Q2 2017 Ratings: Fox News Is Most-Watched

Fox News is the most-watched network across cable news, and according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, FNC has now achieved this feat for 62 consecutive quarters.

TVNewser reports Fox News also topped basic cable in both prime time and total day viewers, finishing ahead of TNT and Nickelodeon, and marking four consecutive quarters as the most-watched basic cable network in both dayparts.

During Q2 ’17, FNC was up double-digits compared to the same quarter last year in all relevant audience metrics and dayparts. In prime time, the network was +19 percent in total viewers and +34 percent in the A25-54 demo when compared with second quarter of 2016. In total day, Fox News was +27 percent in total viewers and +45 percent in the demo versus Q2 ’16.

Fox News is home to 8 of the 10 most-watched cable news programs for the quarter, with Tucker Carlson Tonight topping the charts. Hannity ranked No. 3 across cable news in total viewers, (behind MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show) with The Five coming in 4th, and Special Report with Bret Baier finishing 5th in total viewers. The Story with Martha MacCallum (No. 7), The Fox News Specialists (No. 8), America’s Newsroom and Outnumbered round out the top 10.

Hannity was Fox News’s No. 1 program for the quarter among Adults 25-54, posting +31 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in the process.

Fox News’s new 5 p.m. program The Fox News Specialists, with Eric Bolling, Kat Timpf and Eboni Williams serving as co-hosts, posted +19 percent growth in the key A25-54 demo relative to Q2 2016.

Eboni Williams, Eric Bolling, Kat Timpf

In the second quarter, CNN's ratings were up 10% in prime time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.) to a Nielsen 1.1 million total viewers versus a year ago. CNN is in 10th place among all cable networks. CNN viewership is also 25% higher — to 787,000 viewers in total day measure.

In the key news demo, viewers 25-54, CNN did even better during the period. The network is up 19% in prime time to average 370,000 viewers and 39% higher in total day viewing to 262,000.

MSNBC grew the most among all cable news networks -- rocketing 86% higher in prime time to 1.7 million viewers in the last three months. It is up 57% to 884,000 in total day viewing. That's good for third place among all cable networks in both categories.