Fox News Dominated February Cable News Viewership, But All Networks Were Down Vs. 2022
Fox News dominated its rivals in February viewership and landed the top ten shows in total viewers and a key demographic.
But the month saw the major cable news networks all lose audience versus February 2022.
More from Deadline
Fox News averaged 2.26 million total viewers in primetime, down 14% from a year earlier. MSNBC averaged 1.17 million viewers, down 2%, and CNN averaged 587,000, down 24%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 299,000, down 33%, followed by CNN with 122,000, down 42%, and 119,000 for MSNBC, off by 15%.
In total day, Fox News averaged 1.44 million viewers, down 14%, compared to MSNBC with 711,000, down 1%, and 474,000 for CNN, down 24%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 189,000, down 35%, followed by CNN with 89,000, down 41%, and MSNBC with 80,000, off by 6%.
The Five continued its streak as the most viewed show in cable news, drawing an average of 3.31 million, followed by Tucker Carlson Tonight with 3.3 million, Jesse Watters Primetime with 2.83 million, Hannity with 2.68 million and Special Report with Bret Baier with 2.44 million.
In the 25-54 demo, Tucker Carlson Tonight topped with 461,000, followed by The Five with 371,000, Hannity with 355,000, Gutfeld! with 322,000 and Jesse Watters Primetime with 314,000.
CNN, with the most significant year-over-year declines, is retooling its daytime programming and the 9 PM hour in primetime. That latter timeslot has been without a permanent host since Chris Cuomo’s exit in December, 2021. The network this week is featuring a series of specials, including Jake Tapper’s sitdown with Bill Maher on Tuesday.
The most viewed regularly scheduled show on MSNBC was Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, drawing an average of 1.37 million, while Anderson Cooper 360 was the top CNN program, averaging 673,000. In the 25-54 demo, the top MSNBC program as All in with Chris Hayes, averaging 142,000, while Anderson Cooper 360 topped at CNN with 133,000.
The ratings are from Nielsen via Fox News.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
