Our friend Steve Krakauer at TVNewser notes that the Obama presidency has been good for Fox News Channel ratings. While we do post daily cable news TV ratings ourselves, and you are welcome to do your own trend analysis, I think our ongoing chart of O’Reilly Factor vs. Countdown with Keith Olbermann ratings is worth a thousand words.
O’Reilly Factor ratings are up sharply adding around a million viewers a night compared to mid-January, Countdown on the other hand has increased only slightly. For the record, I am not a fan of either of these guys, nor television news in general, but the trends are interesting and worth noting. Earlier, I thought that an Obama administration would only help Fox News ratings a bit, and I think that long term it’s likely to be the case, but in the short term I’d bet the folks at Fox News are chanting “Yes, We Can!”
The trend lines above are 20 day (4 week) moving averages. Note that on three nights, O’Reilly’s P2+ audience exceeded 5 million: 9/3 5.206m, 9/4 6.644m and 10/2 5.624m. Those numbers are included in the running average, but stretching the scale out to 7m to include just those 3 points compressed the rest of the data so much as to hurt the readability of the chart. Click the chart for a full-sized image.
Last Week’s Trend of O’Reilly vs. Olbermann TV Ratings:
For complete information on all cable news ratings check our daily cable news ratings posts.
Nielsen Cable Network Coverage Estimates (as of October, 2008)
CNN/HLN: 98.63 million HHs
CNBC: 97.13 million HHs
FNC: 94.82 million HHs
MSNBC: 93.00 million HHs
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
“Billo” has been beating Olbermann 3-1 in total viewers. Forgetting the political bent for a minute, O’Reilly’s show is just more entertaining.
“Countdown” has some interesting elements but it’s still 80% talking heads.
It would work much better as a 30 minute show.
O’Reilly certainly has his point of view but I find him to be a lot more balanced than Olbermann. The latter is really MSNBC’s answer to Sean Hannity.
Both are to the extreme and spend most of their program hammering the other side. I find this type of presentation incredibly annoying.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
unlike CNN and MSNBC, Fox has no competetion. for cons it’s fox news or another night with a lamb. CNN, MSNBC, network nightly news, Jon Stewart and Colbert all have to compete for the same audience.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
KO is nasty ,boring and impossible to watch for one minute . He makes his case by worrying about his talented competitors thereby demonstrating his lack of ability. Maybe sports for the fifth time in his career.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I suspect that “jon” has a fairly valid point, but I doubt that it offers a full exlanation. While O’Rielly is more to the right than much of the country, the issues he deals with (and even his positions) often find a sympathetic audience even among the “moderates”. Olbermann, on the other hand, has a much narrower base and even many dems find him farther to the left then they find comfort and while they were not at all pro-Bush, they are not filled with the hate that Olbermann has.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Herr Goebbels, I mean Herr Olbermann needs to calm down a bit, and start putting credible guests on. He better watch it, he doesn’t have any other networks available he can work for, except Lifetime and maybe LOGO.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Olbermann is a twit. Oreilly at least has opposing views on his show, while Ko doesn’t even let anybody on unless they are left wing bush hating, Obama kool-aide drinking bafoons. Oreilly has a better following than ko because he is truly more fair and balnced. Oreilly has sharpton, susan estritch, and many other lobs on his show every night. What true conservative has ok had on his program? He hasn’t, and won’t because he can’t back up his left wing babble with factual,logical, or causal arguments.
February 6th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
This just proves that American people are thirsty for the truth instead of the continuous pandering from the left.
Olbermann is scared to put anyone who opposes him on his show because he has no valid points in defense of his radical views. One of these days, KO and the rest of the loons at MSNBC are going to wake up and see why Fox constantly dominates in EVERYTHING. Either that, or MSNBC will be off the radar within ten years.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Nancy Grace is beating Olbyloon. Keith calls his show a “news cast” or “news hour”. What a joke. O’Reilly and Hannity are up front and call their shows news analysis and opinion - as if anyone believes that Countdown suddenly switches from news to opinion when the Special Comment starts. Does anybody really relish watching a pompous jerk spew personal insults and hatred under the guise of a “news cast”?
February 6th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I think the trend it more about the crazy economic times we are in. People are scared that the goverment is going to do something over the top crazy to try to fix it. (like this spending bill). This is leading to people trying to stay informed and on top of the goverment more then they would have if we were just gliding along.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I am absolutely shocked we’re allowed to comment on this.
I feel arguments coming soon.
February 7th, 2009 at 4:59 am
The O’Reilly Factor is my favorite show. I just don’t feel the same when I miss it. O’Reilly is the man!!
February 7th, 2009 at 8:45 am
I wonder how O’Reilly’s show will be impacted as most of its audience dies off over the next decade.
February 7th, 2009 at 8:56 am
(as in most of the viewers are in their 70s or above, not in some morbid manner)
February 7th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Olbermann’s constant naming of his Fox News competitors as the “Worst Person in the World” exposes his egocentrism. It comes off as petty jealousy and makes him look like a creepy stalker.
Steven Colbert aptly described Olbermann as the type of person who would save his own urine. At one time Olbermann came off as witty and caustic, now he is merely pathetic and desperate.
February 7th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I use to like FOX NEWS mainly Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity until I started doing factoids on what they were reporting.
Seems that they are nothing more than Liars For Hire and hacks for the extreme right wing neo cons and place more value on the $$$ than the good of the country.
Joseph Goebbels would be so proud…
February 7th, 2009 at 9:52 am
All good points here except for revolutioninthehead. O’Reilly leads in the 25-54 age group and I’m 49. I’ll try to watch ko every once in a while but I still find myself reaching for the remote right quick. Maybe his face is too big in the screen or something- it’s disturbing. And Maddow’s cutesy and smug delivery doesn’t cover for her cherry-picking of the facts.
February 7th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Check that. Max W is a moonbat in disguise and not a very good one. He used to like O’Reilly and Hannity and now they’re neo-cons? Hannity has always been Hannity and O’Reilly if anything has moved to the left some. Go back to your daily Kos, Max.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Of course he leads in 25-54, he has 3 million more viewers. That roughly 3/4 of the audience is over 54 says something.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I’m a big fan of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. I would watch them more often but I’m also a big fan of a number of other shows in prime time. Sorry KO, I’ve gotta watch Chuck on Mondays. I’ve gotta say though, I always find the political comments on these threads funny. The neo-cons are so insecure that they feel the need to constantly bash and attack those on the other side of the aisle. What a joke.
February 7th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
“The neo-cons are so insecure that they feel the need to constantly bash and attack those on the other side of the aisle.”
And yet calling them neo-cons is in no way bashing or attacking them? Gotcha.
The comments on this post are still relatively mild compared to the old O’Reilly vs. Olbermann posts.
February 7th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Not only that, Vader….
Olbermann’s constant attacks and bashing of Fox personalities is “justified” I suppose and NOT s sign of insecurity???? LMAO