NEW YORK (AP) — Five days of impeachment hearings were great news for the cable news networks. That wasn’t necessarily the case for broadcasters.
CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC showed every minute of the hearings and were rewarded. Their viewership ballooned. The Nielsen company said that it was more than twice typical daytime viewing for CNN and MSNBC.
But pre-empting routine daytime programming wasn’t as good for ABC, CBS and NBC. Their viewership was lower than normal, and there weren’t as many commercials.
It will be something network executives will have to think about if an impeachment trial happens.