The Lead
Fox News is poised to finish 2024 as the leading cable news outlet and the highest-rated network in all of television according to Nielsen Media Research.
During 2024, 70 of the top 100 cable news broadcasts originated from Fox News.
In the total day ratings, Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers for the year, a 21% increase compared to 2023. It also averaged 187,000 viewers in the Adults 25-54 demographic, a 26% year-over-year uptick.
In primetime, Fox News saw 31% year-over-year growth with 2.4 million viewers on average. In the key demographic, it averaged 298,000 viewers, up 42%.
During 2024, Fox News commanded 55% of the cable news audience in primetime and 53% of the total day audience. That marks the network’s largest share since 2015.
“Throughout coverage of a tumultuous political cycle, wars in the Middle East, and major breaking news events, millions of viewers across the political spectrum continued to tune into FOX News Channel for our unrivaled reporting and analysis,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott.
“I am extremely proud of our entire team for proving once again why we are the nation’s most-watched network as we outpaced the competition in covering the stories that mattered most to everyday Americans,” she continued.
Meanwhile, MSNBC averaged 1.3 million viewers in primetime for the year. That figure was up 4% year-over-year. In Adults 25-54, the network averaged 137,000, a 12% increase. CNN saw a 20% increase in primetime, as it averaged 700,000 total viewers and 151,000 in the Adults 25-54 demographic.
Newsmax On Fringe of Top 25 Cable Networks
During the week of December 9th, Newsmax was just on the fringe of the top 25 cable networks in primetime, according to data from Nielsen.
In the 8-11 PM ET timeslot, Newsmax averaged 256,000 total viewers. That placed the network 26th overall for the window. For comparison, CNN was 19th at 360,000 total viewers.
Newsmax was actually higher in the total day ratings. The network saw a 23rd-place finish for the week with 176,000 total viewers.
NewsNation was 55th in the primetime rankings with an average of 103,000 viewers and finished the total ratings in 65th with an average audience of 51,000.
Face the Nation Leads Overall Viewers, Meet the Press Earns Top Spot in Key Demo
The Sunday political affairs ratings race between CBS News’ Face the Nation, NBC News’ Meet the Press, and ABC News’ This Week with George Stephanopoulos has been incredibly close in recent months.
However, on Sunday, December 15th, Face the Nation — hosted by Margaret Brennan — took the top spot in the overall viewer category. Meet the Press, which is hosted by Kristen Welker, earned more viewers in the Adults 25-54 demographic.
Face the Nation saw 2.6 million viewers on Sunday, while Meet the Press was close behind with 2.299 million. The ABC News program hosted by George Stephanopoulos was right on the NBC News program’s tail with 2.265 million as well.
In the key demographic, 424,000 viewers tuned into the Welker-led show. That bested the 381,000 who watched Brennan’s CBS News show, and the 333,000 viewers of the ABC News program.
FOX News Sunday, which is anchored by Shannon Bream, saw an audience of 1 million viewers Sunday. Of that figure, 219,000 were from the Adults 25-54 demographic.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
