The Nielsen cable news ratings hierarchy shifted this past week, at least temporarily, as CNN climbed to No. 1 in primetime among adults 25-54 (161,000).
Fox News finished No. 2 on cable news in the measurement, averaging 140,000 adults 25-54 in primetime, while MSNBC averaged 117,000 adults 25-54 in primetime for the week of May 8, 2023.
CNN’s rare weekly win was driven by its live primetime town hall featuring former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, May 10, an event which averaged 781,000 adults 25-54 and 3.31 million total viewers from 8-9:15 p.m. ET.
On the downside, the network averaged just 335,000 total primetime viewers on Friday, falling to Newsmax, its worst non-holiday Friday since 2015. The network aired AC360, a rerun of The Whole Story and Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? that night.
For the week, CNN averaged 701,000 total viewers in primetime (up seven spots to No. 7 among basic cable outlets) and 462,000 total day viewers (steady at No. 5 among basic cable outlets). The network finished No. 10 among adults 25-54 in primetime (up nine spots from the prior week) and No. 8 (up one spot from the prior week).
How do those figures stack up against comparable weeks? Relative to the previous week, CNN is, as expected, saw gains in primetime: +42% in total primetime viewers and +45% in the primetime demo. However, the week-to-week trend outside of primetime isn’t positive. The network shed -2% in total day viewers and -3% among adults 25-54 in total day. The network is +16% in total primetime viewers, +21% in the primetime demo, but -5% in total day viewers and -4% in the total day demo vs. the week of May 9, 2022.
Fox News Channel maintained its lengthy streak as the most-watched cable news network (117 consecutive weeks). FNC averaged 1.43 million total primetime viewers (No. 3 among all basic cable networks behind NBA playoffs-carrying ESPN and TNT) and 1.14 million total day viewers (No. 1 among all basic cable network) for the week of May 8. Same finishes as the week before.
In addition to finishing third in total primetime viewers and holding onto first place in total day viewers among all basic cable networks, Fox News improved three spots to No. 12 in the primetime demo (140,000), and climbed two spots to No. 3 in the total day demo (137,000 viewers).
How do these figures stack up against comparable weeks? Relative to the prior week (May 1, 2022), Fox News is down -3% in total primetime viewers but actually +9% in the primetime demo. The network also gained +2% in total day viewers and +13% among adults 25-54 in total day. A nice week-to-week trend after a rough stint.
The year-over-year trend, however, continues to be an issue, particularly in the aftermath of the Tucker Carlson exit. FNC is -36% in total primetime viewers, a whopping -58% among adults 25-54 in primetime, -22% in total day viewers and -38% in the total day demo versus the week of May 9, 2022.
For the third consecutive week, MSNBC was the fourth most-watched basic cable network in primetime (1.16 million) and fourth most-watched basic cable network in total day (755,000). MSNBC dropped four spots to No. 20 in the primetime demo (117,000 viewers), eight spots behind Fox News, and remained No. 11 in the total day demo (85,000 viewers) this past week.
How do those figures stack up against comparable weeks? MSNBC is -3% in total primetime viewers, -6% in the primetime demo, -1% in total day viewers and -7% among adults 25-54 in total day. However, the year-over-year viewership trend for MSNBC remains quite positive. The network is +18% in total primetime viewers, +22% in the primetime demo, +22% in total day viewers and +25% in the total day demo vs. the week of May 9, 2022.
Week of May 8, 2023 cable news ratings, Monday-Sunday (Nielsen live-same-day data):
| PRIME | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 1,434,000 | 1,161,000 | 701,000 |
| • A25-54: | 140,000 | 117,000 | 161,000 |
| TOTAL DAY | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 1,140,000 | 755,000 | 462,000 |
| • A25-54: | 137,000 | 85,000 | 95,000 |
In terms of individual programming, The Five is once again cable news’ most-watched show, averaging 2.68 million total viewers at 5 p.m. this past week.
Jesse Watters Primetime secured second place with a 2.13 million total viewer average at 7 p.m., Hannity took third place by averaging 1.975 million total viewers at 9 p.m., Special Report With Bret Baier averaged 1.85 million at 6 p.m. and Gutfeld! rounding out cable news’ top five with a 1.7 million total viewer average at 11 p.m.
Fox News had the seven most-watched cable news shows of the week. The Ingraham Angle (1.62 million), America’s Newsroom (1.54 million) finished ahead of MSNBC’s The Beat With Ari Melber (1.52 million) and Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace (1.49 million). Fox News’ Outnumbered rounds out the 10 most-watched.
In addition to being No. 1 in total viewers, The Five is also No. 1 on cable news among adults 25-54, averaging 294,000 from the measurement at 5 p.m. this past week.
Fox News had the top five cable news shows among Adults 25-54, led once again by The Five (294,000). Gutfeld! came in second (233,000), followed by Jesse Watters Primetime (204,000), Special Report With Bret Baier (201,000). Anderson Cooper 360 and The Ingraham Angle both averaged 196,000 A25-54 viewers this past week, and are followed by The Faulkner Focus (182,000), Hannity (180,000), Outnumbered (179,000) and America’s Newsroom (177,000).
Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour, temporarily named Fox News Tonight, averaged 1.42 million total viewers — making it the 12th-most-watched cable news show of the week.
The hour also averaged 146,800 adults 25-54 this past week, No. 15 across cable news for the week.
We can’t recall the last time Fox News’ 8 p.m. offering finished outside of the top 10 in any measurement; if ever. It appears many of those 8 p.m. viewers are jumping to Newsmax (at least for the time being).
If there’s anything positive to take away from Fox News 8 p.m. offering, it did remain No. 1 in the timeslot in total viewers (but not No. 1 Adults 25-54). The hour showed gains in Adults 25-54 from the prior week (+3%), but there was a decline in total viewers from the prior week (-6%). Kayleigh McEnany served as guest host last week, and Will Cain is getting the chance to lead 8 p.m. this week.
Below, the basic cable network rankers — sorted by average total viewers followed by A25-54.