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Fox News continues to smash records as anchor Sean Hannity is now the longest-running prime-time cable news host.
Fox News dominated cable news by such a large margin that the conservative network had more viewership in a key demo than CNN and MSNBC combined.
“Fox News dominated CNN and MSNBC in the month of May, beating their combined viewers in both the key 25-54 age demographic and in terms of total viewers –for the 10th straight month,” Mediaite reported.
“MSNBC came in second place among the three networks in terms of total viewers, while CNN landed in second in the demo. MSNBC has seen its demo viewership drop sharply in recent weeks and ended May with its lowest daytime demo average since November 1999 and its lowest prime-time average since May 2004,” the report added.
The top 7 cable news programs in May came from Fox News, with Rachel Maddow’s show on MSNBC — which she only hosts one day a week — coming in 8th place.
May was also a massive month for Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and the hit show “The Five.”
The Five remained the most-watched show on all of cable in May, bringing in 3.279 million total viewers, followed closely behind by Tucker Carlson Tonight’s 3.23 million total viewers.
Sean Hannity landed in third place with 2.72 million total viewers, despite some stiff competition from Jesse Watters who came in fourth with 2.64 million total viewers.
Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, and Greg Gutfeld rounded out the top 7 places in the ratings – respectively. Maddow landed in 8th place with 1.95 million total viewers.
Hannity also recently became the longest-running prime-time cable news host.
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.
“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.”
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.”
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.
Watters recently spoke about his new show and gave an idea of what he envisions for the program long-term.
He said that it would be “an entertaining hour with news and politics and culture, crime, tabloid — everything.”
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.
