CNN's wall-to-wall coverage of the Carnival cruise ship
Triumph docking in Alabama on Feb. 14 more than doubled the network's average
ratings compared to the prior four Thursdays, according to Nielsen data.
In primetime, CNN's coverage by air, land and sea drew 1.02
million total viewers, an increase of 62% and 295,000 adults 25-54, gaining 74%
over the prior four weeks.
CNN was still a solid number two to Fox News, which averaged
2.13 million total viewers and 320,000 adults 25-54 in primetime. But the
network topped MSNBC, which had 867,000 total viewers and 245,000 viewers in
the key demo.
While Fox News and MSNBC
broke into programming to cover the cruise's disembarking passengers between 10
p.m. and midnight, CNN was in nearly non-stop coverage all Thursday. Its total
day ratings averaged 565,000 total viewers and 175,000 adults 25-54, both up
50% from the prior four-week average.
