Fox News has now spent 40 consecutive weeks as the most-watched on all of basic cable (not just cable news) in the 24-hour daypart—and 86 consecutive weeks as the most-watched cable news network.
According to live plus same day data from Nielsen in total day (6 a.m.-6 a.m. ET), Fox News averaged 1.47 million total day viewers and 197,000 adults 25-54. The 1.47 million is -2% from what the network averaged during the previous week (Sept. 26)—and the 197,000 in A25-54 is -10% from that same week.
Fox News also averaged 2.25 million total viewers in primetime this past week, +4% from the prior week and No. 2 on all of basic cable behind a Monday Night Football, college football and MLB Playoffs-driven ESPN, which averaged 3.26 million viewers in the daypart. FNC also averaged 280,000 adults 25-54 in primetime, -6% from the previous week and No. 3 on basic cable overall behind ESPN (1.34 million) and ESPN2 (325,000).
Compared with the year-ago week, Fox News shed -2% in total primetime viewers and -20% in the prime time demo. The network gained +5% in total day viewers, but lost -12% in the total day demo.
CNN, which benefits more from live breaking news events than any other network, saw the steepest week-to-week losses as coverage of Hurricane Ian lessened. CNN averaged 530,000 total day viewers during the week of Oct. 3, which is -21% from the prior week but still No. 4 on all of basic cable. The network averaged 104,000 adults 25-54, which is -26% from the prior week and No. 9 on basic cable.
Shifting over to primetime, CNN averaged just 631,000 total viewers, -18% from the prior week and No. 10 on basic cable, to go with 136,000 adults 25-54, -24% from the prior week and No. 17 on basic cable.
CNN’s year-over-year trend is interesting. The network is -9% in total primetime viewers, but actually gained +3% in the primetime demo, +5% in total day viewers and +3% in the total day demo.
Moving to MSNBC, NBCU’s politics-focused outlet finished the week of Oct. 3 as the third-most-watched basic cable network in primetime (1.21 million) and the third-most-watched in total day (746,000). MSNBC’s 1.21 million total primetime viewer average is +2% from the prior week, while its 746,000 total day viewer average is -4% from the prior week. MSNBC also averaged 110,000 adults 25-54 in primetime, -4% from the prior week and No. 27 on basic cable. The network averaged only 76,000 adults 25-54 in total day, which is -6% from the prior week and No. 23 on all of basic cable.
Looking at the year-over-year trend, MSNBC is steady in total primetime viewers, -20% in the primetime demo, -8% in the total day demo, but actually +8% in total day viewers versus the week of Oct. 4, 2021. The discrepancy between total day viewers and total primetime viewers can likely be attributed to the absence of Rachel Maddow in the fall of 2022.
Week of October 3 cable news ratings, Monday-Sunday (Nielsen live-same-day data):
| PRIME TIME | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,250,000 | 1,211,000 | 631,000 |
| • A25-54: | 280,000 | 110,000 | 136,000 |
| TOTAL DAY | Fox News | MSNBC | CNN |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 1,468,000 | 746,000 | 530,000 |
| • A25-54: | 197.000 | 76,000 | 104,000 |
In terms of individual programming, The Five is the most-watched cable news show for the seventh consecutive week. The news talk panel program averaged 3.37 million total viewers during the week of Oct. 3, up slightly from the prior week. Tucker Carlson Tonight is second place in total viewers (3.245 million at 8 p.m.), with Jesse Watters Primetime (2.9 million at 7 p.m.), Hannity (2.73 million at 9 p.m.) and Special Report with Bret Baier (2.50 million viewers at 6 p.m.) round out the top five.
Fox News is home to the week’s top 9 cable news shows in total viewers. MSNBC’s 9 p.m. hour ranks No. 10 (1.73 million).
Tucker Carlson Tonight remained No. 1 on cable news among adults 25-54, averaging 450,000 viewers from the measurement at 8 p.m. The Five ranked No. 2 (407,000), followed by Jesse Watters Primetime (368,000), Gutfeld! (339,000), Hannity (324,000) and Special Report (315,000). Fox News is home to the week’s top 14 cable news shows among adults 25-54. Erin Burnett Outfront came in at No. 15 (192,000).
Below are the basic cable network rankers for this past week. The first is sorted by most to fewest total viewers, and the second is sorted by most to fewest adults 25-54: