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When Fox News introduced in January that in-house personalities would check out for a brand new 7 pm opinion present recognized now as Fox News Primetime, Jesse Watters was one of many few names I listed as a logical candidate. And simply final week, Watters hosted this system for the primary time.
Between June 28 and July 2, Watters averaged 1.78 million as host of FNP (the present averaged 1.56 million general within the second quarter of 2021). Not solely did Watters draw increased common viewership, however with him as host, FNP topped its lead-in, Special Report, all 5 days within the coveted 25-54 demographic.
TV scores will not be often reduce and dry. That is especially true of a present with quite a few rotating hosts. However, after only one week, viewers made it clear they’d watch a every day 7 pm present with Jesse Watters.
Watters made sense from the beginning for the identical causes he succeeded final week. In the checklist of traits that make cable information hosts pop, Watters checks almost each field. Watters is a proficient, assured, and sometimes aggravating (he’d in all probability admit it) broadcaster.
Fox News viewers additionally know who Jesse Watters is, and recognition is an underrated and invaluable think about viewership.
Though it’s a tough idea for me and others within the media trade to know, the typical viewer is solely not immersed in community programming. The common viewer is aware of the highest stars — Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, Jake Tapper, and Chris Cuomo — and the hosts of their most incessantly seen reveals. And like Brian Kilmeade, Watters was already acquainted to the viewers as quickly as he opened the present. They didn’t really feel like they needed to get to know somebody new. They already knew him.
Watters first made a reputation for himself along with his common appearances on The O’Reilly Factor. Bill O’Reilly as soon as dominated the cable information house simply as Tucker Carlson does now. The Factor launched Watters to tens of millions of every day TV viewers.
Since then, Watters has moved to The Five, on which he’s considered one of three every day co-hosts. The Five is without doubt one of the three or 4 most-viewed reveals in cable information. That’s lots of every day eyeballs.
Does that make Watters the most effective candidate for FNP? Maybe. He’s proper up there on my checklist with a couple of others. But as all the time, there’s extra to the dialogue than simply viewers recognition.
Fox News now has to determine whether or not Watters has a stronger case to take the job than Brian Kilmeade, whose case has been stable from the beginning. The community may additionally determine {that a} character who garnered decrease scores throughout his or her tryout weeks may turn into a star if named and promoted because the everlasting host. That’s an inexpensive assumption to make.
Another urgent matter for Fox News is what to do with The Five if Watters strikes to 7 pm. Last week, Watters hosted each the 7 pm present and The Five on 4 of the 5 days. Will Cain stuffed in for Watters the sooner or later he missed.
Watters may, in principle, host each reveals 5 days per week. His co-hosts, Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino, each host The Five and one other every day present. Yet Gutfeld’s present airs six hours after The Five at 11 pm ET (although it’s taped earlier), and Perino co-hosts America Newsroom at 9 am. Should Watters transfer to 7 pm, he has an opportunity to make the 7 pm program one of many community’s main reveals, and having him out there simply two hours earlier than, internet hosting from 5 to six then 7 to eight, may restrict the novelty and pleasure related along with his 7 pm look.
Moving Watters may be a very good alternative for Fox News. The Five helped construct Watters right into a TV draw. If Watters had been to maneuver on from The Five, Fox then has a possibility to construct one other star in his place. With Donald Trump out of the White House and the emergence of impartial podcasts and digital reveals, all TV networks have to construct extra stars.
Pete Hegseth and Will Cain could be the most effective candidates to switch Watters on The Five. Hegseth and Cain have each stuffed in for Watters over the previous 12 months. On Friday, The Five, which Cain co-hosted, was the second most-watched present in cable information.
The different query to think about is does Watters even need to transfer? He has a very good gig with The Five now, and he hosts a weekly Saturday present at 8 pm that charges effectively.
Answers could be good, however questions are higher. I’ve lots of questions on this example, and Jesse Watters’ case final week simply added much more.
Follow Bobby Burack on Twitter.
Question for OutKick readers: Who do you need to get the 7 pm present on Fox News? Comment under.
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