Hurricane Sandy has left many still without power and a huge clean-up effort to be mounted in her wake. Meanwhile, The Weather Channel has already cleaned up – in the ratings. The news channel dedicated to all things weather-related posted overall numbers throughout the day during the hurricane higher than any other news network, including CNN and Fox News.
As the hurricane bore down on the northeastern coast of the United States, people across the country sat glued to their televisions watching the scene unfold and hoping friends and family would make it through unscathed. A hurricane making landfall with the force of Sandy means a big day for The Weather Channel. In fact, this one ranks third for viewership among all of the major storms of the past couple of decades. The two with higher ratings are Hurricane Irene in 2011 and of course the unforgettable events surrounding Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Deadline says The Weather Channel averaged 2.03 million viewers throughout the day on Monday as Sandy wreaked havoc on the Jersey shore and surrounding areas. Fox News Channel averaged 1.98 million across the entire day. The primetime average viewership hit 3.13 million for The Weather Channel, and peaked at a total of 1.44 million viewers during the 10 pm hour, outperforming Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN and The Fox Report With Sam Shepard on Fox News.
While the hurricane may have been a boon for The Weather Channel, it was very much the opposite for those in its path. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the storm.
