NewsNation hits record ratings during Charlie Kirk memorial, beating CNN and MSNBC

NewsNation reached a major milestone on Sunday, outperforming CNN and MSNBC in total viewers and the key advertising demographic of adults aged 25-54 for six consecutive hours, the first time the network has achieved that feat, according to Nielsen data.

From 1 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. ET, the network averaged 615,000 viewers overall and 173,000 in the 25-54 demo. Coverage was anchored by Chief Washington Correspondent Leland Vittert and later by Nichole Berlie, who hosted a special edition of NewsNation Now. Programming included live coverage of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, followed by analysis and reaction.

The Sunday block marked NewsNation’s highest-rated Sunday ever, far surpassing its normal averages. Viewership was up nearly 1,000% compared to the network’s typical Sunday afternoon ratings. At its peak, around 3:57 p.m. ET, nearly 2 million people were watching, with 1.96 million total viewers recorded.

The surge gave NewsNation decisive wins over its competitors.

CNN averaged 342,000 viewers during the same period (54,000 in the demo), while MSNBC managed 287,000 viewers (31,000 demo).

The strong showing follows another victory the previous week, when NewsNation topped CNN and MSNBC in Saturday prime-time ratings. However, the six-hour stretch on Sunday was the first time the network has simultaneously outperformed both rivals for such a sustained duration in total viewership and the 25-54 demo.

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While NewsNation celebrated a breakthrough, Fox News once again led cable news.

The network averaged 5.2 million viewers and 755,000 in the 25-54 demo during the same 1:30–7:15 p.m. ET window, according to Nielsen’s Big Data Plus Panel. That accounted for nearly 90% of total cable news viewership. Fox’s audience peaked during Erika Kirk’s tribute at 6 p.m. ET hour, drawing 6.6 million total viewers and 1.1 million in the demo.

The memorial service ratings highlighted a shifting cable landscape: Fox News remains the undisputed leader, NewsNation is carving out new territory with record viewership, and CNN and MSNBC continue to slide further behind.