Fox News Leads Summer Ratings
This summer has been pretty remarkable for Fox News. They’ve not just outperformed their cable news competitors but have also surpassed the three major broadcast networks during Primetime.
According to Nielsen, from June 20 onward, Fox News averaged around 2.43 million viewers weekly. To compare, ABC had 2.38 million, NBC secured 2.21 million, and CBS came in with 2.03 million.
In August, the numbers showed Fox News at 2.3 million viewers during Primetime. MSNBC trailed with 783,000 viewers, while CNN managed to pull in 444,000—pretty stark differences, really.
Interestingly, Fox News is the only network among the top three that actually gained viewers since August 2024, which is notable given that it isn’t an election year. On the other hand, MSNBC saw a 57% decline in viewers, and CNN’s decline was even steeper at 59% year-on-year.
Fox News really has dominated the television landscape in July, while CNN has hit some concerning lows, especially in key demographics.
When looking at the 25-54 age range targeted by advertisers, Fox News continued to shine in August, averaging significantly more—about 78,000, compared to just 72,000 for MSNBC and 46,000 for CNN.
In total viewership for the day, Fox News accrued about 1.45 million viewers in key demographics, while MSNBC averaged around 502,000 and CNN slightly less at 333,000.
The show “Five” has emerged as the frontrunner in cable news, regularly drawing 3.5 million viewers. Other strong contenders are “Gutfeld!” with 3 million, “Hannity” at 2.8 million, and “The Ingraham Angle” pulling in 2.5 million viewers.
On the digital front, Fox News has also outpaced CNN, with metrics indicating it led all major news brands in July.
Fox’s daytime programs have surpassed many traditional broadcast news shows. For instance, “Fox & Friends” averaged about 1.3 million viewers in August, outperforming both MSNBC and CNN, and beating “CBS Morning” in several markets.
Moreover, it took precedence over “Good Morning America” in 15 markets, and also surpassed NBC’s “Today” in several places, like New York and Boston.
Furthermore, “Special Report with Bret Baier” did notably well, outperforming network newscasts in numerous markets, including beating “World News Tonight” in Chicago and Philadelphia.
Fox’s daytime offerings, like “American Newsroom” and “Faulkner Focus,” dominated with an average of about 1.8 million viewers. Even during less traditional hours, they managed to pull in strong numbers, outshining many competitors.
So, it looks like Fox News is gearing up to remain at the forefront, especially with new ventures like the upcoming “Fox One” streaming service launching on August 21.
