Fox News defeated the liberal media and established itself as the undisputed king of American television news in February, beating even CBS in primetime viewership and posting its strongest monthly performance in a year, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel data released Tuesday.
The cable network averaged 2.6 million total viewers in Monday-through-Sunday primetime — beating CBS’ 2.4 million, which marked the broadcast network’s lowest February performance since the year 2000.
It was the first time in 2026 that Fox News led CBS in both total viewers and the all-important adults 25-54 demographic.
The gap widened even further during the workweek. In weekday primetime, Fox News drew 3.1 million viewers and 316,000 in the 25-54 demo, besting CBS’ 2 million viewers and 278,000 in the demo.
ABC fared no better, posting its lowest-rated February in the key demographic this century.
Across the full day, Fox News averaged 1.719 million total viewers — up 19 percent compared to January — and accounted for all 100 of the top cable news telecasts of the month. Every program in its weekday lineup posted its best month since at least September.
The numbers put Fox News in a category by itself. The network now has 34 percent more primetime viewers than CNN and MS NOW combined. CNN averaged 807,000 primetime viewers for the month while MS NOW averaged 1.14 million — together totaling just 1.94 million, well short of Fox News.
“The Five,” airing at 5 p.m. ET, was the month’s top television program, pulling in more than 4 million viewers and 337,000 in the 25-54 demo.
“Jesse Watters Primetime” led all of primetime television with 3.4 million viewers and 329,000 in the demo at 8 p.m. ET.
“Special Report with Bret Baier” averaged more than 3.1 million viewers — its best month since March 2025 — and beat “CBS Evening News” in 14 major markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
Late night was no different. “Gutfeld!” topped all of late-night television, cable and broadcast alike, drawing more than 3 million viewers and leading all programs in the 25-54 demographic with 347,000 viewers. The show beat both CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Fox News’ morning dominance rounds out the full day. “FOX & Friends” maintained the No. 1 spot in cable news morning programming among adults 25-54 for the 60th consecutive month, beating CNN and MS NOW combined. The program also outperformed “CBS Mornings” in 20 major markets.
On weekends, Fox News won every hour among total viewers, beating CNN and MS NOW by double- to triple-digit margins. “Sunday Morning Futures” was the most-watched cable news program on Sundays with 1.9 million viewers.
Fox News has been the most-watched television news channel for more than 24 consecutive years and the top-rated network in basic cable for nine straight years.