Note that Olbermann won in the 25-54 demo on 10/21. If I am not mistaken, that’s the second time he’s beaten O’Reilly in the demo in the year or so that we’ve been tracking this race. If commenters know about any extraordinary circumstances for either show on that day, please let us know. However, the long term trends for both shows in the chart below don’t show any convergence in their long term lines. I know I promised some shorter term interpolations in that chart, but it’s late, I’ll get to it next week. 
Long Term Trend of O’Reilly vs. Olbermann TV Ratings:
For complete information on all cable news ratings check our daily cable news ratings posts.
Nielsen Cable Network Coverage Estimates (as of March, 2008)
CNN/HLN: 96.93 million HHs
CNBC: 95.13 million HHs
FNC: 94.55 million HHs
MSNBC: 91.59 million HHs
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
OK, English please. I just saw Olbermann tomight (10/24) get on TV and declare that he’s been kicking O’Reilly’s ass for some time now. Did he lie, or what?
Olbermann did lied. O’Reilly is been on top for a long time, way better show!
“If commenters know about any extraordinary circumstances for either show on that day, please let us know. ” – Bill Gorman
Well the question more pertinant is how did Papa Bear Bill O’Reilly recovered from the smackdown the next day. Simply cuz Caribou Barbie appeared on Hannity and O’Reilly riding on Hannity’s coattails saw his ratings jump up. I bet Countdown will start beating O’Reilly daily now onwards unless ofcourse Caribou Barbie or McInsane shows up on Hannity or O’Reilly. For pure comic value I watch Faux Noise those days.
Also save those fake charts. You should only 5 year charts of Countdown and Factor and show how Olbermann is up 670% while Bill O the Clown is down 50%. Also show how Olbermann is up 3000% in the key 25-54 demo in that period while O’Reilly is down 50%. At this rate Olbermann will be at 15 Million Views by next election and almost 7.5 million in the 25-54 demo while at the progressive rate of decline Billo the clown would have 50 viewers and 5 viewers in the 25-54 demo …. guess 6 if you include Gorman.
Olbermann tends to frame the ratings in a light that prove most favorable to him. In the real world, its called lying. In television or politics, its called framing. When both combine, its called selective use of facts. Both spend their entire show doing that, but we catch the number lies because, well, we follow numbers here
I’ve seen Olbermann do this. Basically, He knocks out the age group he once defined and derided as “65 to dead” and then breaks down into the demo’s (Nielson breaks it down much more than the 2 simple ranges we put up). He breaks them down, shrinks them down and makes the range younger and younger until he is ‘beating’ Bill.
I would like to add that I believe Olbermann has had to do less digging into the ranges to get a ‘win’ but in terms of overall numbers, he loses. Consistently.
And before people start screaming that i’m a hyper conservative defending O’Reilly, nothing could be further from the truth. I actually skew liberal. But I’m fact-based. Those are the facts.
Chris, I don’t watch either FNC or MSNBC, so I have no idea what either says on air about their ratings. The age data can be sliced in just about any fashion and I have no doubt that there are many demo slices under 50 where KO probably leads.
The only thing that’s really important to either network is advertising revenue. The major ad sales demographic for cable news is the 25-54 demo and I’d be very surprised if O’Reilly Factor didn’t bring in more revenue than Countdown. But it’s also fair to guess that the gap in ad revenue between the two shows is *much* narrower than the gap in total viewers.
Drew: That is a lie. Olbermann never said he was beating O’Reilly for “some time now”… he said he has been beating him lately, which are the 2 tuesday’s that he beat oreilly in the demo.
I saw Olbermann beating up on O’Reilly last night, I also watched the rerun of when O’Reilly claimed that Nielsen skewed liberal – Hilarious stuff, I’m sure.
Look, a lot more liberals and independents are outsourcing news networks ’cause of election season. Ergo, more people are watching for news programmes that address their interests, that is why more persons are tuning into MSNBC, cause they vere liberal. After Palin, don’t know how Hannity will do without.
I’d like to see O’Reilly petition Nielsen and see what kind of stance he gets in return, like the CW, I doubt they’ll give in to his bullying.
After election season, I’ll be curious to see how both shows maintain the extra audience.
If Obama wins the presidency, I can not see how Olbermann’s show can go on since his entire show is a 60 minute campaign ad for Obama….He’ll have no one to attack. As for Ratings, MSNBC will not get major advertising deals untill Olbermann’s ratings in that demo become more consistant.
When Obama wins the presidency……
you are correct rich. if obama wins… olbermann’s show is going off the air the next day. very wise assessment on your part.
robert… olbermann… which i used to watch but watch only check out periodically now… (too much politics are out there) was very specific on which demo he beat o’reilly. and he does it only because he knows it annoys o’reilly a lot. he does it to get a rise out of him like mentioning the woman producer o’reilly tried to attack a few years ago. so he’s not sitting there pontificating about his one day win in the 18-54 year old women… or whatever… he’s poking a stick at an over inflated blowhard by being one himself. it’s kind of funny.
To even attempt to defend Fox news as “fair” in any way, shape or form is an exercise in self delusion. the only difference between FNC and the RNC is one f@cking letter. If MSNBC didn’t serve as a counter-point to Fox News then that would enable those cretins to continue to boast that all main stream media is biased. it doesn’t feel so good when a liberal becomes as enraged and indignant as the repugnant wind bags at Fox News. and another thing that stupid American Carol movie was a lame attempt at trying to prove conservatives can be funny facists. I guess they couldn’t stand the fact that people laugh at the conservatives while we watch Olbermann. all O’Reilly has is rage and name calling. not quite as entertaining
WHEN Obama wins the presidency!!! Its hard for you guys to type that word isnt it
Nobody will stop me from watching the hot babes on Fox News.
Rachel Maddow doesn’t hold a candle to Rebecca Gomez on Fox Business.
Sorry dudes! Rachel is NOT sexy.
The difference between Rachel Maddow and the ‘hot babe airheads’ on Fox is a ‘Rhodes Scholar’!
The hot babes are smart & beautiful.
Good try Fabgugarrie!!!
Check out their education before you type drunk.
I just cant wait to see the ratings for the “Obama Special” this week, since he bought out a half hour on all the networks. Should be interesting!
Why can’t you just be a smart female on TV Mr.? Why do they have to do both? CNBC’s reporters don’t dress like whores and they get huge ratings compared to their (new, digital cable) competition.
Plus, American society assumes that you have one or the other. I’m not taking away the intelligence of some of the anchors on Fox, but they should know and I’ll bet do know that they are not viewed as top rate minds in the news. For my news, I would rather see a smart, respectably dressed female like Burnett (CNBC), Bartiromo (CNBC), Maddow (MSNBC), Brown (CNN) or MacDonald (Fox Business). I trust them because I don’t think, and they don’t create the image, that they are only paid to read a teleprompter, laugh and show cleavage.
Olbermann’s show will continue, after the election, just as Sean Hannity’s show will continue. If you think MSNBC is the only network ‘in the tank’ for a candidate, you are in denial, my friend. I switch back and forth to both networks but … I mostly tune in to CNN (Anderson Cooper). CNN has the best political panel on TV. Half Liberal, Half Conservative. It’s the ONLY fair and balanced network on TV, these days.
Get your hands out of your pants Manly Man and tell me what the Fox babes qualification are?
I love that Rebecca Gomez on Fox Business News.
Smart and beautiful.
Rachel Maddow does NOT turn me on. Sorry Fabgugarrie.
Hot women make the world go round.
O’Reilly attacks NBC almost nightly and bashes their ratings to prop up his own ego. I guess its up to each persons priorities on demographics to decide whether or not you consider 25 – 54 or all viewers as more important. I watch Olbermann and then switch to OReilly on the commercials to compare there coverage. Olberman is careful to point out the specific dates and the demographics in which he beats Oreilly. Not so for OReilly. He makes general comments such as NBC is in “dire trouble” or “MSNBC came in last as usual.” Neither of which is accurate since Olberman is competitive and occasionally the winner in the demographic important to advertisers (not what I’d call dire as far as revenues go) and not always last. As far as Rachel Maddow goes she is wicked smart, funny and the new face of news so get used to it.
MSNBC & NBC have both lost money and they are laying thousands of people off.
Check your facts Pat.
Swot, while I can’t speak to MSNBC specifically (and suspect you can’t really either!), but NBC Universal — which encompasses the broadcast network, MSNBC, USA as well as other operations — was a bright spot for GE in its latest earnings reports.
Im sure Manny Man that a woman with brains doesnt turn you on so enjoy your Fox
Seidman you are correct. Infact on careful perusal of 10Q you’ll see MSNBC has revenues up 380%, USA Networks is up 90%.
Guess SWOT is relying on O’Reilly’s talking points. LOL
I for one can’t wait until President Obama puts the hammer down on Fox News.
I’m hoping he don’t allow any of his cabinet or associates to give interviews to Fox. He needs to stop them from telling lies about how he is chaning this country for the better.
Obama must stand tough and we need to be worried about the election in two years so he can accomplish everything he says without the help of FOX Noise.
Keith O. and Rachel Maddow both deserve primetime TV shows. NBC is very wish and I suspect they are thinking about this.
Ban Fox for lies and treason.
Pink, Maddow and Olbermann *have* prime time TV shows, did you not notice?
Or are you really a comment spam bot, as I have long suspected
I think Pink meant Prime Time Network News shows for Keith and Rachel.
I agree with with PINK. NBC should run Keith and Rachel for a 3 to 5 hr Obama praising news show every evening.
Bill Gorman will you go into some detail and explain this for me? I always thought there was something strange about this Pink Bear’s comments also. But what exactly is a comment spam bot?
“Pink, Maddow and Olbermann *have* prime time TV shows, did you not notice?
Or are you really a comment spam bot, as I have long suspected.”
So Pink Bear is a proponent of soviet style information flow. Well, you may just get that with your leader.
Personally, I find Bill O’s fence sitting to be a negative but Olberman is untalented and condescending to his audience.
cattleman, We do get a terrific amount of spam comments from automated programs (spam bots) looking to advertise all manner of junk, or just populate links to their sites for search engines to crawl. The same kinds of things everyone gets in their spam folders in their email. Our spam catcher is very good though, and almost none of it gets through.
As for Pink Bear being a spam bot, I was just kidding
C’mon, OF COURSE Pink Bear is a spam bot. It just isn’t smart enough to be automated, so it goes the manual route.
Pink Bear is the smartest poster on this entire website. I so agree with everything he says. If Pink Bear was running to be President I would vote for him.
That said I agree with Pink Bear that Fox noise should be banned and taken down from treason, I however believe President Obama should go one step further and that O’Reilly and Hannity should also be jailed for treason.
All of these Anti-FNC people need to relax. If you are so worried about FNC needing to be taken off the air, you’re wasting your time. Worry about people deciding for themselves who they want to support, not any one person’s agenda.
It’s pretty clear, being an educated individual, who get’s it and who is scared.
No::no, Pink Bear lets leave Fox on!! We need that chuckle factor when we flip to Oreilly when KO goes to commercial! I love it when Oreilly does segments like the one a couple days ago on Anna Nicole Smith! My god, the womans been dead two years!!! Leave her in peace!
i think olberman is a great guy who is often misunderstood, rachel maddow is also quite intelligent and well informed,any of you guys out there think you could do a better job in this high stress environment? don’t all raise your hands at once!!!!!
I refute the claim that MSNBC is mindlessly pro-Obama as some posters have suggested especially if they are suggesting some equivalency with Fox News’s treatment of the GOP and Bush in particular. Fox News LITERALLY gets there talking points from the Bush White House. MSNBC is simply telling the truth without bothering to pull the “both sides of the story” garbage that has this countries news media in such an ethical bind. I would for example call your attention to Olbermanns critical Special Comment regarding Obama when he voted for the last FISA bill which eviscerated the 4th amendment. Like it or not Obama has not put himself in a position where he can be criticized in the way that McCain and Bush have. Republicans are on the wrong side of all of the issues and the majority of Americans are on the right side along with Obama, Olberman and Maddow.
Thats IF Obama wins, it ain’t over till its over!!!! Besides O’reilly is fair and balanced, and old Keithy boy should have stuck to sportscenter.
Hey Pat, How are republicans on the wrong side of all issues, you are drinking too much of the old liberal kool aid. If you made that statement to a jackass, it would kick your head off.
O’Reilly is fair and balanced? OMG, that doesn’t really deserve a response but here’s a blog entry that even a grade schooler could understand:
On the Thursday 10-16-08 O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly read
an e-mail from Bob in California, here is the transcript of that e-mail:
“Mr. O’Reilly, I perceive you as an honest man but I disagree when you say you are fair and balanced. Putting Rove and Morris on is not both sides.”
Bob Wilson, San Jose CA
O’Reilly had a very interesting and untrue answer for Bob, look at what
he said, here is the transcript:
O’REILLY: Did Geraldine Ferraro not appear on your tv set, Bob? C’mon. On Tuesday I had three Democrats and just one Republican in the first two blocks. I make sure, personally make sure, that throughout the week we have equal representation of conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican. OK, I mean, if you have been watching the show I’ve been doing this now into our thirteenth year, and we have voices, and they’re equal.
That is the biggest load of lying dishonest right-wing garbage I have ever heard O’Reilly say in my life. I document his guest list, every night, and every week, then I write about it in my blog, and in the O’Reilly Sucks Forums.
To show you O’Reilly is lying I will list every guest he had this week, from Monday to Friday, look at it, and decide if his Republican to Democrat guest list is balanced.
Monday – 10-13-08:
Juan Williams(D), Mary K. Ham, Stuart Varney, Dagen McDowell, John Kasich, and Bernie Goldberg.
(5 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
Tuesday – 10-14-08:
Andrea Tantaros, Julie Menin(D), Bob Beckel(D), Lanny Davis(D), Amanda Carpenter, Megyn Kelly, Lis Wiehl, Steve Doocy, and Gretchen Carlson.
(6 Republicans, 3 Democrats)
Wednesday – 10-15-08:
Karl Rove, Dick Morris, Geraldine Ferraro(D), Liz Clayman, Dagen McDowell, Dennis Miller, and Brit Hume.
(6 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
Thursday – 10-16-08:
Laura Ingraham, Frank Luntz, Megyn Kelly, John Stossel, and Dick Morris.
(5 Republicans, 0 Democrats)
Friday – 10-17-08:
Laura Ingraham, Mike Huckabee, Marc Lamont Hill(D), Scott Rasmussen, Frank Newport, Jonathan Hoenig, Patricia Powell, John Flannery(D), Kerry Kennedy(D), Christopher Hitchens.
(7 Republicans, 3 Democrats)
Weekly Total: 29 Republicans – 8 Democrats
Here is the Factor guest list from last week, 10-6-08 to 10-10-08:
Monday – 10-6-08:
Mary K. Ham, Juan Williams(D), Bill Sammon, Matthew Vadum, Jerry Brown(D).
(3 Republicans, 2 Democrats)
Tuesday – 10-7-08:
Karl Rove(2 Segments), Megyn Kelly, Lis Wiehl, Carl Cameron, Dick Morris, Major Garrett.
(6 Republicans, 0 Democrats)
Wednesday – 10-8-08:
Dick Morris, Howard Wolfson (D), Frank Luntz, Ralph Nader(I), Dennis Miller, Amanda Carpenter.
(4 Republicans, 1 Democrat, 1 Independent)
Thursday – 10-9-08:
Dagen McDowell, Terry Keenan, Laura Ingraham, Marc Lamont Hill(D), Monica Crowley, Margaret Hoover.
(5 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
Thursday – 10-10-08:
Newt Gingrich, Ben Stein, Elizabeth McDonald, Frank Luntz, Geraldo Rivera(D), Dennis Miller.
(5 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
Weekly Total: 22 Republicans – 5 Democrats – 1 Independent
Bill O’Reilly claims 29 Republicans to 8 Democrats this week is balanced, and he says 22 Republicans to 5 Democrats, and 1 Independent last week, is a balanced show, in my world 29 to 8 is not balanced, and 22 to 6 is not balanced, it’s not even close. If it was just 15 to 13, or 16 to 12, he might be able to claim somewhat of a balance, but 29 to 8 and 22 to 6 is totally out of balance.
Let alone claim he has an equal number of Republican and Democrat guests on every week, an equal number would be 14 to 14, or maybe 15 to 13. When it’s 29 to 8 one week and 22 to 6 the week before, it’s unbalanced, and it’s unbalanced by a lot.
Now, as for where Americans stand on the issues, this is from a NYT\CBS Poll:
SHOULD GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL?
Yes 64%
No 27%
Now from a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll:
Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Iraq?
Favor: 32%
Oppose: 66%
Unsure: 1%
Now is there anything else you’re incapable of googling yourself?
Pat, Guarenteed Health insurance, thats socialism. Last time I checked theres no maple leaf on our flag.
By the way, I’m okay with being opposed to the war in Iraq. But, we still need to finish the job. God Bless our troops for the fantastic job they are doing.
When Obama offers guaranteed Health insurance for all …. I bet all the Rethugs will take it like needy beggers.
Pat,
Too bad you’re so busy tallying O’Reilly’s numbers that you don’t have time to tell us how evenly Olberman has “balanced” his guest list. I try and watch him but can’t stand the condescending, left to the edge of the cliff barrage.
As far as Rachel Maddow goes I guess MSNBC is going to become Air America II.
have to respond to “superfavre4″…… so “superfavre4″, was McCain a socialist when he voted against the Bush tax cuts for the RICH$ when he took office? Was Bush and McCain socialists for taking tax money from hard working amercians to buy stock in banks with the 1 trillion bailout and give it to CEOs for their golden parachutes? This is the same republican garbage that’ll put Obama in the white house. Saying Obama is a socialist for reversing Bush tax cuts for the RICH$ is why you are going to lose this election!
Is guaranteed social security socialism? Unless you are one of Bush’s rich buddies, I bet you’ll be banking on social security when you get old!!!!
Obama/Biden ‘08
I didn’t say Olberman was “fair and balanced” and neither does he or his network. The truth apparently has a liberal bias because you’ll find the truth on Olbermans show but NOT on Fox. I’m sure last night you were glued to Fox watching there report on the Stevens (R-AK) Felony indictment. Then again since they didn’t cover it maybe not.
Yeah, government guarantee of programs really works!
We don’t even know if social security can be maintained without breaking our backs in the next couple decades. oh but we’ll get to that, right? The welfare system is still a mess. Yeah, lets add health too and take more of your and my paycheck…genius! And while we are at it, raise the minimum wage to 9.50 so that managers have to ask for a raise to keep pace with the bottom, then the manager’s manager asks for a raise and so on. Another genius ploy. It’s obvious that in order to run for president as a dem, economics is not required in college.
well stelly dont avail any govt provided services then…. Stick to you word, move to a remote island and do everything for yourself … and if you are a true rethug from this moment dont use tap water, contact cops, use roads, depend on soldiers to defend you.
It hasn’t worked under Bush – the person that ran as an ultra-conservative!
Blue Voter are you an idiot? “Unless you are one of Bush’s rich buddies, I bet you’ll be banking on social security when you get old!!!!”
Are you serious??? My “social security” is called 401k and ROTH-IRA. Might want to check into getting one. Obama’s not going to give you either of those.
Like all of the data and polling numbers that we get on MSNBC these figures have been manipulated by Obermann to try to make him look good.
I don’t watch much TV anymore, but isn’t Bill O’Reilly that super judgemental and supposedly deeply religious family guy that had to shell out millions for sexual harassment to his producer Adrea Mackris a couple of years ago?
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html
PapaBeargotPunked…typical of a lib. Take words and twist them to the extreme. Basic services and protection should be the basis of government. Becoming a crutch and a lean for those that are too lazy to work to make a living is not the responsibility of govt. Our tax rate in this country should be no more than 15% if we cut the pork and stupid govt programs (i.e. ACORN which sucks up 25 million taxpayer dollars).
having been in the broadcast biz, what olberman is refering to when he, as a writer said, “frames” is a key demographic that o’reilly touts as being the “key demographic. that is, viewers 25-54 years of age. in o’reilly’s discription, that’s the most important demographic.
all that is needed to know about the ratings performance the past two weeks is o’reilly is crying foul about the ratings. calling it some sort of conspiracy that he is losing that demographic to olberman.
THAT is how important that demographic is. and if little billy is crying, he must be losing.
overall, he still has more viewers. but, at least in my comcast coverage area which includes pittsburgh, you have to subscribe to digital cable to get msnbc and foxnews in available without paying more to get digital. you only need expanded basic cable. in short, you pay extra if you want msnbc. that’s a ratings killer and not an option for many.
Pat:
You’re a twit. Saw your posts on guests on O’Reilly and their politcal persuasion. You listed several libertarians as republicans, but perhaps you don’t know the difference. Name one single conservative that “Countdown” otherwise known as the Democratic Left Channel has had on ANY night. Oh, and do that for Rachel, as well. Oh, couldn’t think of one? MSNBC gets its hinder kicked because it isn’t even close to being balanced. All your liberal bastions of blabbering left talking points (like the NY Times) are going belly up. PRAISE THE LORD. The last one out, please turn off the lights.