The top story from last night’s Indiana Primary came from the Republican side, as Senator Ted Cruz formally announced the suspension of his campaign following his primary defeat to Donald Trump.
According to early Nielsen data, Fox News’ coverage of the Indiana Primary delivered an average of 4.3 million viewers and 1.1 million in 25-54 beating CNN and MSNBC in both categories, and marking cable news’ most-watched primary night since Super Tuesday III coverage of the Florida and Ohio primaries on March 15.
Ratings peaked in the 9 p.m. ET hour, when Trump spoke about his Indiana win and calling Cruz “a tough, smart competitor.” FNC averged 5.3 million viewers and 1.3 million in the demo in that hour. FNC won the night during extended coverage (6 – 11 p.m.), as well, delivering 3.7 million viewers and 820,547 in the demo with America’s Election Headquarters, co-anchored by Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly, as well as the network’s prime time slate of The O’Reilly Factor, The Kelly File and Hannity.
Indiana Primary: Prime time coverage block (8 – 11 p.m.)
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 4,273,000 | 2,622,000 | 1,555,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,058,000 | 896,000 | 413,000 |
Indiana Primary: 9 p.m. hour
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 5,249,740 | 3,318,236 | 1,797,045 |
| • A25-54: | 1,297,236 | 1,155,470 | 504,078 |
Indiana Primary: Extended coverage block (6 – 11 p.m. ET)
| FNC | CNN | MSNBC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,655,714 | 2,198,466 | 1,365,517 |
| • A25-54: | 820,547 | 728,833 | 339,786 |