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Fox News continued its massive dominance of cable news last week, and one program, in particular, stood out.
“The Five” pulled in 3.13 million total viewers on Thursday, barely edging out host Tucker Carlson’s 3.09 million total viewers, though Carlson managed to dominate the key 25-54-year-old demographic with 413,000 compared to 380,000 viewers in the demo, according to Mediaite.
Fox’s Sean Hannity, meanwhile, took in 2.53 million total viewers.
Per Mediaite, here’s a full breakdown of Thursday’s ratings in daytime averages and 25-54 demo:
Total viewers:
CNN: 548,000
Fox News: 1.71 million
MSNBC: 887,000
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 101,000
Fox News: 226,000
MSNBC: 87,000
Here are the primetime averages:
Total viewers:
CNN: 672,000
Fox News: 2.55 million
MSNBC: 1.53 million
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 138,000
Fox News: 316,000
MSNBC: 131,000
Fox News has been dominant for more than a year in cable news ratings. Earlier this month was emblematic: Data showed that Fox News had 84 of the top 100 cable news shows between July 4 and 10 and averaged 1.3 million viewers.
For comparison, MSNBC finished second with 666,000 daily average viewers in that same time frame.
Fox News beat all of cable news among the key demographic of adults aged 25-54, averaging 198,000 total demo viewers and 288,000 during primetime.
According to Fox News:
“The Five” averaged 3.2 million viewers to finish as the most-watched cable news offering, as Fox News finished with 84 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the week.
“Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Special Report with Bret Baier” and “The Ingraham Angle” joined “The Five” among the five most-popular shows.
“Tucker” averaged 505,000 viewers among the advertiser-coveted demographic to win the critical ratings category.
“FOX & Friends” continued its dominant streak, averaging 1.2 million viewers to top morning show competition on CNN and MSNBC for the 68th straight week.
CNN’s “New Day” averaged a dismal 385,000 viewers and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” settled for and average audience of 832,000.
Fox News crushes basic cable competition, outdraws CNN and MSNBC in ratings for 73rd straight week https://t.co/3lvG7hFot5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 12, 2022
Fox News hosts and programs tend to trade top spots, as well. During one evening in mid-July, Hannity swept the competition in his 9 PM ET time slot.
The popular Fox News host racked up just over 2 million total viewers compared to CNN Tonight getting 600,000, and MSNBC Prime got 1.2 million.
Hannity, who has been with Fox News since its launch in 1996, recently became the longest-running prime-time cable news host.
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 continued.
“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.”
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.
