Fox News continued its dominance of cable news in August, averaging 2.3 million primetime viewers while CNN and MSNBC recorded their worst performances in decades.
The network captured 65% of cable news primetime viewership and 63% of total day viewing, extending a run that began in late June. Fox News was the only major network to show year-over-year growth in total viewers, up 1% from August 2024.
CNN averaged just 444,000 primetime viewers in August, down 59% from the previous year, while MSNBC fell 57% to 783,000 viewers. Both networks hit historic lows during what industry analysts labeled a quiet news month.
“The Five” led all cable news programs with 3.5 million viewers, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” with 3.1 million and “Gutfeld!” with 2.8 million. Fox News secured the top 163 cable news telecasts of the month.
CNN’s August total day average of 333,000 viewers marked its second-lowest month ever in the key 25-54 demographic. MSNBC’s 502,000 total day viewers represented its weakest August performance in more than two decades.
Fox News not only dominated cable news but beat all three major broadcast networks in primetime during the summer. From June 20 through Labor Day, Fox News averaged 2.43 million viewers compared to ABC’s 2.38 million, NBC’s 2.21 million and CBS’s 2.03 million.
In the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, Fox News averaged 237,000 August viewers in primetime compared to CNN’s 78,000 and MSNBC’s 72,000. However, Fox News saw an 18% decline in this demographic compared to August 2024.
“Jesse Watters Primetime” beat NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior,” while “Gutfeld!” outperformed CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “The Five” even topped CBS’s “Big Brother.”
Morning programming showed similar dominance. “Fox & Friends” averaged 1.3 million viewers, marking its 54th consecutive month leading cable news in the time slot. The program beat “CBS Mornings” in 21 markets, “Good Morning America” in 15 markets, and NBC’s “Today” in six markets.
“Special Report with Bret Baier” led “CBS Evening News” in 23 markets and beat “ABC World News Tonight” in eight markets, demonstrating Fox News’s reach beyond cable into broadcast territory.
Daytime programming remained strong across Fox News, with shows averaging between 1.7 million and 1.9 million viewers. “The Will Cain Show” grew its 4 p.m. slot to 2 million viewers.
Weekend programming also dominated, with “Sunday Morning Futures” topping weekend shows at 1.6 million viewers.
Despite the overall success, all three cable news networks recorded month-to-month declines in August. Fox News fell 4% in primetime total viewers and 8% in the key demographic compared to July.
MSNBC dropped to third place in some rankings after holding second position in previous months. CNN fell to seventh place among all networks in primetime total viewers.
The ratings represent a dramatic shift from August 2024. MSNBC lost 71% of its primetime demographic viewers year-over-year, while CNN dropped 68% in the same category.
Other networks showed mixed results. NewsNation recorded the fastest growth among cable news networks with 14% gains in total day viewing. Fox Business continued beating CNBC for the fourth straight month during business hours.