Fox News prime-time lineup delivers highest ratings in 24-year history
Fox News achieved its highest ratings in its 24-year history, according to Nielsen Media Research, averaging 3.5 million total viewers in prime time during the month of February.
The big ratings marked the 44th consecutive month Fox News has been the most-watched channel in all of basic cable.
Overall, among the three major cable news networks, Fox averaged 3.53 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1.78 million and CNN’s 1.05 million.
In the 25- to 54-year-old demographic sought by advertisers, Fox News was first in the category with 587,000 viewers in prime time, followed by MSNBC’s 317,000 and CNN’s 296,000.
Sean Hannity’s, Tucker Carlson’s and Laura Ingraham’s programs were the top shows in cable news. Each of these hosts’ shows hit all-time highs for a month.
Hannity finished with 4.3 million total viewers, while Carlson was second with 4.115 million and Ingraham third with 3.6 million. Ingraham’s average audience marked a record for a female cable news host.
President Trump’s State of the Union address was the most-watched telecast in February, delivering more than 11.6 million total viewers.
Compared to the same month in 2019, Fox News was up 35 percent overall in total viewers, with CNN declining by 3 percent and MSNBC down 9 percent in total viewers.
In the 25-54 demographic, Fox saw a 27 percent increase, while CNN and MSNBC were down 6 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
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