CNN town hall with de Blasio, Bullock marks ratings low for network

CNN’s town hall featuring 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Montana Gov. Steve BullockSteve BullockPolitics and the pandemic — Republicans are rightly worried The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden moves to unify party before general election Poll shows Daines, Bullock neck and neck in Montana Senate race MORE and New York City Mayor Bill de BlasioBill de BlasioNew York City auctioned off extra ventilators due to cost of maintenance: report NYC considering using parks as temporary burial sites: city councilman US attorney opposes release of inmates in DC MORE on Sunday night registered just 402,000 total viewers, including 82,000 in the coveted 25-54 demographic, according to early Nielsen Media Research.

The Bullock-de Blasio event marked an all-time ratings low for town hall events on the network in 2019. Viewership was down 25 percent overall and 38 percent in the younger demographic compared to CNN's 2019 average for Sundays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Fox News finished first during that time slot, averaging 873,000 total viewers. MSNBC was second, with 664,000 viewers to CNN's 402,000. 

 

In the key 25-54 demographic, Fox News took in 121,000 in the category, followed by MSNBC with 84,000 and CNN with 82,000. 

De Blasio, who is struggling in the polls, averaging just 0.5 percent in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average, appeared on Fox's "Hannity" for an extended interview on Aug. 7, which delivered 3.3. million total viewers and 546,000 in the younger demographic. 

 

Bullock is averaging just 0.7 percent in the RCP index. 

 

CNN's highest-rated town hall among the Democratic field was one featuring Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisHillicon Valley: Schiff presses intel chief on staff changes | Warren offers plan to secure elections | Twitter's Jack Dorsey to donate B to coronavirus fight | WhatsApp takes steps to counter virus misinformation WhatsApp limiting message forwarding in effort to stop coronavirus misinformation The Hill's Coronavirus Report: Dybul interview; Boris Johnson update MORE (D-Calif.), which delivered nearly 1.9 million viewers back in January shortly after she announced her candidacy.