Chris Cuomo’s return to prime-time television has been anything but triumphant.
The former CNN star, once a household name anchoring a nightly show that drew millions, is now reaching only a fraction of that audience on NewsNation.
According to fresh Nielsen figures, Cuomo’s ratings are down nearly 90% overall and 95% in the key 25–54 advertising demo compared with his CNN run.
This quarter, his NewsNation program is averaging just 164,000 total viewers and 15,000 in the demo. By contrast, “Cuomo Prime Time” on CNN averaged 1.4 million viewers and 374,000 in the demo during its three-year run.
The decline is especially stark against Cuomo’s final quarter at CNN in late 2021 — a period when his ratings had already dipped amid his suspension and firing.
Even then, he drew 797,000 total viewers and 165,000 in the demo, roughly five times the audience he now attracts.
Cuomo’s fall from cable prominence comes despite NewsNation positioning him as the face of the fledgling network when he launched his show in October 2022.
Instead of lifting the channel into the mainstream, his program has struggled to gain traction.
The 8 p.m. slot has only magnified the gap. Fox News’ Jesse Watters averages 3.1 million viewers and 310,000 in the demo; MSNBC’s Chris Hayes pulls 874,000 / 85,000; and CNN’s Anderson Cooper holds 539,000 / 92,000.
Even Newsmax’s “Finnerty” tops Cuomo in the demo, with 319,000 viewers and 25,000 demo.
The numbers underscore how far Cuomo has fallen since his CNN peak in early 2021, when he regularly drew 2.4 million viewers and more than 600,000 in the demo during the height of the pandemic.
By the time he was forced out for advising his brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the governor faced sexual harassment allegations, his ratings had slid but still vastly outpaced what he delivers now.
Cuomo’s struggles on NewsNation reflect the fledgling network’s uphill battle to compete with Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.
Launched in 2020 as a rebrand of WGN America, the channel promised centrist news coverage but has yet to build a strong identity or loyal audience.
Despite heavy investment and high-profile hires including Elizabeth Vargas and Leland Vittert, the network remains a ratings afterthought.
The Post has sought comment from Cuomo and NewsNation.
Fox News is owned by Fox Corp — sister company to noti.group’s corporate parent News Corp.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
