January 28, 2026
(New York – Jan. 28, 2026) – MS NOW delivered double-digit year-over-year growth across all key dayparts in January, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel ratings.
In January, MS NOW averaged 1.1 million total viewers in weekday primetime, up 20% from a year ago. MS NOW weekday programming averaged 771,000 total viewers across its live hours (Monday through Friday, 5 to 12 a.m.).
MS NOW also doubled CNN in average time spent viewing, underscoring the network’s position as one of the most loyal and engaged news audiences on television.
In January, MS NOW's total-day audience had the largest year-over-year gains among total viewers (up 89,000, 18%) of any cable network. Among the top 25 cable networks, MS NOW was one of only three networks with total viewership growth.
Following Jack Smith’s congressional testimony on Jan. 22, MS NOW’s special primetime coverage, led by Rachel Maddow, averaged 1.8 million total viewers. Additionally, MS NOW’s wall-to-wall coverage during “MS NOW Reports” (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) of the testimony averaged 1.2 million total viewers, marking MS NOW’s largest dayside audience in 14 months.
In weekday primetime (Monday through Friday, 8 to 11 p.m.), MS NOW averaged more than one million total viewers in January, topping CNN (1,082,000 vs. 745,000) and up 20% versus January 2025.
MS NOW’s newest primetime programs – “The Weeknight” and “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” – which debuted in May of 2025, posted notable, double-digit year-over-year gains. In January, “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” was up 42% among total viewers (1,074,000 vs. 755,000) and up 44% among demo viewers (98,000 vs. 68,000) versus the show’s predecessor in the same timeslot in Jan. 2025.
“The Weeknight” – co-hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez – also marked double-digit growth, up 21% among total viewers (961,000 vs. 796,000) and 19% in the demo (87,000 vs. 73,000) versus the show’s predecessor in the same timeslot in Jan. 2025.
Plus, “The Rachel Maddow Show” (Mondays 9 to 10 p.m.) continued to outperform CNN in its time slot among both the demo and total viewers for the 12th straight month. Among total viewers, “Maddow” more than tripled CNN’s audience. While ‘Maddow’ had double-digit growth among both demos compared to January 2025, Fox News’ Hannity posted double-digit declines. CNN was flat in total viewers and down double digits in the demo.
In January, “Morning Joe” (Monday through Friday, 6 to 10 a.m.) averaged 677,000 total viewers, up 7% year-over-year. “Morning Joe” topped CNN among total viewers and remains the most-watched cable news morning program in the influential Washington, D.C. market.
MS NOW once again beat CNN in the demo during the 6 to 9 a.m morning hours, averaging 68,000 demo viewers vs. CNN’s 60,000 in the same timeslot. Throughout the month, “Morning Joe” featured newsmaking interviews with lawmakers and Minnesota officials, as well as in-depth breaking news coverage and a robust fact check of President Trump’s address at Davos by Joe Scarborough.
As Ali Vitali marks one year as the host of “Way Too Early,” the program topped CNN for the month among total viewers.
In January, “MS NOW Reports” (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) delivered year-over-year growth among both demos, averaging 647,000 total viewers (up 11%) and 58,000 demo viewers (up 16%) compared to January 2025. Plus, “Katy Tur Reports” (Monday through Friday, 2 to 4 p.m.) topped CNN among total viewers, averaging 749,000 vs. CNN’s 722,000 in its timeslot.
MS NOW weekend programming (Saturday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.) delivered its most-watched month since October 2024, averaging 542,000 total viewers. Year-over-year, weekend viewership was up 36% among total viewers and 50% among demo viewers.
“The Weekend” (Saturday through Sunday, 7 to 10 a.m.), hosted by Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany, posted its best month since expanding to three hours in May 2025, up 16% and averaging 413,000 total viewers.
“The Weekend: Primetime” (Saturday through Sunday, 6 to 9 p.m.), hosted by Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell, Antonia Hylton, and Elise Jordan, also delivered its best month since May launch, up 24% with 454,000 total viewers.
In January, MS NOW grew 142% year-over-year on YouTube and 21% month-over-month. MS NOW recorded 302 million views for the month, more than ABC News (104 million), CBS News (47 million), and NBC News (98 million) combined.
MS NOW continues to lead the pack as one of the most influential news organizations on non-linear platforms, also up 88% on TikTok month-over-month.
Top performing YouTube videos in January include: Jen Psaki’s reaction to leaked audio of Karoline Leavitt after President Trump’s interview with CBS News, Rachel Maddow’s take on Jack Smith’s testimony spelling out President Trump’s “criminal behavior,” Joe Scarborough’s reaction to President Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, and more.
Top performing TikTok videos for the month include reporter Alex Tabet’s on-the-ground reporting of a 72-year-old couple pepper-sprayed by law enforcement in Minneapolis, Rachel Maddow’s analysis of how Jack Smith’s testimony spells out “the president’s criminal behavior,” Chris Jansing’s interview with a journalist about her ICE recruitment experience, and more.
Across digital platforms, MS NOW users continue to spend more time on ms.now than on The Washington Post, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal, and reaches more unique visitors than Politico, Axios, and The Atlantic.
In January, the most-viewed pieces on site include: Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian’s reporting on top DOJ officials quitting after their division refused to probe the Minnesota ICE shooting of Renee Good, an op-ed from Kristen Monroe, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor and Director of the Ethics Center at UC Irvine, on President Trump’s statement that he is constrained only by his “own morality,” reporting on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and on the democratic strategy around President Trump’s Greenland plans, and more.
MS NOW’s audio portfolio delivered a strong start to the year, with more than 11 million total downloads in January, up 12% year-over-year.
Last month’s launch of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order” has now surpassed 2.3 million downloads, fueling continued momentum across MS NOW Originals, while “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” was MS NOW’s strongest performing daily showcast in January.
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TV Source: Nielsen, Big Data + Panel, Live+SD, Persons 2+ and Adults 25-54. Total Day = M-Su 6 a.m. to 6 a.m., Primetime= M-F 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Weekday programming = M-F 6a-12a; Su,M-Th 5a-6a. Jan 2026: 12/29/25-1/25/26. Time period wins based on regularly-scheduled cable news programming. Engagement: Nielsen, NPower, Reach & Frequency, M-Su 6 a.m.-6 a.m., 6-min viewing qualifier, 12/29/25-1/25/26, Avg. Weekly. Local Points: Nielsen, NPower, Panel Only Ratings Analysis Program Report, LPM = Washington, D.C., 12/29/25-1/25/26., P2+, M-F 6 a.m, to 10 a.m., M-Su 6 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Digital Source: Podcast Downloads based on Simplecast data from January 1, 2025 through Jan 26th 2026. Podcast downloads. YouTube data based on YouTube Studio Analytics, January 1, 2025 – January 27, 2026. YouTube video views. Competitor YouTube data based on ListenFirst, January 1, 2025 – January 27, 2026. TikTok video views. Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform (U.S.) Desktop Persons 2+ and Mobile Persons 13+, Total Digital Population, April 2021 – October 2025. Rankings based on a custom competitive set which included Atlantic Media, AXIOS.COM, NPR, PROPUBLICA.ORG, Wall Street Journal Online, and WASHINGTONPOST.COM.
Claudia Meyer-Samargia
