Fox News Dominates Cable News Landscape Post-Election

Fox News Channel has cemented its position as the dominant force in cable news, achieving unprecedented viewership numbers since the last Election Day. The network has consistently outperformed its competitors, securing the top 1,000 cable news telecasts and demonstrating a clear lead in both total day and primetime ratings.

Fox News’ success can be attributed to a variety of factors, including its strong programming lineup, dedicated viewership base, and comprehensive coverage of major news events. The network’s coverage of President Trump’s inauguration in January proved to be a major draw, attracting 11.7 million viewers during the swearing-in ceremony. This marked the highest-rated hour of the year for cable news, further solidifying Fox News’ position as the go-to source for political coverage.

In comparison, MSNBC’s "The Rachel Maddow Show," a prominent voice on the left, did not appear on the list of top-rated telecasts until 1,104th place. This particular episode, which aired on March 24, garnered 2.4 million viewers. Maddow’s decision to scale back her show to once a week after airing five nights a week for the first 100 days of the Trump administration may have also contributed to this disparity.

Fox News’ dominance extends beyond individual programs. The network achieved the highest-rated first 100 days in cable news history, culminating in a dominant performance in April. Its total day cable news share since the election is an impressive 65%, while its primetime share reaches 66%. This starkly contrasts with CNN, which captured 14% of cable news viewers in total day and 12% in primetime. MSNBC fared slightly better, drawing 20% of total day viewers and 22% during primetime.

Since the election, Fox News has averaged 1.8 million viewers and 224,000 in the coveted 25-54 demographic across total day. During primetime, these numbers rise to 2.7 million viewers and 335,000 in the 25-54 demographic. For the week of April 28 to May 4, Fox News maintained its strong performance, attracting 1.6 million viewers and 180,000 in the 25-54 demographic across total day, and 2.5 million viewers and 256,000 in the demo during primetime.

Notably, Fox News’ weekday primetime viewership (2.9 million) surpassed even that of NBC (2.5 million viewers). In contrast, CNN experienced its worst week of the year in terms of total day viewers (365,000) and primetime viewers aged 25-54 (81,000).

The strong performance of Fox News programs underscores the network’s appeal to a broad audience. "The Five" led cable news with 3.7 million total viewers and 366,000 in the 25-54 demographic, followed by "Jesse Watters Primetime" with 3.3 million viewers and 364,000 in the demo, and "Special Report" with 2.8 million viewers and 311,000 in the demo. "The Ingraham Angle" also garnered significant viewership, attracting 2.7 million viewers and 323,000 in the demo. "Hannity" (2.6 million, 280,000) and "Fox News @ Night" (1.5 million, 180,000) further solidified Fox News’ dominance in their respective time slots.

Even in late-night programming, Fox News has emerged as a formidable competitor. "Gutfeld!" secured 2.8 million viewers and 298,000 in the demo, surpassing broadcast competitors such as "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS (1.8 million total, 272,000 in demo), "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC (1.4 million total, 231,000 in demo), and "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" on NBC (1.1 million total, 267,000 in demo).

During daytime hours, Fox News programs consistently outperformed their counterparts on competing networks. "The Will Cain Show" (2 million viewers), "Outnumbered" (nearly 2 million), "America’s Newsroom" (1.9 million), "The Faulkner Focus" (1.8 million), "The Story with Martha MacCallum" (1.8 million), and "America Reports" (1.75 million) all exceeded the viewership of NBC’s "Today Third Hour" (1,633,000 viewers) and ABC’s "GMA3" (1,261,000 viewers).

On weekends, Fox News continued its strong performance. On Saturday, "My View With Lara Trump" was the most-watched show of the day at 1.6 million viewers, featuring an interview with Elon Musk. "FOX & Friends Weekend" followed with 1.5 million viewers, along with "Life, Liberty & Levin" (1.4 million) and "FOX News Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla" (1.3 million).

On Sunday, Maria Bartiromo’s "Sunday Morning Futures" topped the charts with 1.6 million viewers, while "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" led primetime with 1.5 million. "The Big Weekend Show" took 1.3 million viewers and 119,000 in the 25-54 demo, while "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade" posted 1.4 million viewers. "FOX & Friends Weekend" also secured the top spot in the 25-54 demo with 148,000 viewers.

The article also notes a study finding that ABC, NBC, and CBS have given President Trump 92% negative coverage as the 100th day of his second term approaches. CBS, which is facing a $20 billion lawsuit from Trump over a "60 Minutes" segment, saw its nightly news program, "CBS Evening News," hit its lowest-rated week ever with just 3.6 million viewers and 482,000 in the 25-54 demo. Finally the piece touches on Montel Williams opening up about MS, chronic pain and opioid abuse after a warning from doctors.

Fox News’ consistent dominance across various time slots and programs demonstrates its strong appeal to a wide range of viewers. The network’s focus on news coverage, political commentary, and opinion programming has resonated with a significant segment of the population, solidifying its position as the leading cable news channel.