MSNBC’s once-a-week Rachel Maddow experiment hurting viewership: ‘Execs have to be concerned’

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MSNBC’s forced experiment with "The Rachel Maddow Show" only occupying a fifth of the network’s weekday 9 p.m. ET timeslot has failed to attract viewers, particularly in the critical demographic that keeps the lights on. 

Maddow, who makes roughly $30 million per year, announced that starting in May she would only host "The Rachel Maddow Show" once a week, on Mondays, so that she could focus on other projects. The coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot that she's long occupied now airs "MSNBC Prime" for the remainder of the week, with a rotating group of hosts at the helm. 

So far, the results haven’t been pretty for the left-wing network. 

Since "MSNBC Prime" debuted on May 3, it has averaged 1.2 million viewers, shedding 33% of the 1.7 million that Maddow pulled in from the beginning of the year through her first once-a-week edition.

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Things are even worse among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, as "MSNBC Prime" has attracted only 114,000 average nightly viewers among the critical category for a 47% decline from the 214,000 that Maddow averaged through May 2. 

By comparison, Fox News’ 9 p.m. ET timeslot competition, "Hannity," has crushed "MSNBC Prime" by 252% among the key demo since MSNBC’s new program premiered.

But while "MSNBC Prime" has struggled to keep the audience that "The Rachel Maddow Show" attracted before its namesake host announced a reduced workload, recent trends show that viewers might not be thrilled with the only-on-Mondays arrangement for the network’s biggest star. 

This week’s edition of Maddow’s now-weekly show averaged only 160,000 viewers among the key demo on May 23. The alarmingly low turnout among viewers coveted by advertisers was down 30% compared to her May 16 episode and 42% compared to the May 9 edition.

MSNBC’s experiment with "The Rachel Maddow Show" airing only on Monday nights has hurt the network’s ratings.  (Getty Images)

"The numbers don't lie that MSNBC has cratered in primetime and there's no reason to think things won't get any worse. For a group of people in power, they've continued to seethe and show such venom and hostility toward anyone who disagrees with them. Needless to say, it's a recipe for low ratings," NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News Digital. 

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Maddow has managed to keep a larger audience than "MSNBC Prime" has generated, but TBS’ 2:30 p.m. repeat of "Friends," TV Land’s 11 p.m. repeat of "King of Queens," MTV’s "Ridiculousness," Food Network’s "BBQ Brawl," a midnight showing of Investigation Discovery’s "Two Shallow Graves" and multiple "Family Guy" reruns were among the many basic cable programs that outdrew Monday’s "The Rachel Maddow Show" among the age 25-54 demo.   

"Hannity," outperformed Maddow by 165% in the critical category, and FNC programs that air at 6 a.m. ET and midnight beat her, too. 

In fact, only 8% of viewers for Monday’s "The Rachel Maddow Show" were between the ages of 25-54. 

Ali Velshi has been among the rotating group of "MSNBC Prime" hosts.

Maddow is still managing to attract an audience of older viewers who fall outside the coveted demo, but viewership is heading in the wrong direction in that category, too. 

Maddow’s latest episode on May 23 averaged just under two million total viewers, which would be a respectable turnout for many liberal cable news programs but falls significantly short of the 2.6 million she averaged in 2021. However, Maddow has been losing viewers on a weekly basis, shedding 3% compared to last week and 9% compared to her program two weeks ago. 

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DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall believes MSNBC honchos should be alarmed by the mass exodus of viewers among the key demo. 

"MSNBC execs have to be concerned by this weak primetime showing. Maddow's show has for a long time been a tent pole for MSNBC's entire evening, delivering audiences for the 9 p.m. hour, but also boosting viewership in the hours before and after," McCall told Fox News Digital. 

MSNBC can no longer rely on bashing former President Trump to attract liberal viewers. 

McCall feels the downturn is likely caused by multiple factors, such as MSNBC’s former punching bag President Trump being out of office and struggles of the Biden administration not appealing to liberal viewers. 

"With Trump out of office for almost a year and a half now, it is hard to generate ratings by raging about Trump. Further, with the multiple policy problems of the Biden administration, it is difficult to generate a left-leaning audience to watch the daily parade of bad news about inflation, crime, international turmoil, and so on, even when there is a left of center spin on those topics," McCall said. "Those left-leaning viewers are choosing to just avoid news programming these days, even in venues that are sympathetic to the Biden administration."

McCall noted that MSNBC has spent much of its time lately ranting about things such as GOP obstructionism, culture wars, climate change and other "liberal pet issues," but the strategy isn’t resonating with Americans. 

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"Sensible viewers see more practical problems right in front of them every day in gas prices, inflation, sinking retirement accounts, baby formula shortages, and the list goes on," McCall said. 

All ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.