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George Zimmerman verdict delivers huge ratings for cable news

LAPD officers stand outside the CNN building, where as many as 200 people gathered Sunday to protest the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman.
LAPD officers stand outside the CNN building, where as many as 200 people gathered Sunday to protest the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By Scott Collins
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The George Zimmerman trial was a friend to cable TV news until the end, with big ratings for Saturday night’s verdict.

More than 10 million total viewers watched the culmination of the month-long trial live on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC on Saturday, according to Nielsen. A jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. The case had attracted national attention and sparked racial tensions.

Fox led the way, with 3.7 million during the 10 to 11 p.m. hour, when the not-guilty verdict was delivered. CNN followed with 3.4 million and MSNBC was a distant third (1.3 million).

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Those are huge numbers for a Saturday night -- and in fact, the total exceeded the combined audience of ABC, CBS and NBC, which was 9 million.

Did you watch the verdict live?

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Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT

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Scott Collins

Scott Collins is a former staff reporter for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. He joined the staff in 2004 after previous stints at the Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. Author of the book “Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN,” he is a frequent pop-culture expert on national TV, radio shows and industry panels. He left The Times in 2016.

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