Fox News Channel finishes summer 2025 trouncing ABC, NBC, CBS in primetime

Fox News Channel finished the summer not only trouncing its cable news rivals but beating the three major broadcast networks in primetime.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News averaged 2.43 million total viewers Monday through Sunday in primetime since June 20, besting ABC's 2.38 million viewers, NBC's 2.21 million viewers and CBS' 2.03 million viewers. 

In August, Fox News averaged 2.3 million total viewers in primetime. MSNBC ranked second with an average of 783,000 total viewers in primetime, while CNN trailed in third, averaging 444,000 total viewers. 

Fox News was the only network of the three to expand its audience from August 2024, improving by 1% in total viewers, while MSNBC dropped 57% of its viewers and CNN lost 59% year-over-year.

FOX NEWS CHANNEL DOMINATES ALL OF TELEVISION IN JULY; CNN HITS ROCK BOTTOM AMONG KEY DEMO

Fox News maintained its dominance in the advertiser-coveted demographic of ages 25-54, averaging 237,000 in August compared to CNN's 78,000 and MSNBC's 72,000. 

In total day viewership, Fox News led with an average of 1.45 million total viewers with 160,000 in the key demo during August, while MSNBC averaged just 502,000 total viewers with 46,000 in the demo and CNN averaged 333,000 total viewers with 53,000 in the demo. 

"The Five" secured its status as the most-watched show on all cable news, averaging 3.5 million total viewers, followed by "Jesse Watters Primetime" with 3 million, "Gutfeld!" with 2.8 million, "Hannity" with 2.6 million, "Special Report with Bret Baier" with 2.55 million and "The Ingraham Angle" with 2.5 million. 

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Several Fox News daytime programs are edging out broadcast news programs in markets across the country. Fox News' marquee morning show, "FOX & Friends," averaged 1.3 million viewers in August and 148,000 in the key demo, crushing MSNBC and CNN's morning programs combined. 

It also beat "CBS Mornings" in 21 markets, including New York, Philadelphia and Dallas. It bested ABC's "Good Morning America" in 15 markets, including Orlando, Baltimore and New Orleans and outperformed NBC's "Today" in six markets, including New York, Atlanta and Boston. 

"Special Report with Bret Baier" is also closing the gap with broadcast news competitors, beating "CBS Evening News" in 23 markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.; ABC’s "World News Tonight" in eight markets, including New Orleans and St. Louis; and "NBC Nightly News" in markets such as Tampa Bay, Boston and Tulsa.

Fox News’ daytime lineup outpaced MSNBC and CNN in August. "America’s Newsroom" and "The Faulkner Focus" both averaged 1.8 million viewers, "Outnumbered" averaged 1.9 million, "American Reports" and "The Story with Martha MacCallum" each averaged 1.7 million and "The Will Cain Show" averaged 2 million.

Notably, every Fox News program between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET in daytime bested ABC's "GMA3," NBC's "Today Third Hour" and NBC's "Today with Jenna & Friends," all of which averaged less than 1.7 million total viewers in August. 

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