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Fox News Ratings Smash CNN, MSNBC As Sean Hannity Breaks Cable News Record

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Fox News continues to smash ratings records as anchor Sean Hannity is now the longest-running prime-time cable news host.

“Fox News’ lowest-rated show in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic nearly doubled MSNBC’s highest-rated show in the demo on Tuesday,” Mediaite reported. “Fox News not only swept the demo across all time slots, its lowest-rated show still outperformed CNN and MSNBC’s highest-rated program by a wide margin. Fox’s America Reports at 2 p.m. was its lowest performer in the demo, bringing in 221,000 viewers.”

“CNN’s top-rated show in the demo, meanwhile, was Erin Burnett’s OutFront — bringing in 147,000 demo viewers. MSNBC’s top-rated show was its 9 p.m. MSNBC Prime, which brought in 116,000 demo viewers, a little more than half of America Reports’ 221,000,” the report added.

As for the three cable news networks overall, below are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 demo:

Total viewers:

CNN: 504,000

Fox News: 1.85 million

MSNBC: 759,000

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 105,000

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Fox News: 297,000

MSNBC: 77,000

Here are the prime time averages — encompassing shows which air from 8-11 p.m. — in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 577,000

Fox News: 2.68 million

MSNBC: 1.08 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 124,000

Fox News: 431,000

MSNBC: 105,000

Late last month, Hannity, who has been with Fox News since its launch in 1996, smashed another record after becoming a host for nearly 25 years and six months.

Fox News issued a statement celebrating the milestone, saying, “FOX News Channel’s (FNC) Sean Hannity has notched yet another industry milestone, becoming the longest-running primetime cable news host in television history. Today marks 25 consecutive years, six months, and 15 days at the helm of a primetime cable news program, breaking the previous longstanding record* held by the late talk show host Larry King. As cable news’ most enduring personality, Hannity has been a staple of FNC’s primetime lineup since the launch of the network in 1996, where his candid style and passionate commentary have made him one of the most prominent and influential voices in the country.”

The statement added:

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service and has been the number one network in basic cable for the last six years and the most-watched television news channel for more than 20 consecutive years, currently attracting more than 50% of the cable news viewing audience according to Nielsen Media Research.

Notably, Nielsen/MRI Fusion has consistently shown FNC to be the network of choice for more Democrat and Independent viewers, with the most politically diverse audience in cable news. Additionally, a 2021 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report stated FOX News leads the news industry in both brand loyalty, engagement, and expectations while a 2022 Brand Keys poll showed FNC dominating morning and evening news in customer loyalty engagement. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in nearly 80 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 15 programs in the genre.

“Sean’s authenticity and insightful commentary have created one of the most enduring connections with our audience and it’s been an honor to watch him over the years. A FOX News original, he has helped innovate the industry, and we are incredibly proud of his extraordinary success,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said of Hannity’s longevity and success.

Hannity said, “I am extremely grateful to FOX News Media and to our loyal, dedicated viewers whom I am proud to serve every night.”

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Hannity is hardly the only host on the network smashing records.

Popular host Tucker Carlson’s primetime show on Fox News smashed another key barrier earlier this year.

Television viewership data released by Nielsen/MRI Fusion reveals that Carlson’s show is the number one most-watched show among Democrats in the key demographic of 25-54 year-olds.

The hit show “The Five” once again led all cable news shows in total viewers on Monday, racking up a whopping 3.4 million viewers.

Perhaps more impressively, Fox News beat both ABC and NBC across primetime on Monday night, averaging 2.69 million total viewers. ABC averaged 2.42 million total viewers in prime time, while NBC averaged 2.17 million total viewers across prime time.

This has also been a huge year for Jesse Watters, who is a co-host on “The Five” and now has his own show on the network.

Waters took over as the permanent host of the 7 PM EST weekday time slot this week on Fox News and he raked in 3.8 million total viewers on his first day. That represented the network’s best ratings in that timeslot in more than a year.

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