Fox News viewership crushes MSNBC, CNN in October

Fox News Channel viewership crushed MSNBC and CNN across the board in October as the 2024 political season heated up.

October was another jam-packed news month as the election race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump dominated headlines. Americans relied on Fox News Channel for information and analysis, as the network averaged 1.6 million total day viewers to finish No. 1 among all cable offerings. 

Fox News was the only cable channel to surpass the one-million viewer mark, as MSNBC finished No. 2 with 903,000 average viewers and ESPN finished third with 811,000. CNN managed only 532,000 average viewers during October to finish with roughly 1/3 of Fox News’ viewership. 

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Fox News also finished No. 1 from 8-11 p.m. ET, averaging 2.8 million primetime viewers to thumb cable news competitors. ESPN managed 2.3 million viewers to finish second, followed by TBS, MSNBC and Fox Sports 1. CNN averaged only 830,000 viewers from 8-11 p.m. ET to finish sixth in the category.  

When it comes to the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, Fox News averaged 212,000 total day viewers from the critical group compared to 100,000 for CNN and only 97,000 for MSNBC. During primetime, Fox News averaged 359,000 demo viewers compared to 175,000 for CNN and 160,000 for MSNBC. 

Fox News has now topped CNN and MSNBC in all categories for 44 straight months. 

“The Five,” with Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro and rotating co-hosts Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., finished as the most-watched show on cable news, averaging 3.6 million total viewers. 

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“Special Report” anchor Bret Baier’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris drew a staggering 9.2 million total viewers, making it the most-watched non-primetime interview in cable news history. (Fox News Channel)

“The Five,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Hannity,” “Gutfeld!,” “Special Report with Bret Baier,” “The Ingraham Angle,” “Outnumbered,” “The Faulkner Focus,” “America’s Newsroom” with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer, “America Reports” with Sandra Smith and John Roberts, Martha MacCallum’s “The Story” and “Your World with Neil Cavuto” all beat anything CNN or MSNBC had to offer as Fox News was home to the top 12 most-watched programs. 

MSNBC’s top show was “Deadline: White House,” which finished No. 13 in cable news. CNN’s most popular show, “Anderson Cooper 360,” finished No. 26 behind 14 different Fox News shows and 11 MSNBC offerings. 

“Jesse Watters Primetime” took home the demo crown, leading cable news with 454,000 average viewers among the advertiser-coveted group. 

“Special Report” anchor Bret Baier’s interview with Harris on Oct. 16 drew a staggering 9.2 million total viewers, making it the most-watched non-primetime interview in cable news history.

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“The Five” finished as the most-watched show on cable news in October, averaging 3.6 million total viewers.  (FOX News Media)

“FOX & Friends,” “FOX & Friends First” and “FOX News @ Night” all had strong months, too, as Fox News aired 94 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the month. “The Big Weekend Show” was the most-watched program in cable news on both Saturdays and Sundays during October. 

Fox News’ simulcast of the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz averaged nearly 11 million viewers.

Fox News remained the No. 1 network in all of cable news among upscale, Hispanic and Asian viewers during total day viewership and among the key demo. Additionally, more Independents and Democrats continued to watch Fox News over any other network, according to data from Nielsen MRI Fusion.

Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.

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