Fox News continued to dominate cable news in November, making it the No. 1 network for almost two-and-a-half years, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Averaging 1.5 million total day viewers, the conservative outlet beat out CNN and MSNBC to become the most-watched basic cable channel for the 29th month in a row as the liberal networks struggled to compete with the Hallmark Channel.
Fox finished second in prime-time ratings behind ESPN, but still swept CNN and MSNBC in the category.
Fox leads basic cable for 29 months
Fox, Hallmark, ESPN, and MSNBC were the only basic cable channels to smash the one-million threshold in total day viewers last month. CNN netted 761,000 viewers, finishing sixth, while Fox led the competition with 1.475 million and MSNBC came in fourth with an average of 1 million.
MSNBC and CNN both trailed the Hallmark Channel in the category, while CNN also finished behind Nickelodeon, which placed fifth.
Fox trounced the competition in the prime-time hours from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. as well, with an average 2.4 million views, more than double CNN’s 1.1 million. Fox only fell behind ESPN and led MSNBC in the category, which came in fourth with 1.8 million.
Fox shows dominate
Sean Hannity’s self-titled show became the most-watched cable news program for eight straight months this November, averaging over three million viewers, and is on its way to being the most-watched show in cable for the second consecutive year.
MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show finished second, averaging 2.9 million, but Fox’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Five, and The Ingraham Angle clinched the remaining spots in the top five, all netting more than 2 million viewers on average.
CNN lagged far behind with the network’s number-one show, Chris Cuomo’s Cuomo Prime Time, finishing 23rd with 1.2 million viewers. Cuomo trailed 14 Fox shows and 8 MSNBC shows.
Leads 25-54 demographic
Fox Business also dominated business news for its 18th consecutive month in November. Fox grew by 3 percent and 6 percent in the total day and prime-time categories, respectively.
Fox also dominated the coveted 25-54 demographic, undercutting stereotypes that the network attracts an aging audience. Fox attracted an average of 478,000 viewers in the demographic to CNN’s 374,000 and MSNBC’s 332,000. Hannity and Carlson attracted more viewers in the demographic than Maddow, with Hannity scoring an average of 571,000, Carlson earning 539,000, and Maddow managing only 525,000.
Fox jumped 7 percent in prime-time ratings with the demographic but fell 2 percent in total day viewers, while CNN made the biggest percentage gains with the demographic, with a huge 24 percent jump in prime-time viewers aged 25-54. CNN had the largest gains overall, with 31 percent growth in its prime-time viewership.
MSNBC lost with the younger crowd across the board, posting losses of 13 percent and 11 percent in total day and prime-time with the demographic, respectively.
To expand its reach in the digital market, Fox launched its subscription-only streaming service for “Super Fans,” called Fox Nation, last week. The platform includes content from Fox hosts Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Tomi Lahren, as well as Internet personalities Diamond & Silk.
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