For over a decade, Fox News Channel has dominated the ratings. Anchored by conservative news host Bill O’Reilly, the network consistently ranked as the top cable ratings king among all major demographics.
Following a series of scandals earlier this year — including the firing of popular host O’Reilly — the network has seen their hold on the crown slip.
Some conservative viewers vowed to boycott the network… and it is working.
For the first time since October 2001, the most popular personality in prime-time this month doesn’t work for Fox News Channel. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC is the new champion.
Her network achieved other milestones in July, including its closest overall finish to Fox since 2000 and largest margin of victory over CNN ever. The numbers illustrate the waning popularity of Fox, as well as a surge in popularity at MSNBC, where politics has become prime-time entertainment.
It seems having President Donald Trump as a regular punching bag is great for business.
“I thought there would be a lot of interest in news,” bragged MSNBC President Phil Griffin. “I had no idea this would happen.”
Of course, Maddow’s ratings victory comes with one asterisk: she no longer has Fox’s Bill O’Reilly to compete with.
O’Reilly’s sudden firing in April, coupled with Megyn Kelly’s failed departure for NBC, leaves Sean Hannity as the one constant in Fox’s prime-time lineup. The network’s 2.36 million viewers in July compares to 3.82 million in February.
Fox’s revamped lineup may not be as appealing. Fox’s hosts also strongly back a president who has been regularly attacked by other mainstream media outlets. Time will reveal the determining factor in the network’s loss of strength.
The Associated Press contributed to this article