Fox News now marks 15 straight weeks as the most-watched basic cable TV network among total day viewers, but the NBA Playoffs pushed TNT to the top of the heap in prime time. TNT also finished No. 1 across the key dayparts among adults 25-54.
In addition to finishing No. 1 in total day viewers, FNC finished No. 2 in total prime time viewers, No.5 in the prime time demo, and No. 3 in the total day demo.
Among total viewers, all three cable news networks were Top 10 among all of cable last week for total day and prime time viewing, with significant tune-in for breaking news coverage of the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush on Tuesday evening, and coverage of her funeral the following Saturday afternoon.
Fox News chief news anchor Shepard Smith anchored FNC’s coverage of Mrs. Bush’s funeral on Saturday from 12 – 3 p.m. ET. According to Nielsen data, Fox News’s coverage of the funeral delivered an average of 1.9 million total viewers, No. 1 across all of cable news.
MSNBC finished No. 3 in total prime time viewers, No. 3 in total day viewers, No. 7 in the prime time demo and No. 11 in the total day demo this past week.
CNN finished No. 10 in total prime time viewers, No. 6 in total day viewers, No. 17 in the prime time demo, No. 9 in the total day demo this past week.
Basic Cable Top 5 – Total Day (Total Viewers)
1. Fox News (1,420,000)
2. TNT (1,103,000)
3. MSNBC (1,039,000)
4. Nickelodeon (872,000)
5. HGTV (775,000)
Basic Cable Top 5 – Prime time (Total Viewers)
1. TNT (2,958,000)
2. Fox News (2,435,000)
3. MSNBC (1,996,000)
4. ESPN (1,344,000)
5. HGTV (1,320,000)
For the 10th straight week, Fox Business’s Business Day coverage posted 228,000 total viewers compared to CNBC’s 165,000. In Total Day, FBN delivered 164,000 compared to CNBC’s 144,000 for the week. Marking 48 consecutive weeks as the most-watched market program on business TV, Varney & Co. delivered 270,000 total viewers. Lou Dobbs Tonight remains the most-watched show in all of business TV, averaging 356,000 total viewers.
Business Day:
FBN: 228,000 total viewers / 28,000 A25-54
CNBC: 165,000 total viewers / 29,000 A25-54
Total Day:
FBN: 164,000 total viewers / 21,000 A25-54
CNBC: 144,000 total viewers / 43,000 A25-54