CNN’s ratings bump from airing the presidential debate dropped faster than President Biden’s approval ratings.
The embattled network’s primetime ratings cratered 92% the day after the debate between former President Donald Trump and the current commander-in-chief on June 27, according to Nielsen data.
In the advertiser-coveted 25-to-54 demographic, the ratings plummeted a jaw-dropping 96%, the data found.
CNN, which announced layoffs and a major restructuring on Wednesday, had the exclusive broadcast rights to the first debate — where Biden’s disastrous performance has since led to calls from many in his own party to step aside because of questions about the 81-year-old Democrat’s cognitive skills.
Moderated by CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, the debate was simulcast across other networks, drawing nearly 50 million viewers — with CNN garnering 8.7 million.
However, those looking for their politics fix quickly flipped channels the next day, plunging CNN back to its cellar-dwelling position behind rivals Fox News and MSNBC.
“Nobody cares about Jake Tapper or Dana Bash. They never did anything. Jake was not the star, Dana was not the star, Trump and Biden were the stars,” a former news executive told The Post on Friday.
For the week of June 28 to July 7, CNN’s primetime ratings fell 93% to 500,000 total viewers, and 97% in the key demo, to 83,000 viewers, according to Nielsen.
Fox News, meanwhile, reeled in 2.3 million total primetime viewers and 270,000 in the demo during the same week — more than double the 1 million viewers at left-leaning MSNBC, which drew 88,000 in the demo.
Last year, CNN also got a short-lived boost in viewership from the explosive town hall with Trump, which was moderated by Kaitlan Collins.
It drew 3.3 million viewers, but the rating plunged 25% shortly after amid anger from staffers and longtime viewers for giving the 2024 presidential frontrunner a forum.
The move was seen by some as a reversal of sorts for CNN under then-CEO Chris Licht, who had pressed for the network to remain neutral and not give in to covering Trump simply to juice viewership. Others griped that Collins wasn’t given the tools to fact-check Trump, such as graphics that could play during the program.
Licht’s successor, Mark Thompson, rolled out a five-point plan Wednesday that included slashing 100 jobs — his first major move since taking the reins last fall.
Thompson, a former New York Times and BBC executive, plans to consolidate news operations and bolster CNN’s digital business.
