Report: Many Conservatives Not Very Happy With FOX News Channel

 

A surge of post-election momentum for pro-Trump networks suggests that Fox News’ status as the primary cable news destination of far-right conservative viewers may not be as solid as previously thought.], reports USAToday.

But it’s unclear whether recent audience growth for Newsmax and One America News (OAN) is sustainable – and experts question whether those networks can lure the type of advertisers that have enriched Fox News.

In the period leading up to the election and in the weeks thereafter, Newsmax and OAN have attracted a growing audience of far-right conservatives by amplifying President Donald Trump's false declaration of victory and his unfounded accusations of election fraud.

Newsmax, the larger of the two, appears to have made a dent in Fox News’ ratings since then, although Fox News remains the far-and-away leader.

In the last full week before the election, primetime ratings for Fox News were more than 90 times greater than primetime ratings for Newsmax, according to ratings tracker Nielsen.

But in the first full week after the election, Fox News' lead had declined to less than nine times the ratings of Newsmax. And by the week of Nov. 30, the lead was down to less than seven times.

To be sure, Fox News has remained the most-watched cable news network in primetime, also besting CNN and MSNBC despite recent growth for those networks. But the momentum is undeniable for Newsmax, which averaged 401,000 viewers in primetime the week of Nov. 30, compared with 57,000 the week before the election and 233,000 the week of the election, according to Nielsen.

Fox News declined to comment for USAToday.  But Steve Tomsic, chief financial officer of Fox News owner Fox Corp., recently told analysts and investors that the network “has got amazing brand loyalty” with a broad base of support that extends beyond the primetime lineup to its daytime shows and an extensive online and TV newsgathering operation.

“We don't take lightly the potential for competition, whether it's the existing sort of classic MSNBC or CNN, or the sort of emerging ones like Newsmax and OAN,” Tomsic said at an investment conference, adding that “we kind of welcome it because it sharpens us up and gives us a real focus.”