Q2 2017 Ratings: Fox News is the Most-Watched Cable News Network for 62 Straight Quarters

By A.J. Katz 

Stop me if you have read this before: Fox News is the most-watched network across cable news, and according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, FNC has now achieved this feat for 62 consecutive quarters.

Fox News also topped basic cable in both prime time and total day viewers, finishing ahead of TNT and Nickelodeon, and marking four consecutive quarters as the most-watched basic cable network in both dayparts.

During Q2 ’17, FNC was up double-digits compared to the same quarter last year in all relevant audience metrics and dayparts. In prime time, the network was +19 percent in total viewers and +34 percent in the A25-54 demo when compared with second quarter of 2016. In total day, Fox News was +27 percent in total viewers and +45 percent in the demo versus Q2 ’16.

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Below are the network’s average live+ same day impressions for Q2 2017 (Nielsen data):

  • Prime time (Mon-Sun):  2,352,000 total viewers /  472,000 A25-54
  • Total Day (Mon-Sun):  1,465,000 total viewers /  314,000 A25-54

Fox News is home to 8 of the 10 most-watched cable news programs for the quarter, with Tucker Carlson Tonight topping the charts. Hannity ranked No. 3 across cable news in total viewers, (behind MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show) with The Five coming in 4th, and Special Report with Bret Baier finishing 5th in total viewers. The Story with Martha MacCallum (No. 7), The Fox News Specialists (No. 8), America’s Newsroom and Outnumbered round out the top 10.

Hannity was Fox News’s No. 1 program for the quarter among Adults 25-54, posting +31 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in the process.

Fox News’s new 5 p.m. program The Fox News Specialists, with Eric Bolling, Kat Timpf and Eboni Williams serving as co-hosts, posted +19 percent growth in the key A25-54 demo relative to Q2 2016.

And then there’s Fox & Friends, Pres. Trump’s go-to cable news program. F&F not only is +48 percent in total viewers and +64 percent in the A25-54 demo compared to Q2 2016, but the program is on track to have its highest-rated year in network history. It ranked No. 1 among the cable news morning shows this past quarter, per usual.

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