Fox News Channel was once again the top cable news network in total viewers and adults 25-54, finishing substantially ahead of its MSNBC and CNN competition during the week of January 30, 2023.
According to Nielsen live plus same day data for the week of Jan. 30, Fox News placed No. 1 overall in total primetime viewers among ad-supported basic cable networks, averaging 2.26 million viewers. FNC climbed from No. 4 to No. 3 among ad-supported basic cable outlets in Adults 25-54, behind ESPN (463,000) and TNT (359,000) with 302,000 viewers from the measurement. In total day, FNC again placed No. 1 overall in total viewers, averaging 1.485 million, and placed second in A25-54 viewers (ESPN had 259,000), averaging 201,000.
Fox News’ viewership trend was similar to that of the previous week: Up week-to-week but down year-over-year (although the year-over-year losses weren’t quite as severe).
FNC gained +6% in total primetime viewers, +7% in primetime A25-54 viewers, +5% in total day viewers and +5% in total day A25-54 viewers from the previous week (Jan. 23). Compared to the year-ago week, however, Fox News shed -11% in total primetime viewers, -24% in primetime A25-54 viewers, -2% in total day viewers and -18% in total day A25-54 viewers.
MSNBC dropped to No. 3 in total primetime viewers among ad-supported cablers, averaging 1.05 million total viewers this past week. The network placed second in total day viewers for the second consecutive week with 677,000. In Adults 25-54, MSNBC placed 27th in primetime with a 111,000 viewer average and 19th in total day with a 80,000 viewer average.
Compared to the previous week (Jan. 23), MSNBC lost -2% in total primetime viewers, but gained +2% in primetime A25-54 viewers, -1% in total day viewers but gained +10% in total day A25-54 viewers. An odd trend, as we’re typically used to seeing the network struggle with adults 25-54 and perform better with total viewers.
Looking at MSNBC year-over-year, the network shed -16% in total primetime viewers, -19% in primetime A25-54 viewers, -2% in total day viewers but actually gained +1% in total day A25-54 viewers.
CNN placed 12th in total primetime viewers for the second consecutive week with a 566,000 total viewer average, and moved up to No. 4 in total day with a 487,000 viewer average. In Adults 25-54, CNN plummeted to 29th in primetime with 107,000 A25-54 viewers on average, and remained No. 13 in total day with 89,000 on average.
CNN lost primetime viewers from the prior week, including coming up short to MSNBC in the primetime demo (-3% in total viewers and -15% from the primetime demo). CNN also shed A25-54 in total day (-5%), but actually gained total day total viewers (+1%) from the prior week, perhaps aided by Saturday breaking news coverage of the Chinese spy balloon being shot down.
CNN’s year-over-year ratings trend was a mixed one. The network gained +2% in total primetime viewers, but lost -13% among A25-54 in primetime, gained +4% in total day total viewers but lost -2% among A25-54 watching across total day.
Week of Jan. 30, 2023 cable news ratings, Monday-Sunday (Nielsen live-same-day data):
| PRIME | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,256,000 | 1,053,000 | 566,000 |
| • A25-54: | 302,000 | 111,000 | 107,000 |
| TOTAL DAY | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 1,485,000 | 677,000 | 487,000 |
| • A25-54: | 201,000 | 80,000 | 89,000 |
In terms of individual programming, The Five is the most-watched cable news show for the week, averaging 3.28 million total viewers, edging Tucker Carlson Tonight (3.235 million at 8 p.m.), with Jesse Watters Primetime (2.86 million at 7 p.m.), Hannity (2.58 million at 9 p.m.) and Special Report with Bret Baier (2.41 million viewers at 6 p.m.) rounding out the top five.
Tucker Carlson Tonight took the top spot on cable news among adults 25-54, per usual, averaging 461,000 viewers from the measurement at 8 p.m. The Five ranks No. 2 (353,000) followed by Hannity (345,000), Watters (326,000), and Gutfeld! (312,000) rounding out the top five in the key demo.
Fox News had the 13-most-watched cable news shows for the week (MSNBC’s The Beat With Ari Melber ranked No. 14 — 1.32 million at 6 p.m.) Additionally, Fox News had the top 15 cable news shows of the week among Adults 25-54.
Below, the basic cable network rankers.