Staff Reports
MSNBC’s ratings have plummeted dramatically in 2025, signaling a steep decline that many see as a clear indication of the network’s impending irrelevance. Recent data shows a 38% drop in total day viewership since the 2024 election, with primetime numbers falling by nearly 50%. In stark contrast, Fox News has enjoyed a surge of over 40% in total day viewers and a 34% boost in primetime audience, underscoring MSNBC’s steep fall from grace. This sharp decline in viewers reflects a broader dissatisfaction with MSNBC’s increasingly repetitive and predictable programming, which critics argue has become little more than a platform for uncritical promotion of left-wing narratives and identity politics.
This downward trend has culminated in MSNBC’s decision to rebrand itself as MS NOW, with the hope that a new identity might reverse the decline. However, early indications suggest skepticism among audiences and media analysts alike. The network’s flagship show, Morning Joe, which once held sway with insightful commentary, now appears to many as little more than a mouthpiece for liberal talking points sourced from prominent leftist publications. This shift away from substantive journalism towards ideological echo chambers has alienated many viewers looking for balanced and rigorous political analysis.
Moreover, MSNBC’s attempts to frame electoral setbacks—such as those of Democratic candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger—as products of misogyny and sexism have been met with widespread ridicule. In reality, Spanberger lost her primary due to weak messaging and alignment with extreme partisan elements, not her gender. Meanwhile, facing opponents like Winsome Earle-Sears, a Black woman, further undercuts the network’s simplistic identity-based explanations for political outcomes. This reliance on identity politics as a catch-all excuse exemplifies the network’s disconnect from the voters’ real concerns and priorities.
The lessons from MSNBC’s decline are clear: audiences crave genuine substance over recycled victimhood narratives and identity politics. The network’s failure to adapt signals a broader warning to left-leaning media outlets about the perils of straying too far from factual, nuanced reporting in favor of partisan grandstanding. As MS NOW launches, it remains to be seen whether the network can regain credibility or if it will continue its descent into obscurity.
Ultimately, MSNBC’s collapse serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of prioritizing political expediency over honest journalism. The American public’s priorities have shifted toward authenticity and accountability—qualities that MSNBC seems to have traded for ideology-driven spectacle. The fading influence of MSNBC underlines the broader cultural reckoning facing media institutions that fail to evolve with their audiences.
