There's a new prime time in TV news, and it's happening in the afternoons. As 24-hour cable networks have fixated on the cult of prime time, now, instead of flipping on CNN at 8 p.m. for the latest on the presidency or the pandemic, viewers are dipping in before dinner and then drifting away.

This shift in audience viewing habits is challenging cable networks and traditional assumptions, leading to experimentation with documentaries and other nonfiction programming that may draw bigger audiences. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime are also challenging cable news as viewers turn to them for their entertainment.

These shifts in audience behaviour have resulted in a drop in overall viewership in cable news. However, Fox News has seen only a small decline of 2% in their prime-time viewership. This change in audience behaviour is leading to prime-time hosts no longer needing to be the omnipresent cultural figures they once were, and salaries can be adjusted accordingly.

Producers can experiment with new formats, and it's no longer necessary to reserve evenings for reviewing the day's news.

The afternoon shows are growing in popularity, as seen with Ari Melber's legal affairs program on MSNBC, which took top honors, outranking everything else on the network.

Overall, these changes indicate that the appetite for current events in the evenings has waned, and cable networks need to adapt to stay relevant.