(Bloomberg) -- About 3.7 million people on average watched Fox Corp.'s Fox News, Comcast Corp.'s MSNBC and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s. CNN in prime time in the TV season that began in September, down 7% from a year earlier. Four years ago, 6.5 million tuned in nightly to get the latest on the pandemic and watch the unfolding presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

A number of factors have converged to make this election year more challenging for news outlets. Trump sat out the Republican debates, and viewer interest in those broadcasts withered. Both Trump and Biden are so far ahead of rivals their nominations look like foregone conclusions — not a recipe for gripping TV. And polls show most Americans don't particularly want either candidate.