Iowa Caucuses: Networks Face Fierce Competition For Attention In Coverage Of First 2024 Vote

Networks are heavily promoting their night of Iowa caucus coverage, with reporters fanned out across the state and, throughout the day on Monday, anchors doing their best to stir up excitement in the waiting game before voting actually begins.

But as large as the investment is for broadcast and cable networks, the coverage is facing heavy competition on the night of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Fox has the Emmys, and ABC has what is likely to draw the biggest audience, the NFL playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Broadcast networks are sticking to their regular schedules with the possibility of news updates, leaving the ongoing coverage to their streaming and cable channels.

Four years ago, about 8.5 million watched Iowa caucus coverage across the three major cable news networks, but it was for a Democratic primary with a tight race for first place. In 2016, some 10.2 million watched across the three networks, but that was a close race for candidates in both parties.

This time around, expectations are that former President Donald Trump will win handily, setting up a competitive battle for second place between former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“Iowa is the beginning of the road. The question is, whether, by the end of this evening, it will be the end of the road for some candidates,” CNN’s Jeff Zeleny said from Des Moines. “There is no doubt that the Trump organization has been preparing for this evening for months and months.”

Zeleny and other reporters also raised questions of just how wide of a margin of victory Trump will get out of the evening, something that will be chewed over extensively as the results come in.

Numbers wise, the impact of Iowa is small — voters will select 40 delegates out of 2,429 total. And while Iowa is influential in driving media exposure and momentum going into New Hampshire, it is not the be all and end all.

On Fox News, analyst Brit Hume reminded viewers, “Iowa for some time has not been a predictor of the Republican nomination contest. It could be a source of momentum, but momentum has often fizzled after Iowa. It’s worth keeping that in mind.”

The weather has been an ongoing theme throughout the day, as reporters highlight the tundra-like atmosphere and its potential impact on turnout. Unlike a primary, voters in caucuses have to show up at a designated time — 7 p.m. CT.

Trump provided a much viewers soundbite on Sunday, when he told his supporters, “You can’t sit home. If you’re sick as a dog … even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”