CNBC ratings down in key demographic

Michael Learmonth of Silicon Alley Insider writes Monday afternoon that while CNBC‘s total viewership rose in January, its viewers in the key 25-54 demographic actually fell.

Learmonth wrote, “But CNBC’s advertisers only care about the 25-54 demographic, and in that demo CNBC was down double-digits across the board, which hits the network’s bottom line.

“The theory that market turmoil brings viewers has a flipside: depressed investors turn off the coverage when things get bad. Another theory: Political coverage could be siphoning off CNBC’s adult viewers. We’ll look at FNC, CNN and MSNBC numbers for January to see if that could be the case.

“In the meantime, CNBC Jan. 2008 vs Jan. 2007 ratings in 25-54, according to Nielsen:

Squawk On The Street -19%
The Call -23%
Power Lunch -40%
Street Signs -34%
Closing Bell -29%
Fast Money -31%
Mad Money -32%”

Read more here.