Al Jazeera America's Most-Watched Show Last Week Drew Only 54K Viewers

The most-watched program on Al Jazeera America (AJAM) during its first week of operation only drew 54,000 viewers.

The Wrap reports that some of the programs last week even had Nielsen numbers that were “too low to accurately report.”

According to AJAM, “its highest-rated show was Thursday’s episode of ‘Real Money with Ali Velshi,'” with 54,000 viewers, which, as the The Wrap notes, “is significantly lower than its cable news competitors.” AJAM, though, “is only available in fewer than half of the homes of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.” 

AJAM’s audience is supposedly “better-educated and wealthier than its competitors, with 40 percent having at least four years of college and a median income of $68,100.” The network said it was “pleased” with its first week. They said “it was especially gratifying to see the very large number of people–particularly in New York–who used the channel-finder feature on our website. This is the best indication that, as we fully anticipated, demand for Al Jazeera America is strong and our audience will continue to grow steadily in the weeks and months ahead.”

The channel’s ratings during the first week, though, have actually been on par with Current TV’s ratings, according to The Wrap. Current, which AJAM bought and took over, reportedly averaged 42,000 viewers on an average night in 2012, and it was available in about 60 million homes.”