Fox News Tops March And First Quarter Cable Ratings; CNN Rises In Ukraine-Dominated Breaking News Month

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
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Fox News topped the March ratings as well as the first quarter of 2022, while CNN saw its ratings rise in the past month, dominated by coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fox News averaged 2.86 million viewers in primetime, up 19% from the same month a year earlier. MSNBC averaged 1.28 million, down 29%, and CNN averaged 1.22 million, up 1%.

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In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 529,000, up 41%, while CNN posted 366,000, up 25%, and MSNBC was at 183,000, down 23%.

The figures are from Nielsen and were released by Fox News.

In total day during March, Fox News averaged 1.82 million, up 43%, and CNN posted 886,000, up 9%. MSNBC averaged 780,000, down 24%.

In the adults 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 346,000, up 68%, while CNN posted 230,000, up 20%. MSNBC averaged 103,000, down 24%.

Tucker Carlson Tonight led cable news shows in total viewers in March, averaging 3.82 million, followed by The Five with 3.76 million, Hannity with 3.24 million, Jesse Watters Primetime with 3.11 million and Special Report with Bret Baier at 2.87 million.

In the 25-54 demo, Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged 704,000, followed by The Five with 609,000, Hannity with 597,000, Jesse Watters Primetime at 549,000 and The Ingraham Angle with 503,000. Watters’ show has been a breakout hit for the network since its January debut, and he also continues to appear as a regular on The Five.

In the first quarter in primetime, Fox News averaged 2.56 million viewers, up 3%. MSNBC posted 1.21 million, down 46% and CNN was at 857,000, down 56%. In adults 25-54, Fox News topped with 429,000, up 9%, followed by CNN with 232,000, down 56% and MSNBC at 149,000, down 59%.

In total day, Fox News averaged 1.61 million viewers, up 22%, followed by MSNBC with 712,000, down 48%, and CNN with 653,000, off by 51%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News topped with 283,000, up 28%, followed by CNN with 156,000, down 55% and MSNBC with 87,000, down 60%.

The Five was the top show in the quarter, averaging 3.68 million total viewers, followed by Tucker Carlson Tonight with 3.62 million, Jesse Watters Primetime with 3.12 million, Hannity at 3.06 million and Special Report with Bret Baier at 2.72 million.

In the adults 25-54 demo, Tucker Carlson Tonight was on top with an average of 626,000, followed by The Five with 554,000, Jesse Watters Primetime at 522,000, Hannity with 513,000 and Special Report with Bret Baier at 444,000.

During March and much of February, MSNBC has been without its most watched personality, Rachel Maddow, as fill in hosts have taken her place on The Rachel Maddow Show while she takes a hiatus. In the first quarter, The Rachel Maddow Show averaged 1.84 million viewers, compared to 3.6 million in the same period in 2021.

CNN, meanwhile, has yet to name a permanent successor to Chris Cuomo in the 9 PM slot, vacant since he was fired from the network in December.

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