At CNN, lower TV ratings and heightened anxieties about what’s ahead

Since the election, CNN has seen a 45 percent drop in prime-time viewership, down to only 394,000 total viewers.

The last election year , 2020 , was the most-watched year in the network’s history, with an average of 1.8 million viewers in prime time.

The challenge for CNN is turning those online visitors into paying customers.

A larger audience nets CNN more money from advertisers and makes the channel a more desirable option for cable companies when deciding how much they are willing to pay to include it in their lineup.

Theories abound about why the network’s ratings have fallen.

CNN laid off hundreds of employees at the end of 2022 and, officially, the network has declined to address speculation that more cuts await.

CNN ’s former leader Jeff Zucker seemed to relish the opportunity to clash with Trump ’s White House , but employees who spoke with The Post don’t think Thompson will take the same approach. Still, Harwood said, “ CNN is comprised of very good, well-motivated people, and I have a lot of respect for my colleagues there. I think they’ll do just fine.”.