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.
Once CNN’s primetime star, Chris Cuomo’s new NewsNation show is averaging just 164,000 viewers this quarter.
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.
It should be noted that Cuomo had been off the air for nearly two weeks in August, which contributed to the dip.
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.
The anchor’s “Cuomo Prime Time” once drew 1.4 million viewers a night before his 2021 firing. Jeremy Freeman/CNNEven 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.
Nonetheless, NewsNation has been growing overall, according to Nielsen figures.
In the past year, the channel is up 16% in total viewers and 17% in the key 25–54 advertising demographic — growth that outpaces both CNN and MSNBC in total-day ratings.
Even in his last quarter at CNN, Cuomo averaged nearly five times the audience he now draws. CNNIndustry sources also argued that comparisons to Cuomo’s run on CNN are unfair.
“It’s ridiculous to compare Chris Cuomo’s program on NewsNation to his program on CNN, a brand that has been around for decades. NewsNation has only been around as a 24/7 cable news network for one year and ‘Cuomo’ has only been on the air for two years,” one source said.
Nielsen figures indicate that Cuomo’s show is up nearly 25% in total viewers compared with his first quarter on the network, suggesting that while the audience remains modest compared with rivals, it has grown steadily since launch.
The Post has sought comment from Cuomo and NewsNation.
Fox News is owned by Fox Corp — sister company to The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.
