‘The Five’ Ranks as Number One Show; CNN and MSNBC Plummet to Historic Lows in Key Demo.
FOX News Channel (FNC) has capped off the summer as the top network in all of primetime television, beating out broadcast giants and its cable news rivals. Since June 20, FNC averaged 2,432,000 viewers in primetime, surpassing ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The network’s success extended through August, where it was the most-watched television network for the second consecutive month.
A Summer of Unrivaled Primetime Dominance
In a significant display of its ratings power, FNC averaged 2.3 million primetime viewers and 237,000 in the 25-54 demographic in August. This performance secured the top spot and gave FNC a commanding 65% share of the primetime cable news audience.
This comes as CNN and MSNBC experienced major viewership declines. CNN recorded its second-lowest rated month ever in the total day 25-54 demo with just 53,000 viewers, while MSNBC had its lowest-rated August in the same demo since 1997, drawing only 46,000 viewers in total day and 72,000 in primetime.
Top Shows Lead the Way
FNC’s individual programs were key drivers of its success, with several shows leading their time slots and outperforming broadcast and cable competition.
- The Five: The 5 PM/ET panel show was the number one show on television in its time slot, drawing an impressive 3.5 million viewers and 345,000 in the 25-54 demo in August. It beat out popular broadcast programs like CBS’s Big Brother and ESPN’s College Gameday.
- Jesse Watters Primetime: At 8 PM/ET, the show led all of primetime cable news, attracting 3.1 million viewers and 302,000 in the 25-54 demo, surpassing NBC’s American Ninja Warrior.
- Gutfeld!: The late-night program continued its winning streak, dominating its time slot with 2.8 million viewers. It once again topped broadcast late-night rivals including CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Other strong performers included Laura Ingraham, who remained the highest-rated woman in cable news with The Ingraham Angle, and Sean Hannity, whose 9 PM/ET show was dominant.
See the full list of Top 15 most watched shows on cable here.
Daytime and Weekend Success
The network’s dominance wasn’t limited to primetime. FNC’s daytime lineup, including America’s Newsroom, The Faulkner Focus, and Outnumbered, consistently beat out major broadcast shows like NBC’s Today Third Hour and ABC’s GMA3.
In the mornings, FOX & Friends remained the top cable news program for a remarkable 54 consecutive months in the 25-54 demo. The show also beat broadcast competitors like CBS Mornings and ABC’s Good Morning America in major markets across the country. Meanwhile, Bret Baier’s Special Report continued to close the gap with broadcast newscasts, leading CBS Evening News in 23 top markets. FNC’s weekend programming also performed strongly, winning every hour in both total viewers and the 25-54 demo.
