanine | 16 | 2,340 | 13 | 1,575 | 8,459,662 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 5 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 14 | 826 | 13 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | CNN International | 180 | 3,603 | 175 | 3,009 | 52,795,165 | 52% | 48% |
| Fox News | Huckabee | 1 | 230 | 1 | 149 | 785,351 | 44% | 56% |
Ratings for 6 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 17 | 826 | 14 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | New Day | 25 | 1,909 | 23 | 1,028 | 23,705,685 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 90 | 693 | 51 | 387 | 2,413,329 | 63% | 37% |
Ratings for 7 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 49 | 826 | 40 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | New Day | 56 | 1,909 | 49 | 1,028 | 23,705,685 | 47% | 53% |
| CNN | Sanjay Gupta MD (7:30) | 10 | 149 | 9 | 117 | 403,529 | 36% | 64% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 105 | 693 | 69 | 387 | 2,413,329 | 63% | 37% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 5 | 51 | 4 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Your Business (7:30) | 5 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 14,252 | 43% | 57% |
Ratings for 8 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 41 | 826 | 35 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | New Day | 57 | 1,909 | 52 | 1,028 | 23,705,685 | 47% | 53% |
| CNN | Inside Politics | 33 | 204 | 23 | 180 | 15,480,642 | 65% | 35% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 99 | 693 | 74 | 387 | 2,413,329 | 63% | 37% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 1 | 51 | 1 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Up w/Steve Kornacki | 615 | 2,179 | 242 | 998 | 8,114,563 | 48% | 52% |
Ratings for 9 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | State of the Union | 98 | 731 | 76 | 538 | 30,311,776 | 58% | 42% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 98 | 693 | 65 | 387 | 2,413,329 | 63% | 37% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 11 | 51 | 5 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Up w/Steve Kornacki | 634 | 2,179 | 285 | 998 | 8,114,563 | 48% | 52% |
Ratings for 10 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | GPS w/Fareed Zakaria | 88 | 358 | 82 | 292 | 3,043,436 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Sunday Morning Futures | 42 | 284 | 30 | 226 | 9,801,518 | 67% | 33% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 6 | 51 | 4 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Melissa Harris-Perry Show | 678 | 3,305 | 290 | 1,360 | 9,904,991 | 45% | 55% |
Ratings for 11 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 63 | 826 | 59 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | Reliable Sources | 115 | 339 | 73 | 205 | 20,113,598 | 63% | 37% |
| Fox News | #MediaBuzz | 92 | 267 | 69 | 181 | 4,343,431 | 67% | 33% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 9 | 51 | 6 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Melissa Harris-Perry Show | 1,659 | 3,305 | 653 | 1,360 | 9,904,991 | 45% | 55% |
Ratings for 12 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 47 | 826 | 45 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | State of the Union w/Candy Crowley | 272 | 731 | 201 | 538 | 30,311,776 | 58% | 42% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 8 | 190 | 7 | 116 | 5,778,992 | 80% | 20% |
| Fox News | Sunday Housecall | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6,331 | 20% | 80% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 9 | 51 | 6 | 30 | 69,455 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Weekends w/ Alex Witt | 48 | 118 | 37 | 91 | 633,661 | 73% | 27% |
Ratings for 1 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 37 | 826 | 33 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | GPS w/Fareed Zakaria | 21 | 358 | 16 | 292 | 3,043,436 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 73 | 190 | 34 | 116 | 5,778,992 | 80% | 20% |
| MSNBC | Weekends w/Alex Witt | 16 | 118 | 16 | 91 | 633,661 | 73% | 27% |
Ratings for 2 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 34 | 826 | 30 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | News Room | 2 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 66,347 | 87% | 13% |
| Fox News | Fox News Sunday | 134 | 2,911 | 97 | 1,662 | 24,946,215 | 57% | 43% |
| MSNBC | Meet The Press | 514 | 7,480 | 278 | 4,113 | 56,517,774 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for 3 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 1 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 66,347 | 87% | 13% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 3 | 190 | 2 | 116 | 5,778,992 | 80% | 20% |
| Fox News | WSJ Editorial Report (3:00) | 7 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1,533 | 88% | 13% |
| MSNBC | MSNBC Live | 22 | 152 | 14 | 112 | 191,269 | 43% | 57% |
Ratings for 4 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 70 | 826 | 65 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | News Room | 1 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 66,347 | 87% | 13% |
| Fox News | A Healthy You w/ Carol Alt (4pm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Fox News | Sunday Housecall (4:30) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6,331 | 20% | 80% |
Ratings for 5 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi (2:30) | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 26,310 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | News Room | 5 | 32 | 2 | 21 | 66,347 | 87% | 13% |
| Fox News | #MediaBuzz | 16 | 267 | 14 | 181 | 4,343,431 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 6 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 43 | 826 | 40 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | News Room | 1 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 66,347 | 87% | 13% |
| Fox News | Fox News Sunday | 88 | 2,911 | 47 | 1,662 | 24,946,215 | 57% | 43% |
Ratings for 7 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Fox News | Fox Report Weekend | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
Ratings for 8 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 26 | 826 | 24 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 5 | 62 | 5 | 49 | 102,298 | 83% | 17% |
| Fox News | Huckabee | 57 | 230 | 40 | 149 | 785,351 | 44% | 56% |
Ratings for 9 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 4 | 62 | 4 | 49 | 102,298 | 83% | 17% |
Ratings for 10 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | America Tonight | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 7,461 | 50% | 50% |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 7 | 62 | 7 | 49 | 102,298 | 83% | 17% |
| Fox News | Stossel | 1 | 36 | 1 | 31 | 88,272 | 50% | 50% |
Ratings for 11 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 46 | 826 | 43 | 659 | 1,418,095 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 6 | 62 | 6 | 49 | 102,298 | 83% | 17% |
| Fox News | Huckabee | 24 | 230 | 16 | 149 | 785,351 | 44% | 56% |
| HBO | Last Week Tonight | 1,666 | 2,927 | 1,270 | 2,239 | 5,021,279 | 63% | 37% |
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 (Also labeled ‘UT‘): 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. For individual shows, both the unique tweeters during an hour as well as throughout the day are shown.
- Reach: A measure of the number of impressions a collection of tweets could make. For each tweet that is sent, I add 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. There’s no guarantee that that many people actually see or read the tweet; in fact, it’s probably safe to say a very small fraction do. For individual shows, reach is only calculate on the entire day’s tweets: there’s no point in assuming that people read the tweets in real time.
- 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.