Do they somehow get official ratings points, from being on the TV in airports or other public places? Nobody is really watching, and the sound is turned down, so I would be surprised that such “viewers” would count.
There is actually a CNN Airport channel. Not the same as what’s seen on home cable. It’s by subscription and doesn’t count in ratings.
I think it’s how many TV’s are tuned to CNN, then calculate traffic in the area (??) in airports anyway. Since it’s cable news wouldn’t the provider know who’s watching?