New ‘New Day’ anchor team doesn’t seem to have helped the ratings — show is down 37% of same quarter last year

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CNN’s latest iteration of its morning show “New Day” doesn’t see to be showing “new” results in the ratings.

The show, which debuted a new co-anchor, graphics and music updates and adjustments to its format April 19, 2021, recorded its worst week in the year in total viewers the final week of the month, according to Nielsen data.

Those ratings were down 5% over the week Brianna Keilar debuted as co-anchor, replacing Alisyn Camerota beside John Berman.

Many new shows or shows with new anchors receive an uptick in viewers during their first few days or weeks on the air as viewers tune in to see what’s what, but ratings typically stabilize at lower numbers as the show settles in.

These new numbers mean “New Day” is averaging around half a million viewers, compared to Fox’s ring wing morning show at 1.2 million.

It’s down 37% when compared to the first quarter of 2020. Most news ratings say big increases as the first quarter of 2020 progressed as the coronavirus pandemic heated up.

“New Day,” which has been the brainchild of former NBC exec Jeff Zucker, who now heads CNN Worldwide. It was one of his first priorities when taking the job in 2013 and it’s likely Time Warner (the owners of CNN at the time) were hedging on his success as EP of “Today” to work the same magic on the network’s stalled morning shows that had already been through several iterations in the years leading up to Zucker’s arrival.

“New Day” debuted June 2013 with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira. Bolduan was gone by 2014, replaced with Camerota.

Pereira left in 2016 and was not replaced. Cuomo left the show in 2018 for a primetime show on the network, elevating Berman to the anchor desk alongside Camerota. She left earlier in 2021 to anchor two hours in the afternoon.

What iteration the show is on is therefore a bit hard to quantify — though it’s worth noting CNN did tout the 2021 anchor change as not just a talent change, but also a shift in direction, attitude and format of the show.