June was a relatively slow month on the news front. However, that didn’t stop MS NOW from seeing a jump in the primetime ratings.
What We Know: Fox News continued its lead in the total viewership race in primetime. It averaged 2.3 million viewers during the window. The Five also stayed as the most-viewed show in the space, averaging 3.5 million viewers. Fox News earned the top six spots in the overall shows category. The first show from MS NOW in the cable news rankings was The Rachel Maddow Show. That show averaged 2.1 million viewers for the month. The next highest-rated show from MS NOW was The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. It featured an average of 1.3 million overall viewers.
What the Numbers Show:
Primetime Total Viewership: June 2026 vs. May 2026
| Network | June 2026 | May 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox News | 2.3M | 2.4M | 🔻 -5.8% |
| MS NOW | 1.0M | 942K | 🟢 +7.7% |
| CNN | 628K | 633K | 🔻 -0.8% |
| Newsmax | 198K | 194K | 🟢 +2.1% |
| NewsNation | 156K | 146K | 🟢 +6.8% |
Total Day Total Viewership: June 2026 vs. May 2026
| Network | June 2026 | May 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox News | 1.6M | 1.5M | 🟢 +3.0% |
| MS NOW | 655K | 595K | 🟢 +10.1% |
| CNN | 500K | 460K | 🟢 +8.7% |
| Newsmax | 198K | 191K | 🟢 +3.7% |
| NewsNation | 80K | 75K | 🟢 +6.7% |
What Remains Unclear: What led to the uptick for MS NOW. It is also unknown what led to the total day viewership increases during the month for everyone included in the space. MS NOW underwent a lineup change mid-month, across both the dayside and primetime windows.
What It Means: The news in the total day viewership window is slightly surprising due to the lack of major news events taking place during the month. While it’s unsurprising that Fox News remained on top of the cable news ratings, MS NOW has to be encouraged by its performance during the month.
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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.
