Week of Oct. 5 Cable News Ratings: CNN Up in Both Measurements

This is TVNewser’s basic cable network ranker and cable news report for the week of October 5, 2026.

CNN, which in recent weeks has been in the news because of the White House press ban and its new ownership situation, stood tall among its competitors, finishing the week as the only one with gains in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo during primetime and total day.

The now-Skydance network closed the demo between it and MS NOW during total day, leaving a difference of only 1,000 viewers between the two networks.

MS NOW was the only network with across-the-board declines, but it also had some positive news. In the 9 p.m. ET hour, The Rachel Maddow Show was the most-watched show in total viewers on Monday, October 5. It was also the most-watched network in both measured categories during the 6 a.m. ET hour, when Morning Joe airs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

As for Fox News, its bright spot was its primetime demo growth during the just-concluded week. It’s still the most-watched network by a large margin.

NETWORKS:

According to Nielsen big data + panel for the week of Oct. 5, Fox News averaged 1.6 million total viewers and 145,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was down -2% in total viewers but grew by +4% in the demo compared to the prior week (the week beginning Sept. 28).

During total day viewing, Fox News averaged 1.07 million total viewers and 94,000 A25-54 viewers. Based on its average from the previous week’s measurements, the network was flat in total viewers and the demo.

Fox News dropped from second to third place in total primetime viewership and was sixth in demo viewership among all basic cable networks. During total day, it remained first in total viewers and finished in fifth place in the total day demo.

MS NOW averaged 902,000 total viewers and 88,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for the week that just concluded. The network was down -2% in total viewers and -1% in the demo compared with its primetime average the prior week.

During total day, MS NOW averaged 570,000 total viewers and 57,000 demo viewers. It was down -1% in total viewers and -8% in the demo compared with the network’s average the prior week—the only network with declines in this comparison.

Among all basic cable networks, MS NOW slipped from third to fifth place in total primetime viewers and was 15th in the demo, tied with Comedy Central. It also ranked third in total viewers and finished in eighth place in the total day demo.

CNN averaged 577,000 total primetime viewers and 100,000 demo viewers. It grew by +4% in total viewers and +3% in the demo compared to the previous week.

During total day, the network had 393,000 total viewers and 56,000 viewers in the demo. For CNN, this represented gains of +7% in total viewers and +8% in the demo during this daypart.

Among all cable networks, CNN moved from seventh to sixth place in total viewers and was 11th in the demo during primetime. It slipped to No. 5 in total day among total viewers and was ninth in the demo.

When looking at these networks’ performance during the same period a year ago:

During primetime, Fox News was down -30% in total viewers and -34% in the A25-54 demo. During total day, the network was down -28% in total viewers and -35% in the demo.
MS NOW was up +11% in total viewers and +13% in the demo. During total day, the network gained +13% in total viewers and +24% in the demo—the only network with gains in both measured categories in this yearly comparison.
In primetime, CNN was up by +26% in total viewers and +52% in the demo. During total day, it was up by +3% in total viewers and flat in the demo.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News held 12 of the 15 spots among the week’s most-watched cable news shows, with The Five in first place with 2.649 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MS NOW was represented in the chart by Monday’s 9 p.m. ET airing of The Rachel Maddow Show, with 1.779 million total viewers at No. 6. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, had 1.122 million total viewers at No. 14, and The Briefing with Jen Psaki, airing Tuesday to Friday at 9 p.m., was in the No. 15 position, with 1.078 million total viewers.

The Rachel Maddow Show dethroned The Five to take the top spot in the Adults 25-54 demo, with 252,000 viewers. Despite this, Fox News held 12 of the 15 top spots in the demo, with The Five averaging 239,000 viewers to take second place. CNN was represented by CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, which airs five nights a week at 10 p.m. ET and finished in eighth place with 144,000 viewers, and The Source with Kaitlan Collins, which airs weeknights at 9 p.m. ET, and finished in 14th place with 116,000 demo viewers.

October 5, 2026 (Nielsen Big Data + Panel):

Prime Time