Sadness at CNN as New Data Show Troubled Network Has Lost Roughly Two-Thirds of Its Audience Over the Last Decade

Speculation is swirling that Warner Bros. Discovery may try to sell off CNN, as new Nielsen data show that the network lost roughly two-thirds of its audience over the last decade. The beleaguered network is set to be spun off under a separate company, along with WBD’s other cable assets — what media insiders have called BadCo — while its desirable streaming and studio businesses are currently set to be sold to Netflix. Basic cable networks, despite still being very profitable, are considered undesirable by publicly traded companies since they are viewed as a “declining asset” doomed by streaming. Paramount Global is pursuing a hostile takeover bid of WBD, which would include the acquisition of CNN. However, WBD executives have repeatedly rejected Paramount’s offer.Although WBD has rejected offers to buy CNN, data from Nielsen are renewing speculation that the network may be sold off. The speculation increased after President Trump said in early December that CNN must be sold as part of any deal to sell WBD (a sale will likely need regulatory approval from the Trump Administration). Unnamed Trump advisors later told the Wall Street Journal that they did not consider the plan to spin off CNN in the bundle of undesirable cable networks as meeting Mr. Trump’s expectations for a sale.In 2016, CNN averaged 1.3 million viewers during the primetime hours. A decade later, the network is averaging just 553,000 primetime viewers.Several of CNN’s mainstays have seen their audiences dwindle. In January, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, and Kaitlan Collins averaged 488,000 viewers.In 2020, Mr. Cooper’s show averaged 1.89 million viewers. Despite the significantly reduced audience, Mr. Cooper — CNN’s highest-paid personality — signed a new contract with CNN in December, though it was unclear if he was forced to take a pay cut. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer averaged 752,000 viewers in 2016, but is now averaging 433,000 viewers. Compared to 2021, the current primetime average represents a 71 percent decrease, and the daytime average is down 73 percent. CNN averaged 711,000 primetime viewers in 2015, but its audience saw a significant increase in 2016, when it averaged 1.3 million viewers, which was largely attributed to a bump from a programming decision made by its then-chief, Jeff Zucker, to go all in on “resistance” and anti-Trump coverage. The hard left turn was a major shift for CNN, which used to have a reputation for plain vanilla neutrality.The anti-Trump programming paid off through Mr. Trump’s first term, but ratings started sinking when President Biden took office and, in a troubling sign, did not recover when Mr. Trump returned to power in 2025. In fact, they slide further. Nevertheless, CNN’s biggest stars doubled down on anti-Trump programming, despite feeble efforts by new executives to get them to moderate. second term.The deepening hole CNN has dug itself into has led to increasing speculation that CNN will be sold off to private equity, which can steadily cut costs and milk it for maximum profits, until streaming has completely wiped out basic cable. A media insider told the Daily Mail, “ Ownership at CNN is once again looking to jump ship just like the network’s viewers have for the last decade after seeing its 2025 ratings slump to historic lows.”“Mark Thompson should have stayed in retirement as nothing can right the sinking ship that is CNN,” the executive added. A CNN source pushed back against the notion that the ratings decline is as disastrous as it seems, noting the growing number of Americans cutting the cord and switching to streaming — a trend that media insiders predict will inevitably leave linear television as a shell of its former self. The network has boasted that it averaged 120 million users a month across CNN.com and the CNN app throughout 2025. It also celebrated its January 2026 ratings, which it said were the best since 2024. The network averaged 508,000 viewers in the primetime hours last month However, data from February 3 show that some reruns of shows on Fox News drew in more viewers than CNN programs. A 1 a.m. rerun of Fox’s Jesse Watters received 784,000 viewers, while CNN’s 3 p.m. “News Central” received 781,000 viewers. Meanwhile, a midnight rerun of Fox’s “The Five” drew in 953,000 viewers while CNN’s “The Story Is with Elex Michaelson,” which aired at the same time, drew in 295,000 viewers. Last year, CNN laid off about 6 percent of its workforce as executives announced a new digital strategy aimed at responding to the decline in linear television and changes in how Americans consume news. In October 2025, it launched a new streaming subscription known as “All Access.” The service lets users read an unlimited number of articles, stream some of the network’s programs, and access a library of documentaries and other content. Amid the dismal ratings, if CNN is spun off under so-called BadCo, it is expected that the network will undergo harsh cost-cutting measures and layoffs as executives seek to extract as much value as they can. CNN did not provide a comment by the time of publication.

Sadness at CNN as New Data Show Troubled Network Has Lost Roughly Two-Thirds of Its Audience Over the Last Decade

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