STAMFORD, Conn. – Americans not only trust local news, they rely on it daily for information relevant to their community,* and in a year of historic national and international events, midterm elections, and extreme weather – all events that impacted local communities across the country – Spectrum News was the most-watched network for reliable, accurate and objective news coverage among Spectrum audiences in 2022. Averaging more than 2.4 million audiences daily, Spectrum News recorded more daily viewing households than ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.**
“We believe in the power of local news that fosters deeper connections, builds strong communities and strengthens democracy,” said Mike Bair, Executive Vice President of Spectrum Networks. “Our news coverage and community-based reporting, led by our local news teams across the country, served as a trusted source for our audiences, providing depth and perspective, and an objective look at the people, issues and policies that have a direct impact on their daily lives.”
Throughout the year, audiences turned to Spectrum News when it mattered the most. In January, a month that saw severe winter weather impact the Northeast and Southern parts of the country, more than 2.9 million daily households turned to Spectrum News for the month – the highest number of cross-platform households reached since February 2021. On Election Day , 2.6 million households turned to Spectrum News – more than watched by any of the major broadcast and cable news networks for live coverage of key Senate, House and gubernatorial races. And in December, as the country was facing a historic winter storm, local audiences relied on Spectrum News to stay informed and safe, recording more than 2.3 million viewing households across all platforms for the month.
And, at a time when more Americans watch local news than national news on a daily basis,* Spectrum News networks in Raleigh (14%), Austin (7%), Cleveland (7%), and Charlotte (3%) recorded year -over-year Nielsen ratings growth, while CNN (-17%) and MSNBC (-12%) recorded double-digit drops in viewership as compared to 2021.***
Spectrum News App Broadens Local News Reach
Spectrum News also continued to broaden its local news reach in 2022. In September, the Spectrum News App expanded to streaming devices, launching on Roku and Apple TV. By the end of the year, the app had reached 125,000 total downloads on Apple TV and Roku, and helped drive a 200% increase in total monthly streaming hours across all digital platforms.
The Spectrum News mobile app also achieved engagement milestones, netting 920,000 new downloads, with users spending 30% more time on the app as compared to 2021. In 2022, Spectrum News audiences averaged over four minutes per visit on the Spectrum News app, significantly more than the time spent on Fox News (2:55), ABC News (2:50), NBC News (2:22), and CNN (2:15) mobile apps.
* “The State of Local News, The 2022 Report,” Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, June 29, 2022
**Spectrum set-top box data is sourced from all markets where Spectrum News has distribution, and is based on a minimum threshold of five consecutive minutes of viewing on one station to count as a HH viewing.
***Nielsen metrics are based on Live+SD, Total Day household impressions in the following DMAs: Austin, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Greensboro, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, Raleigh, San Antonio and Tampa.
About Spectrum Networks
Spectrum Networks is a series of 24/7 news and sports networks owned and operated by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states. Spectrum Networks carry distinct, comprehensive, and exclusive local programming on over 30 networks across Charter’s footprint. More information on Spectrum Networks is available at spectrumlocalnews.com.
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Stacey Mitch
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