FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of January 26 averaging 3 million weekday primetime viewers and 295,000 A25-54, leading NBC in total viewers (2.9 million viewers) and CBS across the board (2.2 million viewers and 281,000 A25-54), according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.
Throughout Monday - Sunday total day (6 AM-6 AM/ET), FNC averaged 1.7 million viewers and 160,000 in the 25-54 demo and in primetime saw 2.6 million viewers and 245,000 in the 25-54 demo, recording the network’s highest rated week since September 2025. For the week, FNC held 55% share of cable news viewers in primetime and drew 90 of the top 100 telecasts in all of cable news.
The Five delivered over 4 million viewers and drew 335,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking its highest rated week in total viewers since September 2025 and securing a 63% share of cable news viewers for the hour. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier averaged 3 million viewers and 272,000 in the 25-54 demo, outpacing CBS Evening News for the month of January in key markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington DC, Las Vegas, and more. The Ingraham Angle at 7PM/ET saw 2.7 million viewers and 251,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. Jesse Watters Primetime commanded 3.3 million viewers and 285,000 in the 25-54 demo at 8 PM/ET. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity averaged 2.7 million viewers and 248,000 in the 25-54 demo, while FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher averaged 1.6 million viewers at 11PM/ET.
FNC’s late-night hit Gutfeld! (weekdays, 10 PM/ET) averaged over 3 million viewers and delivered 352,000 in the 25-54 demo, continuing to lead all late-night competition in total viewers and the 25-54 demo. It also continued to outpace the broadcast competition including CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2 million viewers; 279,000 A25-54), ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2 million viewers; 296,000 A25-54) and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1.1 million viewers; 204,000 A25-54).
FNC continued to see its daytime programs outperform the broadcast competition. America’s Newsroom (weekdays, 9AM-11AM/ET; 2.1 million viewers), The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11AM-12PM/ET; 2.2 million viewers), Outnumbered (weekdays, 12 PM/ET; 2.2 million viewers) The Story with Martha MacCallum (weekdays, 3PM/ET; 1.9 million viewers) and The Will Cain Show (weekdays, 4 PM/ET; 2.3 million viewers) all led CBS Mornings (1.8 million viewers) and ABC’s GMA 3 (1.8 million viewers).
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| Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN |
On Saturday: Kayleigh McEnany's Saturday In America (Saturdays, 10AM-12PM/ET) was the highest rated show of the weekend with total viewers delivering over 2 million viewers and 144,000 in the A25-54 demo. FOX News Live anchored by Aishah Hasnie (Saturdays, 12 - 2PM/ET) delivered 1.7 million viewers and 134,000 in the A 25-54. FOX Report with Jon Scott (Saturday, 3-5PM/ET) drew 1.3 million viewers while The Big Weekend Show (Saturdays/Sundays, 5-8 PM/ET) averaged nearly 1.6 million viewers.
On Sunday: Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures (Sunday, 10 AM/ET) was the number one cable news show of the day with nearly 2 million viewers and delivered 140,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Sunday Briefing (Sunday, 11 AM/ET) hosted by Jacqui Heinrich delivered 1.7 million viewers and 126,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Big Weekend Show (Saturdays/Sundays, 5-8PM/ET) was the highest rated show of the day in the A25-54 demo averaging 144,000 viewers.
Source: Nielsen. Big Data + Panel. Week of 1-26-26 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.
📺BROADCAST EVENING NEWS
- ABC World News Tonight averaged 9.244 million total viewers, 1.182 million adults 25-54, and 877,000 adults 18-49. It ranked No. 1 across all broadcast and cable newscasts in these categories. Highlights included Monday's edition drawing 9.804 million viewers (the most-watched network news telecast in over three years at that point), with strong performances Tuesday (9.6 million), Wednesday (9.2 million), and Thursday (9.1 million).
- NBC Nightly News averaged 7.150 million total viewers, 1.040 million adults 25-54, and 703,000 adults 18-49. This placed it second overall, trailing ABC by about 2.094 million total viewers.
- CBS Evening News averaged 4.538 million total viewers, 623,000 adults 25-54, and 479,000 adults 18-49. It remained in third place, significantly behind ABC (by 4.706 million total viewers) and NBC.
ABC outperformed NBC by +29% in total viewers (+2.094 million), +14% in adults 25-54 (+142,000), and +25% in adults 18-49 (+174,000). Compared to CBS, ABC's leads were even larger: +104% in total viewers (+4.706 million), +90% in adults 25-54 (+559,000), and +83% in adults 18-49 (+398,000).
This aligns with ABC's ongoing dominance in the evening news slot during the 2025-26 season, often leading by wide margins in total viewers while the race in the key 25-54 demographic has been more competitive at times earlier in the year (e.g., NBC briefly edging ahead in early January weeks).
CBS continued to trail notably, consistent with reports of challenges under its current format and anchor changes. Ratings can fluctuate based on news events, preemptions, or seasonal factors, but this week reflected a solid win for World News Tonight.
📺TV PRIMETIME
The primetime TV ratings for the broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) and major cable channels during the week of January 26, 2026, covering Monday through Sunday, based on available Nielsen Live+Same Day data from daily breakdowns and related reports) showed a competitive landscape influenced by returning shows, premieres, sports, and some repeats on CBS.
Broadcast Networks Overview (Primetime Averages):
This week featured strong performances from ABC's procedural and reality lineup, NBC's mix of dramas and game shows/sports, and Fox in certain slots, while CBS leaned heavily on repeats early in the week before some originals.
- ABC generally led or shared nights with solid demos in key procedurals like 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville, High Potential, Will Trent, and The Rookie (which moved nights), plus the American Idol return. ABC often topped in adults 18-49 and total viewers on multiple nights (e.g., Monday with American Idol premiere at 0.62 rating/6.22 million viewers, Thursday with 9-1-1 at 0.35/4.55 million and 9-1-1: Nashville at 0.32/3.85 million).
- NBC was competitive, especially with sports (NBA) and shows like St. Denis Medical (0.31 on Monday), Law & Order: SVU (0.35 on Thursday, season high), and Law & Order (0.28). However, some slots saw lower numbers (e.g., Brilliant Minds at 0.11).
- CBS trailed significantly in originals, relying on repeats (e.g., 0.25–0.09 range on Monday, similar on other nights), though some originals like Harlan Coben's Final Twist rose to 0.19 on Tuesday.Fox had mixed results with premieres/returns like Next Level Chef (0.29 on Thursday return) and Memory of a Killer (solid but down in some comparisons).
Key Cable Highlights: Cable news dominated much of the non-broadcast conversation for January 2026 overall (month-long data, as weekly specifics align closely).
- Fox News remained the top cable network in primetime, averaging 2.046 million total viewers and 197,000 adults 25-54 (though down year-over-year due to prior highs).
- MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) averaged 887,000 total viewers (up 21% YoY) and 76,000 A25-54 (up 21%).
- CNN averaged 660,000 total viewers (up 26% YoY) and 135,000 A25-54 (up 14%). Fox News led cable news decisively, often outpacing broadcast evening news in some metrics, but broadcast entertainment primetime focused on scripted/sports.
Other cable (e.g., entertainment like USA, TNT, or sports on ESPN) saw boosts from NBA/college basketball, but no dominant weekly cable entertainment leader emerged beyond news in reports. Sports programming (e.g., NBA on various nights) frequently topped cable charts.
Ratings fluctuate nightly based on programming, preemptions (e.g., sports), and news events. This period reflected midseason momentum for ABC procedurals and returns, with cable news strong amid January's news cycle.
For context, Fox News overtook CBS in some weekday primetime viewer averages for the month.