Brian Stelter is CNN's senior media correspondent, so this is his beat, right? Why didn't he just tell us himself that CNN's viewership is dropping like a rock? Instead, we have to find it out from The Daily Mail.
CNN has lost nearly two-thirds of its viewership since 2016 amid growing fears network is circling the drain https://t.co/y1riQXkikp
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) February 11, 2026
Alex Hammer reports for The Daily Mail:
CNN has lost nearly two-thirds of its primetime viewers over the past decade, figures show.
The decrease, from roughly 1.3 million in 2016 to 553,000 now, is fueling rumors of a possible network sale - something CNN's up-for-grabs parent company has vehemently denied.
The results recorded this month by Nielsen are actually an improvement from January, when stars like Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, and Kaitlan Collins only secured 488,000 sets of eyes.
Nick Shirley's expose on empty Somali daycares in Minneapolis racked up around 140 million views on X alone. People will watch real journalism.
We could give CNN some advice on how to win some of those eyes back, but 1) they wouldn't take it, and 2) it's too late.
People want right leaning, down the middle, or complete batshit crazy MSNBC full 24/7 Trump hate.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) February 11, 2026
They don't want 90% left leaning.
It's a leftist propaganda sewer, like all the other western media. Let it rot away.
— GhostWatcher46 (@GWatcher46) February 11, 2026
Recommended
All MSM is circling the drain including Daily Mail. Leftist propaganda just isn't a hot commodity 🤷♂️
— Salty J (@jjargonay) February 11, 2026
Jake Tapper will only cover it after he has been fired and CNN has gone out of business. Saying he just missed the story and wasn’t close to it at the time.
— Nevervotingdemocratagain (@NevervotingDem) February 11, 2026
I’m surprised they’ve stayed afloat this long.
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) February 11, 2026
TDS destroyed them.
— Pro-America | Politics & Markets (@Pro__Trading) February 11, 2026
So sad.
FAFO: Fake Around & Find Out
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) February 11, 2026
Maybe Elon should buy it and make a great network
— justn 🇺🇸 (@justn2xih1) February 11, 2026
The downward spiral of @jaketapper has been the saddest to watch. He’s gone form a person I respected even when I vehemently disagreed with him to David Frenchien levels of irrelevance.
— Polybius Champion🐂💨🇺🇸 (@PolybiusChamp) February 11, 2026
Tapper kept up the moderate facade for quite a while before it broke.
Fears it is? It absolutely is.
— B Rob (@robisonbw) February 11, 2026
How is Substack going to make room?
— Fallingwallfarm (@btaylorg) February 11, 2026
Exhibit A and B.
— Major Churchill (@MajorChurchill) February 11, 2026
I think it's because it's complete dogshit, not sure though.
— Alavancatrading (@Alavancatrading) February 11, 2026
— Spank (@mentaldischarge) February 11, 2026
NewsNight is so bad that they even brought on MSNBC reject and conspiracy theorist Joy Reid as a panelist and let her talk.
It's been circling the drain too long. Get some drain cleaner and let it go down. Either turn CNN into a news network or else just show old reruns of Diagnosis Murder and Matlock which would likely get better ratings.
— RidiculouslySpoiledCat (@spoiled_the) February 11, 2026
They earned it.
— Melvin Pierce (@MelvinP03423795) February 11, 2026
They traded their credibility for ratings.
Now they have neither.
They've crossed the drain's event horizon. No way home. It's over. They're done.
— FullMetalTuchas (@e3a07ac163e9422) February 11, 2026
How many years has it been since CNN could be considered a straight news network? Decades.
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member