Ailing CNN enjoys huge rating boom thanks to abduction of Today star Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy
Struggling CNN is enjoying a surge in viewership because of its in-depth coverage of the Nancy Guthrie abduction. The network raked in more than 1million sets of eyes at multiple points this week - way up from a usual average of 553,000 in primetime and 433,000 during the day.Coverage of the abduction has been a constant both day and night, as police continue to search for Today star Savannah Guthrie's elderly mother. Nancy, 84, was kidnapped in the early hours of Febuary 1. Stars like Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett, and Kaitlan Collins have spearheaded the coverage, with Tapper reporting live from Nancy's home in Tucson, Arizona.Burnett and Harvey Levin, the founder of TMZ, have also appeared on-screen to discuss the case. TMZ received a series of emails over the course of the case from people either claiming to be the kidnapper or know who is responsible.The initial note had demanded millions in Bitcoin for the senior's safe return - a prospect that has Americans invested.FBI investigators this week released doorbell images showing 'an armed individual' outside Nancy's front door the morning of her disappearance - a development stars like Collins and Anderson Cooper have relentlessly covered. Stars like Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett, and Kaitlan Collins have spearheaded CNN's coverage of the ongoing Nancy Guthrie case, achieving a spike in viewers Nancy, 84, has been missing since January 31, after being taken from her home in Tucson, Arizon. She is the mother of Today star Savannah Guthrie, seen with here mom in 2021 The spike in cable-watchers comes at an opportune time, as CNN continues to hemorrhage viewersThe channel - which launched in 1980 - has shed nearly two-thirds of its primetime viewers over the past decade and almost half of its viewers during daytime, according to Nielsen. The drops have fueled rumors of a possible network sale. Warner Bros, Discovery, the network's up-for-sale parent company, has denied whispers of a sale. Ratings for NBC's 'Today' show, meanwhile, have also jumped, as its anchors silently grapple with the crisis.Fox News, meanwhile, continues to score high - reeling in nearly 3.5 million in primetime this past week.As for CNN, the network's website still attracts 120 million monthly users.The storied news network faces an uncertain future amid plans to sell Warner Bros, Discovery to Netflix.Bosses at the streaming giant have no desire to buy CNN or any other cable channels, meaning they'll be cast off into a separate company if the deal goes through. Paramount - the owner of CBS - has placed a bid as well. The company ramped up a hostile takeover bid for Warner this week in hopes of preventing the Netflix transaction.As for the Guthrie case, it continues to transfix the US. On-air talents like Anderson Cooper have reported on developments in the disturbing case Tapper was on the ground in Arizona this week to report on the unfolding case. Cops have yet to identify any suspectsOn Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff's Department detained a man for questioning in connection with Nancy's disappearance several miles directly south of Tucson, near the border. The man was released on Wednesday after several hours of being interviewed. He was not deemed a suspect. The search for Nancy entered day 13 on Friday. Officials said they have not identified any suspects.
