As a shootout left one suspect in the Boston marathon
bombings dead and another at large early Friday morning, viewers flocked to
cable news for developing information, according to Nielsen ratings for April
19.
CNN, which was the first to break in at 1:13 a.m. ET, was
the most-watched at the hour, drawing 1.217 million total viewers and 474,000
in the adults 25-54 demo. Fox News, which broke in at 1:24 a.m. averaged
951,000 viewers and 356,000 in the demo. MSNBC began coverage at 1:32 a.m. and
saw 504,000 total viewers and 159,000 adults 25-54.
Viewing tapered off a little in the 2-3 a.m.
hour, but CNN kept its lead in both total viewers and demo measures
(986,000/419,000) to Fox News (954,000/392,000) and MSNBC (392,000/130,000).
Ratings for the full day will be available on Monday.
