CNN’s Real Ratings Revealed: Who’s Top & Who’s Lagging Behind?

Abby Phillip, Anderson Cooper, and Kaitlan Collins
CNN YouTube

The fierce ratings battle continues across the news networks, and CNN may have found themselves a new secret weapon when it comes to viewership, especially in the coveted adults 25-54 demographic.

Anderson Cooper has long been the face of CNN, yet he’s not always the top ratings-grabber. For example, last Thursday (March 13), Anderson Cooper 360 finished third for the evening in total viewers, with 707,000. This was behind Erin Burnett OutFront, which led the night for CNN with 714,000 viewers.

More surprisingly, perhaps, is the success of the still relatively new NewsNight with Abby Phillip, which finished second for the night in total viewers with 710,000 in the 10 pm ET hour. Phillip began anchoring the round table discussion show in October 2023, and the show continues to shine for CNN.

On Thursday, Phillip’s show topped the key demo for CNN with 153,000, ahead of Cooper at 141,000 and The Source with Kaitlan Collins at 139,000.

The success of Phillip’s late-night show has seen CNN experimenting with her as a host on Saturday morning shows, with CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five, taking the spot previously held by Chris Wallace.

Prior to joining CNN, Phillip worked for Politico, covering the Obama White House, The Washington Post as a national political reporter, and ABC News as a digital reporter for politics. She graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2010; while at Harvard, she wrote for The Harvard Crimson.
Abby Phillip hosts NewsNight

CNN YouTube

NewsNight sees Phillip leading discussions on the hot topics of the day, featuring a round table of guests from across the political spectrum. The conversations can often get heated, as seen last week in a spat between The View‘s Ana Navarro and Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, or on Monday (March 17), when Phillip clashed with CNN GOP analyst Scott Jennings, who often causes friction on the show.

Viewers have shared positive comments about Phillip’s show, with one X user writing, “You do a good job of trying to host all sides of the argument. Wish you went down the middle a little more but you handle every argument with class and style @abbydphillip.”

“Just flipped the channel from Fox to CNN to see what was being said and found your show. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll continue to watch you and the other four. Great job!” said another.

“The best show with greatest moderator. Great balance,” another added.

Another wrote, “Great show, great team on the show.”

However, some fans are growing tired of Jennings’ contributions to the show, with one X commenter writing, “I no long watch your show because of that one guy who defends Trump on every point.”

“Not until Scott is gone. Refuse to watch your show if he will ever be a guest,” said another.

“Please, give Scott vacation days,” added one user.

“Are @ScottJenningsKY or @kevinolearytv on the show? If so, it’s a hard pass for me,” another wrote.

Do you watch NewsNight? What do you think of the show and Phillip as a host? Let us know your thoughts below.

CNN NewsNight, Weeknights, 10 pm et, CNN