Election Returns TV Ratings: Fox Beats All Others

According to Nielsen, a total of 36.1 million people watched prime time coverage of the midterms across 11 Nielsen-measured broadcast and cable networks. That of course doesn’t include streaming platforms. The 36.1 million tentative total is more than 2014, 2010, 2006 and 2002.

Co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, Fox News Channel was the most-watched network — on broadcast and on cable — during coverage of the 2018 midterm elections. Not only was No. 1 in total viewers for 2018, but the network delivered the most-watched midterm coverage in cable news history, according to early data from Nielsen.

Looking at primetime coverage, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET when so many races were called, a total 36.3 million viewers were watching across the six major networks carrying breaking news. Among the lot, which included Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC and broadcasters ABC, NBC and CBS, Fox News performed the best among total viewers. CNN managed a narrow win among adults 25-54, topping even the broadcast networks in its showing among the news demo.

Press materials for NBC News are claiming a victory on Wednesday morning for its shared coverage on two networks, MSNBC and NBC, but Fox News was the outright victor among single networks with its average 7.8 million viewers for the three-hour primetime block. NBC was the closest individual to trail, though by more than 2 million viewers.

See how all the networks ranked below

1. FNC: 7.8 million viewers; 2.4 million adults 25-54
2. NBC: 5.7 million viewers; 2.3 million adults 25-54
3. ABC: 5.3 million viewers; 1.9 million adults 25-54
4. CNN: 5.1 million viewers; 2.5 million adults 25-54
5. MSNBC: 4.7 million viewers; 1.4 million adults 25-54
6. CBS: 3.9 million viewers; 1.3 million adults 25-54

Comparing Tuesday’s numbers to the most recent election would be misleading, given the fevered interest in every presidential showdown, but the total audience across traditional TV reflects a significant boost from typical off-year elections, according to The Hollywood Reporter.