MSNBC's ambitious revamp of its primetime and weekend programming has not gone according to plan. The network's new shows are experiencing lower-than-anticipated ratings, leading to a notable decrease in viewership across various time slots. The changes, which aimed to introduce a fresh face to its evening and weekend lineup, have instead led to widespread audience drop-offs.
The Weekend, which debuted at 7 a.m. Saturday and features hosts Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany, launched to a disappointing start. It garnered only 433,000 total viewers and a mere 39,000 viewers in the 25–54 age demographic. These figures represent a significant 27% and 44% decline, respectively, in viewership compared to the previous Saturday's programming. The Weekend: Primetime, with its 6 p.m. Saturday slot, fared even worse, drawing 318,000 total viewers and just 22,000 in the key demographic, marking a 19% and 39% downturn.
Weeknight changes have seen limited success, with The Weeknight, hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, attracting 819,000 total viewers and 78,000 in the demo. This performance showed a 9% decrease from the previous Monday's numbers. Jen Psaki's new show The Briefing initially exceeded one million viewers but secured only 65,000 in the key demographic. The most concerning decline was observed during the 9 p.m. primetime slot, previously occupied by Rachel Maddow. Psaki's premiere episode on Tuesday attracted 1.2 million viewers and 139,000 in the 25–54 demographic. However, by Wednesday, viewership had plunged to just over one million, with the demo audience falling to 65,000—a staggering 53% decrease within a single day.
The Briefing also experienced a precipitous 67% fall among viewers aged 18–49 from Tuesday to Wednesday. During Maddow's tenure, her program averaged around 1.9 million total viewers and 141,000 in the 25–54 demo, significantly outperforming Psaki's current figures. Psaki's Wednesday episode was not only outpaced by competitors like Fox News and CNN but also by reruns of popular sitcoms and animated shows.
MSNBC's primetime block averaged just over 1 million total viewers and 88,000 in the demo last week, indicating a 14% drop in total viewership and a 12% decline in the key demographic. Despite promotional campaigns and the presence of high-profile hosts, the network's new format has yet to resonate with audiences. MSNBC remains optimistic, stating that early ratings may not be indicative of future performance. Network executives have pointed to heavy sports playoff coverage and events such as Pope Francis' funeral as potential factors behind the lackluster launch.
The network's revisions included canceling shows hosted by Joy Reid and Alex Wagner, signaling a strategic shift in programming direction. However, unless viewer figures improve, MSNBC may have to reassess its strategy once again. Typically, new shows benefit from an initial surge of interest, but MSNBC's lineup faltered from the outset, as highlighted by media observer Brad Slager in a tweet dated May 8, 2025.
