Fox News Tops Cable News Networks In Third Quarter
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Fox News Channel again beat its cable news rivals in the most recent quarter, but viewership was down almost across the board.
Fox News’ primetime lineup drew 2.4 million total viewers, down 1% from the same period a year earlier, compared with 1.5 million for MSNBC, which was down 18%. CNN drew 1 million viewers but was up 1%. The Nielsen numbers are for the three months ended Sunday.
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In the prized 25-54 demographic, Fox News garnered 366,000 viewers, down 19%; CNN drew 268,000, down 20%; and MSNBC garnered 228,000, down 34%.
In total-day viewers, Fox News averaged 1.4 million, down 3%; MSNBC was at 880,000, down 15%; and CNN drew 624,000, down 13%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 230,000, down 15%; CNN posted 148,000, down 31%; and MSNBC had 128,000, down 34%.
Fox News’ 6 p.m. show Hannity topped cable news channels in total viewers, with an average of 3.3 million. Next were FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight (3.1 million) and The Ingraham Angle (2.6 million), followed by MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show (2.51 million) and Fox News’ The Five (2.5 million).
In the 25-54 demo, the numbers were Hannity, 510,000; Tucker Carlson Tonight, 494,000; The Ingraham Angle, 417,000; The Rachel Maddow Show, 393,000; and The Five, 387,000.
The numbers are live+same day ratings.
The news channels typically put their best spin forward by highlighting some of the bright spots in the numbers. Fox News Channel said that it was the 71st consecutive quarter that it ranked as the most-watched network in total day and primetime viewers.
The channel also noted that Outnumbered Overtime, hosted by Harris Faulkner in the 1 p.m. ET time slot, beat ABC’s GMA3 in total viewers 25 times over the past quarter. Faulkner’s show averaged 1.3 million viewers and 211,000 in the 25-54 demographic.
CNN, meanwhile, said that this was the first time that it topped MSNBC in prime time in the 25-54 demo during a quarter since the first quarter of 2017, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated. The network said that Cuomo Prime Time was its number one news program in adults 25-54, with 262,000 viewers, and in total viewers, with 1.1 million viewers, this quarter.
MSNBC, for its part, noted that it beat CNN in total day viewers and in primetime. It also pointed to The 11th Hour with Brian Williams, which edged out FOX News @ Night with Shannon Bream on Fox News at 11 p.m. The 11th Hour drew 1.43 million total viewers to 1.4 million on Fox News and 674,000 on CNN, which airs the second hour of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News drew 263,000 to 213,000 on MSNBC and 188,000 on CNN.
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