O’Reilly Factor Faces Major Drop in Advertisements, Loses Top Spot to Maddow as Scandal Details Deepen

Before he cut to his first commercial break of the night on Thursday, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly teased a series of segments that would come, he said, “after these messages.” But after only a one minute-long ad, O’Reilly was back on the screen.

The lone commercial to air during that break — from the life insurance company Coventry Direct — was one of only seven spots to run during Thursday’s edition of “The O’Reilly Factor,” providing tangible evidence that a widening advertising boycott against the top-rated program has taken effect.

Nearly 60 companies have dropped ads on the “Factor.” This follows a New York Times report last week revealing that O’Reilly and his employer had reached settlements totaling $13 million with five different women who accused the host of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.

Major brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Allstate, Advil and Lexus have all withdrawn from the show — leaving the program’s commercial breaks stacked entirely with spots from obscure, less glamorous companies.

The Hollywood Reporter also notes:

The O’Reilly Factor lost its No. 1 status in the demo for the night — which featured his third original telecast since The New York Times broke the news that he and Fox News Channel have settled multiple sexual harassment claims levied against the top-rated host — to MSNBC’s resurgent The Rachel Maddow Show. Maddow, fresh off of key wins in March, outperformed O’Reilly by 8 percent on Wednesday night. She averaged 607,000 adults 25-54 to his 561,000.

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