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Impeachment Gets Worse Ratings Than Soap Operas
The Federalist ^ | January 25, 2020 | Tristan Justice

Posted on 01/26/2020 10:10:19 AM PST by Kaslin

Soap operas are earning more viewers than the steadily over-hyped impeachment trial.

More people would rather watch the predictable, fake melodrama offered by soap operas than the predictable, fake melodrama currently being peddled by the Democrats.

According to Nielsen data, just over four million people across the big three broadcast networks of CBS, ABC, and NBC tuned into the Democrats’ opening arguments in President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday. In contrast, nearly 11 million continued watching soap operas, such as “The Young & The Restless,” “The Bold & The Beautiful,” “General Hospital,” and “Days of Our Lives.”

Impeachment coverage was a ratings disaster for CBS, ABC and NBC this week, who lost millions of viewers by pre-empting their usual daytime soap operas. https://t.co/VXQuev7wNu pic.twitter.com/rvkPk8sYI4

— TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) January 25, 2020

Wednesday’s ratings were a decline from Tuesday’s, where the first day of the trial garnered an average of 5.1 million viewers across the three networks.

Cable news networks added 4.8 million viewers on Wednesday, which marked a decline from Tuesday, where 6 million people watched on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.

Even those living in Washington D.C. have been ignoring the trial. According to an InstaPoll from Fox 5, 63 percent of DCers reported not having watched any of the trial.

This week’s numbers echo the same ratings that the House impeachment hearings earned last fall, when only an estimated 13.8 million people watched the first public impeachment hearing by the House Intelligence Committee across all 10 networks. These values represent a stark difference from the 20 million people who watched Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony during his confirmation hearing in the fall of 2018.

The lack of viewership for the Senate impeachment trial illustrates a public understanding of what a show trial the proceedings have become. In other words, Americans recognize the difference between performative actions full of useless bravado and events where major outcomes may result, such as the Kavanaugh hearings.

Democrats need at least 20 Republican senators to vote in favor of a guilty verdict, an event which is certain not to happen, given public support for impeachment has remained underwater for more than a month, according to Real Clear Politics’ latest aggregate of polls.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: abc; bretkavanaugh; cbs; chatforum; cnn; donaldtrump; fox5; foxnews; impeachment; nbc; notnews; pmsnbc; senate
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1 posted on 01/26/2020 10:10:19 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Given the alternative of listening to Schiff, I could become a great fan of soap operas.


2 posted on 01/26/2020 10:11:32 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: Kaslin

What? nobody wants to see the bug-eyed snake showing his hate for Trump? No one likes weight-watcher ad nadler?
They’d rather watch “who’s your daddy” and gerry springer savages batting each other around.
I’d rather watch a video of grass growing than the impeachment.


3 posted on 01/26/2020 10:13:41 AM PST by I want the USA back (We have sunk to a depth where restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men:Orwell)
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To: Kaslin

That’s because the story the Democrats are pushing is less believable than a soap opera plot. Not to mention the Dem actor are uglier and more boring than soap opera actors...


4 posted on 01/26/2020 10:14:02 AM PST by kosciusko51
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To: Kaslin

It will be interesting to see the viewership numbers for yesterday when the President’s legal team made their initial response.


5 posted on 01/26/2020 10:15:01 AM PST by 2111USMC (Aim Small Miss Small)
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To: Kaslin

Aren’t all the soap operas being pre-empted?


6 posted on 01/26/2020 10:16:01 AM PST by nuconvert ( Warning: Accused of being a radical militarist. Approach with caution.)
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To: Kaslin

Well, hey, if reruns of Marcus Welby were on, they’d probably be a more worthwhile and entertaining alternative.


7 posted on 01/26/2020 10:16:40 AM PST by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966)
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To: Kaslin

I think one of the hidden effects of the Coronavirus is that it gave people something else to look at.

Not to make light of an epidemic.


8 posted on 01/26/2020 10:16:47 AM PST by Fai Mao (There is no rule of law in the US until The PIAPS is executed.)
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To: Kaslin
They cut into the most recent episode of Jeopardy just before the Final Jeopardy question. 😠
9 posted on 01/26/2020 10:16:49 AM PST by Sans-Culotte (With every passing day, I am a little bit gladder that Romney lost in 2012.)
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To: nuconvert

The only comment about impeachment from a co-worker is that her soap opera is pre-empted.


10 posted on 01/26/2020 10:18:55 AM PST by joshua c
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To: Kaslin

most of the American public didn’t want to be lied to anymore by the House fake “impeachment” managers

Hoping the Senate shuts this farce down right away...

(then there will be plenty of time for the Senators .....such as Sen. Graham who has already announced an investigation of the Biden family scandal...and PDJT to expose the true facts


11 posted on 01/26/2020 10:20:02 AM PST by faithhopecharity ( “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: Kaslin

Dem Impeachment Farce...As The Stomach Turns


12 posted on 01/26/2020 10:22:03 AM PST by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: Kaslin

How about Judith Light’s 1979 courtroom scenes in One Life To Live?


13 posted on 01/26/2020 10:23:28 AM PST by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966)
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To: Kaslin

This impeachment fiasco IS a soap opera.


14 posted on 01/26/2020 10:23:31 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: Kaslin

Who wants to listen to dimocrats?


15 posted on 01/26/2020 10:24:41 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Kaslin

Soap opera plots are more believable then this circus..


16 posted on 01/26/2020 10:25:15 AM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: faithhopecharity
Hoping the Senate shuts this farce down right away...

Wanna bet the Marxists come up with another 'impeachment' or similar before the tally is even finished on this one?

17 posted on 01/26/2020 10:25:17 AM PST by Don Corleone (The truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth)
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To: Kaslin

18 posted on 01/26/2020 10:25:24 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: 2111USMC
It will be interesting to see the viewership numbers for yesterday when the President’s legal team made their initial response.

My guess is the numbers won't be very good for yesterday's hearing either. The vast majority of people are busy earning a living, taking care of their kids, and otherwise doing more engaging things. Television viewership is way down even for normal programming, let alone for something most people find boring and largely incomprehensible.

19 posted on 01/26/2020 10:25:49 AM PST by Avalon Memories (Politics is all about quid pro quos. Donate to me! Vote for me! I'll give you "free" stuff)
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To: Kaslin

Having long been associated with television stations, there is no greater wrath from viewers than when their “stories” get preempted. Networks are careful to explain that no episodes will be unaired.


20 posted on 01/26/2020 10:26:08 AM PST by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
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