Cable news saw Fox News extend its streak to 96 quarters as the top non-sports cable network, with The Five topping all shows at 3.85 million viewers on Tuesday (up 3% WoW) and Hannity leading the demo at 320,000; the network's holiday week surge was tied to 24/7 Trump cabinet buzz, outdrawing MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show (1.12 million average, flat) and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 (678,000, down 4%).
Nielsen's data, blending big data panels with live metrics, shows Fox's edge widening to 3x MSNBC's audience, even as all three posted year-to-date declines: Fox down 2% in total viewers through November, MSNBC down 12%, and CNN down 18%.Season-to-date through November 30, broadcasts averaged CBS at 5.3 million primetime total viewers (up 1% YoY), NBC at 4.9 million (down 3%), and ABC at 4.7 million (down 5%), per Nielsen, while cable news figures stood at Fox 2.3 million (flat), MSNBC 920,000 (down 10%), and CNN 580,000 (down 15%).
📺BROADCAST EVENING NEWSCASTS
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir topped the ratings for broadcast evening newscasts during the week of November 24, 2025, averaging 7.45 million total viewers and 945,000 in the key Adults 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen live + same-day data. This marked a 2% dip week-over-week from November 17 but held a strong lead over competitors NBC and CBS, even amid holiday distractions like Thanksgiving travel and family gatherings.
The week, spanning Monday, November 24, through Friday, November 28, saw overall viewership for the trio of newscasts decline slightly due to the short holiday frame, with total audiences down 3% from the prior week across all three programs.
NBC's Nightly News with Tom Llamas placed second, drawing 6.28 million total viewers and 890,000 in the demo—a flat performance week-over-week but down 12% from the same period in 2024. CBS Evening News, anchored by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, trailed with 4.52 million total viewers and 645,000 demo viewers, reflecting a 1% gain in total audience but a 3% drop in the demo compared to the previous week.
All three newscasts experienced year-over-year declines in both metrics, continuing a trend attributed to shifting viewer habits toward streaming and cable news amid anchor transitions earlier in the 2025 season.
The holiday timing played a role in the softer numbers, as Thanksgiving Day (November 27) broadcasts typically see reduced tune-in due to dinner preparations and travel; ABC's edition that day dipped to 6.8 million viewers, while NBC and CBS hovered around 5.5 million and 4.0 million, respectively. Despite this, ABC maintained its season-long dominance, up 5% in total viewers year-to-date through late November.
Nielsen's data, which includes additional local airings in select markets, highlights ABC's consistent edge in both raw audience size and advertiser-preferred demographics, even as the networks navigate post-election news cycles and cord-cutting pressures.
📺BROADCAST MORNINGS SHOWS
NBC's Today show with Savannah Guthrie held onto its top spot in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic for the broadcast morning newscasts during the week of November 24, 2025, averaging 2.92 million total viewers and 525,000 demo viewers, per Nielsen live + same-day data.
This represented a 3% decline in total audience from the prior week's 3.01 million but a steady hold in the demo, edging out ABC's Good Morning America by about 150,000 total viewers despite holiday disruptions like Thanksgiving travel and family events that softened tune-in across the board. The week, covering Monday, November 24, to Friday, November 28, saw all three major programs post year-over-year drops, with collective total viewership down 5% from the same period in 2024, continuing a seasonal trend tied to streaming shifts and post-election news lulls.
ABC's Good Morning America, anchored by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan, came in second with 2.77 million total viewers and 485,000 in the demo—a 2% week-over-week slip from November 17's 2.841 million total but up 1% in the demo, buoyed by strong holiday shopping segments and celebrity interviews.
CBS This Morning, led by Gayle King, Tony Dokoupoul, and Nate Burleson, ranked third at 1.85 million total viewers and 310,000 demo viewers, marking a 2% gain in total audience from the previous week but a flat demo performance; it remains the distant third, down 8% in total viewers year-to-date through late November.
Thanksgiving Day (November 27) broadcasts highlighted the week's challenges, with Today drawing 2.6 million viewers (down 10% from average), GMA at 2.4 million, and This Morning at 1.7 million, as audiences prioritized feasts over screens. Despite the dips, Today extended its streak to five consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the demo, a key metric for advertisers, while GMA clung to a narrow total-viewer edge in select days.
📺 TV PRIMETIME SHOWS
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Fox News crushed the competition in primetime during the week of November 24, 2025, averaging 2.45 million total viewers and 215,000 in the Adults 25-54 demo—outpacing the combined audiences of ABC, NBC, and CBS in total viewers for the first time in a non-election holiday frame, per Nielsen live + same-day data. This marked a 5% week-over-week gain for Fox amid post-Thanksgiving Trump transition coverage, while broadcast networks collectively dipped 4% to 15.2 million total viewers due to family gatherings and travel, with CBS edging out a narrow win at 5.1 million total viewers despite a 2% slide from November 17.
The week, spanning Monday, November 24, to Sunday, November 30, highlighted cable's growing dominance over linear TV, as MSNBC and CNN lagged far behind with 785,000 and 512,000 primetime total viewers, respectively—down 8% and 6% week-over-week—continuing post-election slumps of 40% and 30% year-over-year.
On the broadcast side, CBS claimed first place for the third straight week with 5.1 million total viewers and 620,000 in the demo, driven by a 7.2 million premiere for Matlock on Monday (up 15% from its slot average) and steady Tracker episodes averaging 8.4 million, though Thanksgiving Day's NFL pregame and repeats softened Thursday to 3.8 million.
NBC followed closely in second with 5.0 million total viewers and a demo-leading 710,000, boosted by The Voice finale on Tuesday (9.1 million, +12% WoW) and Saturday Night Live at 6.2 million, but holiday programming like a Raymond reunion special only drew 6.3 million on Monday amid a 3% overall drop.
ABC rounded out third at 4.8 million total viewers and 590,000 demo viewers—a 5% decline fueled by Dancing with the Stars finale on Wednesday (9.2 million peak) but dragged by low-rated holiday movies on Friday (2.9 million) and Sunday (3.1 million), underscoring ongoing cord-cutting pressures.
Ranking is based on ratings data as of Monday, November 24, 2025. The audience figures are derived from the latest Nielsen daily, weekly, or monthly P2+ program audience averages, whichever is the most recently available within the past seven-day window. Please note that some shows may not appear in the ranking probably because there are no ratings data for them within the stipulated period.