CNN’s Sanjay Gupta ‘Weed 2’ Documentary Scores in Key Ratings Demo

Jeff Zucker’s emphasis on documentaries pays off

CNN’s documentary “WEED 2: Cannabis Madness: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports” scored in the key news demographic, boasting 354,000 viewers 25-54 and easily besting MSNBC.

In the 10 p.m. hour, the doc couldn’t top Fox, which had 370,000 viewers in the demo for “Hannity.” And it was down from the 477,000 viewers in the 25-54 group who watched the first “WEED” documentary. But it was still a big boost for CNN, which has averaged 121,000 in the demo for that time slot over the past four weeks.

Also read‘Daily Show’: John Oliver Praises ‘Cannabis News Network’ on Sanjay Gupta’s Pot Switch

As usual, Fox dominated in total viewers, with 1.76 million viewers for the time slot, compared to CNN’s 757,000.

CNN has been experimenting with different shows for 10 p.m. On Mondays, the network is trying out a show with Don Lemon at 10 p.m. and a legal show with Sunny Hostin at 10:30.

Also readCNN’s Sanjay Gupta Talks ‘Weed’ Sequel: ‘It Seems Politics Trumps Science’ On Marijuana

The documentary’s success also validated CNN chief Jeff Zucker‘s emphasis on docuseries and documentaries. CNN’s “Blackfish” has drawn widespread attention, as have the recent shows “Chicagoland” and “Death Row Stories.”

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