Fox News Channel had its highest-rated January in history, marking 23 consecutive years as the No. 1 network in cable news as CNN and MSNBC continued to struggle.
Fox News has obliterated the competition in recent months and has aired the 603 most-watched programs on cable news since Election Day. During January, Fox News was home to the top 270 cable news telecasts in America.
“As we mark 23 years as America’s most watched cable news network, I would like to thank our incredible team both on and off the camera for their dedication to delivering the best product in news. Each year, we surpass new milestones, continue to innovate, and outperform the competition due to their tireless efforts and I could not be prouder,” FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said.
Fox News Channel averaged 1.9 million total day viewers during January to finish as the most-watched network in all of cable. ESPN finished second with 1.6 million average total viewers, while no other network surpassed the one-million threshold.
MSNBC averaged 506,000 total day viewers, while CNN settled for 421,000 as the liberal networks failed to crack the one-million mark combined. Along the way, Fox News grew its audience by 53% compared to January of 2024, but MSNBC saw its audience drop by 33% and CNN shed 9% during the same time period
During the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET, Fox News dominated cable news competitors with an average audience of 2.8 million viewers. MSNBC managed an average audience of 734,000 and CNN averaged only 522,000 primetime viewers during the news-heavy month.
Fox News saw its primetime audience grow by 40% compared to last year with MSNBC and CNN each seeing double-digit declines.
Fox News also crushed cable news competitors among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, averaging 253,000 total day viewers compared to only 80,000 for CNN. The critical category was particularly painful for MSNBC, which averaged a dismal 45,000 demo viewers to shed a staggering 41% of its audience from January of last year.
TLC, Oxygen, Nickelodeon, Bravo, AMC, Hallmark Channel, MTV, TV Land, ESPN2, Home and Garden TV and the Food Network were among the 26 basic cable offerings to outdraw MSNBC in total day viewers among adults age 25-54.
Fox News averaged 353,000 demo viewers during primetime compared to 118,000 for CNN and only 63,000 for MSNBC.
CNN and MSNBC both saw all-time January lows among demo viewership.
“The Five,” with Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro and rotating co-hosts Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., averaged 4.8 million total viewers and 531,000 in 25-54 demo to lead all of cable news in both measurables.
“The Ingraham Angle,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Hannity” and “Gutfeld!” had dominant months, helping Fox News crush CNN and MSNBC during every hour of the day.
FOX News Media’s special programming surrounding the inauguration of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance was the highest rated in cable news history. This came as more Independents and Democrats continued to tune in to Fox News over any other network across total day viewership, according to Nielsen MRI Fusion. Fox News was also No. 1 in cable news with Asians, Hispanics and upscale viewers throughout total day.
Fox News’ special inauguration coverage marked the highest non-primetime cable news telecast in history and posted triple digit increases compared to the inauguration of President Biden in 2021.
“America’s Newsroom” with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino, “The Faulkner Focus,” “Outnumbered” and “America Reports” with John Roberts and Sandra Smith all had their best months ever and outdrew ABC’s “The View.”
OVER 10 MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED FOX NEWS’ INAUGURATION COVERAGE, CRUSHING ALL OTHER NETWORKS
“Special Report with Bret Baier,” “The Ingraham Angle” and “FOX News @ Night” all had their most-watched months since 2020.
“FOX & Friends First” and Martha MacCallum’s “The Story” also crushed all competitors, while “Your World” and “The Will Cain Show” helped Fox News win the 4 p.m. ET hour.
“FOX & Friends” was the No. 1 cable news morning show once again and has now topped both total viewers and the demo for three-straight years.
Fox News didn’t only dominate during the week, as the network also beat MSNBC and CNN among weekend programming by double to triple-digits among both total viewers and the demo.
“FOX News Live” averaged 1.8 million viewers to finish as Saturday’s most popular show, while “Sunday Morning Futures” earned the Sunday crown with an average audience of 2.1 million.
Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
