Charter Communications’ regional news brand Spectrum News was the most-watched news network among Spectrum TV and Internet customers, the company said on Thursday.
Citing Nielsen data, Spectrum said an average of 1.76 million customers tuned in to watch Spectrum News regional channels and Spectrum News Plus (stylized as Spectrum News+), which became available to stream through the Spectrum News app and on the free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform Xumo Play in 2024.
In areas where Spectrum TV and Internet customers are served by a Spectrum News outlet, the brand had higher viewership on traditional and streaming TV compared to all four major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC), CNN, the Fox News Channel and MSNBC.
Some of Spectrum News’ milestone events included a rare solar eclipse that drew 138 more viewers during 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time block on April 8, with Spectrum News beating out broadcast and cable news networks in New York City, Austin, Orlando and Tampa.
When an earthquake struck the New York City metropolitan area three days before the eclipse, Spectrum News NY1 saw its viewership spike 175 percent thanks to wall-to-wall coverage of the event. Similarly, civil unrest on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) saw Spectrum News outpace all major local broadcast stations and cable networks except KNBC (Channel 4) between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Pacific Time, with 50 percent higher viewership during that period.
Spectrum News was one of several regional and national outlets that agreed to simulcast major presidential debates during the 2024 presidential election cycle, carrying both programs produced by CNN in June and ABC News in September. The June simulcast had higher viewership on Spectrum platforms compared to CBS, Fox, MSNBC and NBC, while the September simulcast saw a 146 increase in viewership to Spectrum News.
The news outlet was also on the front lines of major weather-related events, including Hurricane Helene, which impacted the broadcast area of Spectrum Bay News 9 in Tampa, Florida. Spectrum Bay News 9 saw its viewership increase 148 percent, with twice as many viewers as the local ABC affiliate and Fox station, three times more viewership than the local NBC affiliate and The Weather Channel and four times more viewership than the local CBS affiliate.
When Hurricane Milton threatened the Florida region weeks later, viewers turned to Spectrum Bay News 9 and sister network Spectrum News 13 in Orlando for comprehensive coverage, with viewership across both networks up nearly 200 percent. On digital, the Spectrum News app recorded a 795 percent jump in traffic when the storm struck on October 9, while the websites of Spectrum News Florida saw a 685 percent increase in traffic.
Spectrum’s data comes from set-top boxes and streaming devices in all markets where Spectrum News operates a regional news channel, and is based on a minimum threshold of five consecutive minutes of viewing to one station. Nielsen data is based on live and same-day metrics collected from a handful of designated market areas, or DMAs, including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Cleveland, Orlando, Tampa and Charlotte.
