Fox News Channel pulled 1.72 million total viewers during Monday’s 9 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen data shared with Mediaite. Plus, FNC pulled 162,000 viewers in advertisers’ favorite demographic: viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.
Even with numbers like that, Fox came in second among the big three cable networks. MSNBC drew 2.33 million total viewers during the same timeslot on Monday, including 259,000 demo viewers. As usual, CNN hardly even competed, with only 395,000 total viewers and 88,000 demo viewers.
Fox News normally trounces MSNBC in ratings. However, MSNBC has historically finished first under some circumstances. For example, the liberal network pulled a shocking number of viewers while airing the hearings from the House investigation on the Capitol riot.
Now, Fox News finds itself in extraordinary circumstances again. Last month, Fox News parted ways with the host of Tucker Carlson Tonight, cable television’s most-watched program by a solo host. The network has been losing viewers since then.
However, Fox News has been falling behind in timeslots other than just Carlson’s, according to Monday’s report. Viewers seem to be tuning out entirely, rather than simply changing the channel at 8 p.m.
On Monday, Fox News was pulling more viewers than MSNBC all day until 9 at night. Viewers tuned out for Hannity and The Ingraham Angle, before tuning back in for Gutfeld! at 10.
Some pundits have speculated that Laura Ingraham damaged her reputation through remarks publicized during a recent lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. However, that hardly explains why Hannity, in particular, fell much farther behind.
Amid all these woes, Fox News was rumored to be moving Hannity to the 8 p.m. timeslot. However, the network declined to comment publicly. A Fox News spokesperson told Forbes earlier this month, “No decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are multiple scenarios under consideration.”
“There’s no change to our programming strategy at Fox News,” Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox News Channel’s parent company, reportedly told investors at the time. “It’s obviously a successful strategy.”
Fox News quelled other rumors a little more forcefully. For example, the network said explicitly in a statement that it had no plans to fire Laura Ingraham, top-rated among the solo, female hosts.
The Horn editorial team