CNN was the cable news outlet of choice among viewers during breaking news about the death of the Osama Bin Laden.
According to Nielsen Fast National data, CNN averaged delivered 4.14 million viewers from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. last night, compared with 2.85 million for Fox News Channel and 1.58 million on MSNBC. Among the adult 25-to-54 "news" demo, CNN was also on top with its coverage of the U.S. operatives' killing of the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, garnering 2.1 million of those viewers, ahead of 1.27 million for Fox News and 800,000 for MSNBC.
A further breakdown shows that in the 10 p.m. hour leading up to the announcement, CNN averaged 2.33 million viewerers, including 961,000 in the demo, versus 2.32 million and 895,000 and for Fox News and 1.09 million and 485,000 for MSNBC.
In the 11 p.m. hour, when President Obama announced Bin Laden's death, CNN had more viewers and demo watchers than its cable competitors combined: 7.76 million and 3.9 million adults 25 to 54, compared with 4.78 million and 2.07 million for FNC and 2.28 million and 1.13 million for MSNBC, respectively.
Not surprisingly, CNN's coverage peaked in the 11:30 p.m. quarter hour, when Obama informed the nation, averaging 9.53 million total viewers and 4.77 million news demo watchers. .
