John Oliver’s HBO show Last Week Tonight won Cable News Twitter on Sunday, and not by a little:
click to enlarge
Following Oliver were each hour of Melissa Harris-Perry and then each hour of Up with Steve Kornacki.
In terms of the most tweets for the day overall, CNN International scored the most, although with a show like that it’s not clear what portion of the mentions were generated domestically. Following CNNi for Best Day was Meet The Press (which is shown on MSNBC at 2pm ET). Like CNNi, there are problems with its daily totals; in the case of MTP it comes from a wider showing on NBC local broadcast stations.
When you remove CNNi and MTP from the best day contenders, you are left with … Last Week Tonight. So it’s not unlikely that Last Week Tonight — in terms of purely Cable News terms — won both the best hour and best day overall.
And I didn’t even count mentions of #SoybeanWind, the humorous hashtag Oliver promoted during the show to protest the NCAA’s refusal to pay student athletes.
In other news, CNN’s Finding Jesus managed to come in to 6th place as the highest rated hourly CNN show. CNN has done really well with its shows like Parts Unknown, The Hunt, The 60s, Blackfish, etc., and clearly Finding Jesus will further CNN’s interest in these types of shows.
Raw data: 2015-03-15-ShowStats.csv
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 2015-03-15
Top Shows for the day:
| Category | Mentions | Show |
| Most Mentions During Hour | 3212 | HBO: Last Week Tonight |
| Most Mentions During Day | 6305 | CNN: CNN International |
Ratings for individual time slots
Ratings for 12 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 24 | 932 | 22 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | Talk to Al Jazeera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | Forensic Files | 2 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| Fox News | Judge Jeanine | 109 | 1,631 | 83 | 1,103 | 16,735,640 | 58% | 42% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 2 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 30 | 121 | 24 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 1 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | Forensic Files | 9 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| Fox News | Fox News Reporting | 33 | 798 | 24 | 604 | 9,021,921 | 57% | 43% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 9 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 16 | 121 | 15 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 2 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | Forensic Files | 7 | 33 | 4 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| Fox News | RedEye | 169 | 826 | 67 | 518 | 3,667,491 | 64% | 36% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 7 | 33 | 4 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 5 | 121 | 4 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 3 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 11 | 932 | 9 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | TechKnow | 1 | 23 | 1 | 21 | 34,153 | 40% | 60% |
| CNN | Forensic Files | 1 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| Fox News | Strange Inheritance | 0 | 25 | 0 | 20 | 467,819 | 73% | 27% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 1 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 8 | 121 | 6 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 4 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | CNN International | 55 | 6,305 | 38 | 5,508 | 98,173,592 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Judge Jeanine | 23 | 1,631 | 12 | 1,103 | 16,735,640 | 58% | 42% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 7 | 121 | 4 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 5 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 7 | 932 | 7 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | Talk to Al Jazeera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | CNN International | 43 | 6,305 | 41 | 5,508 | 98,173,592 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Fox News Reporting | 10 | 798 | 8 | 604 | 9,021,921 | 57% | 43% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 3 | 121 | 3 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 6 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 10 | 932 | 10 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | New Day | 12 | 454 | 9 | 372 | 1,127,375 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 19 | 376 | 12 | 268 | 6,075,164 | 68% | 32% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 3 | 121 | 3 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 7 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 44 | 932 | 43 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | Listening Post | 0 | 74 | 0 | 62 | 4,794,423 | 62% | 38% |
| CNN | New Day | 20 | 454 | 19 | 372 | 1,127,375 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 41 | 376 | 32 | 268 | 6,075,164 | 68% | 32% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 4 | 47 | 4 | 31 | 224,899 | 63% | 37% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 1 | 121 | 1 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
| MSNBC | Your Business (7:30) | 2 | 49 | 2 | 39 | 90,250 | 19% | 81% |
Ratings for 8 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3,164 | 67% | 33% |
| Al Jazeera | TechKnow | 1 | 23 | 1 | 21 | 34,153 | 40% | 60% |
| CNN | New Day | 28 | 454 | 26 | 372 | 1,127,375 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | Inside Politics | 42 | 998 | 30 | 782 | 34,589,624 | 57% | 43% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 84 | 376 | 65 | 268 | 6,075,164 | 68% | 32% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 16 | 47 | 11 | 31 | 224,899 | 63% | 37% |
| MSNBC | Up w/Steve Kornacki | 735 | 2,551 | 257 | 960 | 11,726,612 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for 9 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 81 | 932 | 65 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | State of the Union | 226 | 875 | 130 | 530 | 18,810,336 | 54% | 46% |
| Fox News | Fox and Friends Weekend | 47 | 376 | 37 | 268 | 6,075,164 | 68% | 32% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 6 | 47 | 5 | 31 | 224,899 | 63% | 37% |
| MSNBC | Up w/Steve Kornacki | 927 | 2,551 | 334 | 960 | 11,726,612 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for 10 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 55 | 932 | 45 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | 101 East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | GPS w/Fareed Zakaria | 416 | 1,019 | 340 | 768 | 2,114,120 | 66% | 34% |
| Fox News | Sunday Morning Futures | 228 | 547 | 144 | 332 | 37,452,938 | 63% | 38% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 3 | 47 | 3 | 31 | 224,899 | 63% | 37% |
| MSNBC | Melissa Harris-Perry Show | 1,152 | 3,545 | 427 | 1,417 | 26,508,600 | 46% | 54% |
Ratings for 11 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 49 | 932 | 43 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | Reliable Sources | 186 | 454 | 104 | 290 | 7,470,264 | 68% | 32% |
| Fox News | #MediaBuzz | 199 | 659 | 126 | 361 | 5,561,165 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Weekend Express | 5 | 47 | 4 | 31 | 224,899 | 63% | 37% |
| MSNBC | Melissa Harris-Perry Show | 1,173 | 3,545 | 443 | 1,417 | 26,508,600 | 46% | 54% |
Ratings for 12 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 113 | 932 | 82 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | 101 East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | State of the Union | 167 | 875 | 115 | 530 | 18,810,336 | 54% | 46% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 11 | 438 | 11 | 328 | 11,994,105 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Sunday Housecall | 2 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 1,680 | 100% | 0% |
| HBO | Real Time w/Bill Maher (Rerun) | 60 | 1,676 | 50 | 1,341 | 5,294,061 | 66% | 34% |
| HLN | What Would You Do? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 113 | 0% | 0% |
| MSNBC | Weekends w/ Alex Witt | 22 | 160 | 15 | 108 | 3,499,045 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 1 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 76 | 932 | 68 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | 101 East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | GPS w/Fareed Zakaria | 99 | 1,019 | 58 | 768 | 2,114,120 | 66% | 34% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 100 | 438 | 73 | 328 | 11,994,105 | 56% | 44% |
| HLN | What Would You Do? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 113 | 0% | 0% |
| MSNBC | Weekends w/ Alex Witt | 53 | 160 | 40 | 108 | 3,499,045 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 2 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 52 | 932 | 47 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | News Room | 6 | 52 | 3 | 24 | 516,643 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | Fox News Sunday | 239 | 3,570 | 116 | 1,525 | 52,857,219 | 66% | 34% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 2 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Meet The Press | 389 | 4,391 | 233 | 2,389 | 27,229,165 | 64% | 36% |
Ratings for 3 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 48 | 932 | 42 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| Al Jazeera | 101 East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | News Room | 11 | 52 | 1 | 24 | 516,643 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | WSJ Editorial Report | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5,627 | 100% | 0% |
| Fox News | Sunday Housecall | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1,680 | 100% | 0% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 3 | 23 | 3 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 4 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Listening Post | 13 | 74 | 13 | 62 | 4,794,423 | 62% | 38% |
| Al Jazeera | 101 East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | News Room | 2 | 52 | 2 | 24 | 516,643 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | America’s News HQ | 26 | 438 | 19 | 328 | 11,994,105 | 56% | 44% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 1 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 1 | 23 | 1 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 5 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 30 | 932 | 26 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | News Room | 16 | 52 | 15 | 24 | 516,643 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | #MediaBuzz | 72 | 659 | 28 | 361 | 5,561,165 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 1 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 2 | 23 | 2 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 6 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3,164 | 67% | 33% |
| Al Jazeera | Talk to Al Jazeera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | News Room | 0 | 52 | 0 | 24 | 516,643 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | Fox News Sunday | 351 | 3,570 | 139 | 1,525 | 52,857,219 | 66% | 34% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 1 | 33 | 1 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 1 | 23 | 1 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 7 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 66 | 932 | 55 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | Finding Jesus | 66 | 869 | 56 | 440 | 20,746,864 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Fox Report Weekend | 245 | 512 | 130 | 294 | 2,229,833 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 2 | 23 | 2 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 8 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 10 | 932 | 9 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | Finding Jesus | 91 | 869 | 73 | 440 | 20,746,864 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Fox News Reporting | 79 | 798 | 60 | 604 | 9,021,921 | 57% | 43% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Caught On Camera | 0 | 23 | 0 | 17 | 29,061 | 67% | 33% |
Ratings for 9 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Fault Lines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Al Jazeera | America Tonight | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 46,190 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | Finding Jesus | 454 | 869 | 155 | 440 | 20,746,864 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Strange Inheritance | 2 | 25 | 2 | 20 | 467,819 | 73% | 27% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 3 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 6 | 121 | 5 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 10 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | The Wonder List w/ Bill Weir | 238 | 859 | 138 | 589 | 68,088,562 | 51% | 49% |
| Fox News | Stossel | 0 | 108 | 0 | 84 | 217,988 | 63% | 37% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 0 | 33 | 0 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 2 | 121 | 2 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 11 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 43 | 932 | 38 | 725 | 2,420,535 | 60% | 40% |
| CNN | Finding Jesus | 38 | 869 | 27 | 440 | 20,746,864 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | Fox News Reporting | 38 | 798 | 27 | 604 | 9,021,921 | 57% | 43% |
| HBO | Last Week Tonight | 3,212 | 4,275 | 1,148 | 1,958 | 8,687,002 | 38% | 62% |
| HLN | Forensic Files | 2 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 18,055 | 43% | 57% |
| MSNBC | Lockup | 12 | 121 | 12 | 87 | 262,808 | 60% | 40% |
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 00,000. 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.