Fox News took back the No. 1 spot in prime time, at least for one night, beating both CNN and MSNBC in total viewers and the A25-54 demographic on Monday with its live coverage of the horrific bombing in Manchester, England.
In addition winning in the traditional prime time daypart (8 – 11 p.m.), FNC also ranked No. 1 in the full 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET live breaking news coverage block.
Tucker Carlson Tonight aired in the usual 8 p.m. hour. Fox News’s chief news anchor Shepard Smith led the network’s live coverage of the bombing during the 9 and 11 p.m. ET hours, pre-empting The Five. Sean Hannity kept the 10 p.m. hour.
CNN dominated MSNBC in prime time, particularly in the A25-54 demo (729,000 vs. 444,000).
Here’s a breakdown of last night’s cable news ratings race, per preliminary Nielsen data:
Monday, May 22nd
Prime time (8 – 11 p.m. ET)
FNC: 3,368,000 total viewers / 884,000 A25-54
CNN: 1,735,000 total viewers / 729,000 A25-54
MSNBC: 1,604,000 total viewers / 444,000 A25-54
7 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET (Full breaking news coverage block)
FNC: 2,945,000 total viewers / 771,000 A25-54
CNN: 1,602,000 total viewers / 644,000 A25-54
MSNBC: 1,551,000 total viewers / 416,000 A25-54