The Lead
During the week of August 4th, MSNBC had reason to celebrate with an uptick in both the overall primetime ratings and inside the Adults 25-54 demographic.
In the primetime ratings, MSNBC saw a 9% week-over-week increase, up to 821,000 total viewers. It marked a bounce-back of sorts for the network, after it featured a double-digit week-over-week decline compared to the week of July 28th. Compared to the same week in 2024, it was a 46% decrease. The most recent week was a 41% decrease year-over-year.
In the key demographic, Fox News remained at the top of the cable news ecosystem during the week of August 4th, finishing primetime with an average of 2.3 million viewers. That figure — 2.290 million — marked the lowest primetime rating for the network so far in 2025. It included a 4% week-over-week decline.
Despite setting a new low for the year, Fox News still nearly tripled the numbers of MSNBC, the next closest competitor.
The network also saw its lowest figure of the year in the coveted demographic, featuring 217,000 viewers from the Adults 25-54 sector for the week. That finish represents a 17% decrease in viewers from the category compared to the previous week.
CNN also saw a decrease in total primetime viewers during the most recent week. The network’s primetime audience fell from 498,000 to 450,000 during the week of August 4th. That is a 10% decrease week-over-week.
Similarly, it saw an 8% decrease in the key demo for the week, falling to 78,000. MSNBC saw an increase, growing 7% week-over-week, up to 73,000 total viewers from that sector. Despite that increase, MSNBC finished behind both CNN and Fox News (217,000) in that category.
That finish in the key demographic for Fox News was its lowest figure of the year thus far. It represents a 17% decrease in viewers from the category compared to the previous week.
During the most recent week, The Five for Fox News remained the most-watched show in cable news, averaging 3.4 million viewers. Fox News accounted for 14 of the top 15 broadcasts of the week. The Rachel Maddow Show from MSNBC was the only non-Fox show into the top 15, finishing with an audience of 1.9 million on its Monday edition.
World News Tonight Down Across the Board, But Still on Top
Like Fox News in primetime, World News Tonight with David Muir slipped to its lowest ratings of 2025 during the week of August 4th.
The ABC News nightly newscast averaged 6.9 million viewers for the week. It marks the first time the broadcast has slipped below an average audience of less than 7 million since the week of May 12th, which was the previous low at 6.997 million viewers.
Despite the 7% week-over-week decline, World News Tonight remained not only the top nightly newscast for the week but also the top overall program in television for the 13th straight week.
In the Adults 25-54 demographic, the ABC News broadcast averaged 915,000 viewers, ending a three-week streak of more than 1 million from that sector.
Like World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News also saw its lowest average audience of 2025 during the week of August 4th. The Tom Llamas-led program dropped to an average of 5.3 million viewers. That represents a 4% week-over-week decline.
The NBC News program also slumped to its lowest audience in the Adults 25-54 demographic, finishing with 715,000 viewers from the demo.
CBS Evening News did not drop to new lows in 2025 during the most recent week, but did see a slight week-over-week decline. It saw a 2% decrease in overall viewership, down to an average audience of 3.7 million for the week.
In the key demographic, it also slipped slightly, down from 553,000 to 516,000.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
