CNN sees highest monthly primetime viewership since 2024 election

CNN reported its strongest multiplatform audience performance in more than a year, driven by major breaking news events in January. According to the network, audience growth was evident across television, digital and streaming platforms, marking CNN’s most-watched month in primetime since the November 2024 presidential election.

On U.S. television, CNN ranked among the top five cable networks in total day viewership for 13 consecutive months among viewers ages 2 and older. The network also placed among the top three in the key 25–54 demographic. In weekday primetime, CNN ranked in the top five for both key demographic groups.

Coverage of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 contributed to CNN’s best weekend daytime ratings since early 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war began. That same Saturday, the network was a top-ranked cable outlet for total viewership. The Venezuela story also drove the highest digital engagement of the month, with the most-read articles and top live story views related to Maduro’s custody.

On Jan. 7, CNN’s primetime coverage of the Minneapolis ICE shooting delivered the network’s strongest performance among both total viewers and the 25–54 demographic since election night 2025, excluding New Year’s Eve. Coverage of anti-ICE protests on Jan. 8 ranked first among all cable networks in the key demo during the 9 a.m. hour. The Jan. 24 shooting in Minneapolis generated CNN’s second-highest day of 2026 for total viewership and ranked second across all cable for the day.

Digital engagement mirrored TV performance. The top five most-viewed CNN digital videos in January were focused on the events in Minneapolis. Jan. 24 was CNN’s second-highest digital weekend day of the year in terms of reach and live-stream viewership.

Year over year, CNN reported double-digit growth across all dayparts. Compared to January 2025, total viewership increased by 22% and the 25–54 demographic grew by 23%. Weekend total day performance rose by 53% among total viewers and 63% among the key demo. Weekday morning and primetime also showed notable gains.

CNN’s annual “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” generated the highest number of new subscriptions to its platform since the service launched and marked the second-best television performance for the event since 2007.

Streaming activity also surged. CNN said the first four weeks of 2026 represented the most time spent viewing live video on its platforms since the 2024 election. The increase was attributed to interest in ongoing developments in Venezuela and Minneapolis.

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Digital engagement overall increased in January, including a rise in intentional video behaviors and average daily time spent, surpassing all months in 2025. CNN podcasts saw more than 9 million downloads and streams year to date, led by titles including “All There Is with Anderson Cooper” and “Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.”

Subscriber-only content also attracted readership. The most-read paywalled story in January focused on oil in Venezuela, followed by features on health habits and global social trends.

Outside of news, the Jan. 1 premiere of the CNN Films documentary “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” drew 906,000 viewers and ranked third in all of cable for the time slot. Across three telecasts, the program reached 5.7 million total viewers.

CNN cited Nielsen and Adobe Analytics data for television and digital performance, respectively. Podcast statistics were sourced from Megaphone.