Fox News Channel concluded the summer as the most-watched network in weekday primetime, outperforming NBC, ABC, and CBS for the second consecutive year. Since the start of summer, Fox News has averaged 2.6 million viewers in weekday primetime programming, surpassing NBC's 2.5 million, ABC's 2.3 million, and CBS's 2 million.
In August, Fox News also led its cable news competitors. The network averaged 1.4 million total day viewers, significantly higher than MS NOW's 599,000 and CNN's 439,000. During primetime hours from 8-11 p.m., Fox News garnered 2.1 million viewers, compared to 940,000 for MS NOW and 624,000 for CNN.
"The Five" was the most-watched cable news program in August, averaging 3.3 million total viewers. "Jesse Watters Primetime" followed with 2.9 million viewers, securing the primetime viewership crown. Fox News Channel featured 13 of the 15 most-watched programs in cable news during August, with shows like "Gutfeld!," "Special Report with Bret Baier," "Hannity," and "The Ingraham Angle" all drawing larger audiences than any programming on MS NOW or CNN.
CNN's highest-rated program, "CNN Newsnight," ranked No. 24 among cable news offerings. The highest-rated MS NOW program, "The Rachel Maddow Show," finished sixth but aired only four times in August due to its host's Monday-only schedule.
"FOX & Friends" maintained its position as the No. 1 cable news morning show for the 66th consecutive month, averaging 1.2 million viewers in August. This viewership exceeded the combined audiences of CNN and MS NOW for the same time period. Other Fox News daytime programs, including "America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino," "The Faulkner Focus," "Outnumbered," "America Reports with Sandra Smith and John Roberts," "The Story" with Martha MacCallum, and "The Will Cain Show," also experienced strong viewership.
Fox News also dominated weekend ratings in August, outpacing CNN and MS NOW in both total viewers and the key demographic of adults aged 25-54. "Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany" was the most-watched Saturday program with 1.4 million viewers. "Sunday Morning Futures" and "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" tied for the Sunday title, each averaging 1.4 million viewers.
Data for these ratings was provided by Nielsen Media Research.