These Are the Top-Rated Cable News Shows for November ’21

By A.J. Katz 

After a rare second place finish in October, Tucker Carlson Tonight regained its status as cable news’ most-watched show during the month of November, averaging nearly 3.67 million viewers in Fox News’ 8 p.m. timeslot this past month. The program held on to its top spot among adults 25-54, averaging 651,000 from the measurement this past month.

Carlson’s interview with Kyle Rittenhouse almost singlehandedly lifted the program to No. 1. The interview, which aired Nov. 22 on Tucker Carlson Tonight, attracted 5.05 million viewers and 913,000 adults 25-54 to Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour.

The Five, cable news’ most-watched show for the month of October, returned to No.2, both in total viewers (3.5 million) and among adults 25-54 (557,000).

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Fox News Channel delivered 71 of the 100-most-watched telecasts on cable, nine of the ten-most-watched cable news shows, and the network had seven shows that averaged more than two million viewers.

Additionally, the network’s 11 p.m. comedy hour, Gutfeld!, managed to average more total viewers than MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show for the first time since launch (albeit just +2,000 more). Gutfeld! finished the month No. 8 in average total viewers (steady with October), while TRMS finished No. 9 (one month after finishing No. 6) in average total viewers.

Anderson Cooper 360 was CNN’s most-watched show for November, coming in at No. 24 in the cable news total viewer rankings.

Here are the 10 most-watched cable news shows for Nov. 2021, as per live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen.

  1. Fox News | 8 p.m. /Tucker Carlson Tonight: 3,667,000 / 16 telecasts
  2. Fox News | 5 p.m. / The Five: 3,512,000 /  18 telecasts
  3. Fox News | 9 p.m. /Hannity: 3,234,000 / 17 telecasts
  4. Fox News | 6 p.m. / Special Report with Bret Baier: 2,768,000 / 18 telecasts
  5. Fox News | 10 p.m. / The Ingraham Angle: 2,657,000 / 17 telecasts
  6. Fox News | 7 p.m. / Fox News Primetime: 2,401,000 / 17 telecasts
  7. Fox News | 12 p.m./Outnumbered: 2,038,000 / 18
  8. Fox News | 11 p.m./Gutfeld!: 1,983,000 / 17 telecasts
  9. MSNBC | 9 p.m. / The Rachel Maddow Show: 1,981,000 / 17 telecasts
  10. Fox News | 9-10 a.m., 10-11 a.m. / America’s Newsroom: 1,885,000 / 36 telecasts

Below, the full cable news program ranker:

November ’21 (Total Viewers) 

How about the top cable news shows among adults 25-54? After all, this is a demographic that advertisers of news traditionally focus their ad dollars on.

As previously mentioned, Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged the largest A25-54 audience of any cable news show in November, as per live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen (651,000). The Five finished in this key measurement for the second consecutive month, while Hannity, Special Report, and The Ingraham Angle rounded out the top five on cable news among adults 25-54.

Fox News placed 15 shows in cable news’ top 25 among adults 25-54, including the top 14.

The Rachel Maddow Show is the only non-Fox offering to crack the top 15 in the demo this month, hitting a 2021-low ranking of No. 15. TRMS finished No. 12 among adults 25-54 in October, No. 8 in September, No. 10 in August and No. 5 in July. MSNBC placed just three of the top 25 cable news shows among adults 25-54 for Nov. 2021.

CNN’s top show in the key A25-54 demo for October is Erin Burnett Outfront, marking back-to-back months as CNN’s top show in the key measurement. Outfront averaged 181,000 viewers from the measurement (No. 17 on cable news), up from October. CNN placed seven of the top 25 cable news shows for the month among adults 25-54.

Here are the top 10 cable news shows among adults 25-54 for Nov. 2021, as per live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen:

  1. Fox News| 8 p.m./ Tucker Carlson Tonight: 651,000 / 16 telecasts
  2. Fox News | 5 p.m. / The Five: 557,000 / 18 telecasts
  3. Fox News | 9 p.m. / Hannity: 541,000 / 17 telecasts
  4. Fox News | 6 p.m. / Special Report with Bret Baier: 475,000 / 18 telecasts
  5. Fox News | 10 p.m. / The Ingraham Angle: 469,000 / 17 telecasts
  6. Fox News | 7 p.m. / Fox News Primetime: 427,000 / 17 telecasts
  7. Fox News | 11 p.m. / Gutfeld!: 388,000 / 17 telecasts
  8. Fox News | 12 p.m./ Outnumbered: 359,000 / 18 telecasts
  9. Fox News | 2-4 p.m./ America Reports: 343,000 / 36 telecasts
  10. Fox News | 3 p.m. / The Story with Martha MacCallum: 338,000 / 18 telecasts

Below, the full cable news program ranker:

November ’21 (Adults 25-54)

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