New quarter, familiar finish: The Five is No. 1 on cable news.
According to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, Fox News’ panel talk program averaged the most total viewers of any cable news show during Q3 2022, marking an impressive four consecutive quarters at No. 1. That’s no small feat for a show that airs weekdays outside of primetime, during rush hour no less.
Cable news’ most-watched show hauled in an average of 3.295 million total viewers per original broadcast in Q3, slightly down from Q2 2022 (3.3 million viewers). Tucker Carlson Tonight took second place, averaging 3.15 million total viewers in Q3 (down from 3.23 million in Q2), followed by Jesse Watters Primetime at 7 p.m. (up to 2.73 million from 2.69 million) Hannity at 9 p.m. (down to 2.68 million from 2.73 million), and Special Report with Bret Baier (2.34 million down from 2.46 million) rounding out the top five in average total viewers.
The seven-most-watched shows of the quarter were all Fox News shows. MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show/Alex Wagner Tonight came in at No. 8 in total viewers with a 1.87 million total viewer weekdays at 9 p.m.
Anderson Cooper 360 was CNN’s most-watched show in Q3, averaging just 872,000 total viewers at 8 p.m. (No. 24 overall).
Here’s the 10-most-watched on cable news for Q3 2022, as per live-plus-same-day Nielsen data.
- Fox News | 5 p.m. / The Five: 3,295,000 / 62 telecasts
- Fox News | 8 p.m. / Tucker Carlson Tonight: 3,153,000 / 54 telecasts
- Fox News | 7 p.m./ Jesse Watters Primetime: 2,726,000 / 51 telecasts
- Fox News | 9 p.m. / Hannity: 2,682,000 / 51 telecasts
- Fox News | 6 p.m. / Special Report with Bret Baier: 2,341,000 / 62 telecasts
- Fox News | 10 p.m. / The Ingraham Angle: 2,230,000 / 49 telecasts
- Fox News | 11 p.m. / Gutfeld!: 2,082,000 / 58 telecasts
- MSNBC | 9 p.m. / The Rachel Maddow Show/Alex Wagner Tonight: 1,868,000 / 35 telecasts
- Fox News | 12 p.m. / Outnumbered: 1,800,000 / 62 telecasts
- Fox News |11 a.m. / The Faulkner Focus: 1,650,000 / 65 telecasts
Below, the full cable news show ranker sorted by average total viewers
Cable News Show Ranker: Q3 2022 (Total Viewers)
How about the top cable news shows among adults 25-54? After all, this is a demographic that advertisers of news often focus their millions of ad dollars on.
Fox News is home to the top 15 shows in the key demo for Q3, led per usual in the measurement by Tucker Carlson Tonight (468,000). The top 10 cable news shows among adults 25-54 for the quarter are the same as the top 10 show in total viewers, with the exception of America’s Newsroom instead of MSNBC’s 9 p.m. hour, and some differences in order. Tucker Carlson Tonight is No. 1 in the demo, but No. 2 in total viewers; The Five is No. 2 in the demo, but No. 1 in total viewers; Hannity and Jesse Watters Primetime swap spots at No. 3 and No. 4; Gutfeld! is No. 5 in the demo, but No. 7 in total viewers; Outnumbered is No. 8 in the demo, but No. 9 in total viewers.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (8 p.m.) edged MSNBC’s 9 p.m. hour in the A25-54 demo for the first time in the while — 182,000 vs. 181,000. It was the top-rated non-Fox cable news show among adults 25-54 during Q3, ranking No. 16. overall.
Again, this is Nielsen live-plus-same-day data:
- Fox News | 8 p.m. / Tucker Carlson Tonight: 468,000 / telecasts
- Fox News | 5 p.m. / The Five: 418,000 / 62 telecasts
- Fox News | 9 p.m. / Hannity: 358,000 / telecasts
- Fox News | 7 p.m./ Jesse Watters Primetime: 342,000 / 47 telecasts
- Fox News | 11 p.m. / Gutfeld!: 339,000 / 59 telecasts
- Fox News | 10 p.m. / The Ingraham Angle: 318,000 / 57 telecasts
- Fox News | 6 p.m. / Special Report with Bret Baier: 304,000 / telecasts
- Fox News | 12 p.m. / Outnumbered: 241,000 / telecasts
- Fox News | 9-10 a.m. & 10-11 a.m. / America’s Newsroom: 222,000 / 125 telecasts
- Fox News | 11 a.m. / The Faulkner Focus: 215,000 / telecasts
When it comes to the key hours, Fox News won all of them both in total viewers and among adults 25-54. CNN and MSNBC split second place at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 and 11 p.m. MSNBC beat CNN across the board at 9 p.m.
Additionally, Fox & Friends swept its cable morning competition (New Day, Morning Joe) in the key categories.
Below, the Q3 cable news program ranker sorted by number of adults 25-54 watching: