TV Ratings: 'The Five' is Number One in Viewers During August

FOX News Channel (FNC) finished August 2022 as the third most-watched network in all of television during weekday primetime, outpacing ABC and trailing only CBS and NBC. 

According to Nielsen Media Research, FNC remained cable’s highest-rated network in total day and primetime with total viewers and the top rated in total day with the 25-54 demo. FNC surpassed CNN and MSNBC combined with total day and primetime viewers and was number one in all of cable with total day and primetime viewers. 

FNC also ranked number one in cable news in primetime viewers for the 19th month in a row and notched 96 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the month. Notably, FNC was the only cable news network to post double-digit gains versus last month and August marked its most-watched month of the summer with every program gaining viewers month-to-month. In total day, FNC delivered 1.5 million viewers, 211,000 with the 25-54 demo and 128,000 with the 18-49 demo. In primetime, FNC netted 2.3 million viewers, 311,000 in the 25-54 demo, and 189,000 with the 18-49 demo. The network also delivered the top four programs in cable news with viewers and the top 15 of the top 16 cable news programs in the 25-54 demo.

Attracting 53% of cable news viewers across primetime and 52% in total day, FNC continued to deliver over half the genre’s audience share. According to Nielsen MRI Fusion, FNC also remained the most-watched network across the political spectrum with more Independents and Democrats choosing FNC as their preferred network than MSNBC and CNN in total day and primetime viewers as well as the A25-54 demo. FNC remained the number one network among Hispanic and Asian households in total day viewers.

📺Top 20 Prime-Time Show for Aug 22-28 (Total Viewers)

CBS had five of the 11 top-rated programs to finish first in the network race for the second consecutive week, averaging 2.88 million. NBC was second, averaging 2.58 million, and ABC was third, averaging 2.43 million.

1. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.43 million.

2. “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), NBC, 6.33 million.

3. “America’s Got Talent” (Wednesday), NBC, 5.55 million.

4. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 4.56 million.

5. “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.08 million.

6. “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 4.01 million.

7. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 3.99 million.

8. “Password,” NBC, 3.97 million.

9. “The ”$100,000 Pyramid,” ABC, 3.89 million.

10. “FBI,” CBS, 3.74 million.

11. “Big Brother” (Thursday), CBS, 3.53 million.

12. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Monday), Fox News, 3.37 million.

13. “Press Your Luck,” ABC, 3.35 million.

14. “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 3.33 million.

15. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Thursday), Fox News, 3.28 million.

16. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Tuesday), Fox News, 3.26 million.

17. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Wednesday), Fox News, 3.15 million.

18. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 3.13 million.

19. “The Neighborhood,” CBS, 3.05 million.

20. “FBI: International,” CBS, 2.98 million.

“60 Minutes” drew its second-largest audience of the summer, 6.427 million viewers, to be the highest-rated prime-time broadcast or cable program for the third time this summer and first since the week of July 4-10, according to live-plus-same-day figures released Tuesday by Nielsen. The CBS newsmagazine’s largest audience of the summer was 6.748 million viewers on June 5.

“60 Minutes” benefited from following the Detroit Lions-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL preseason game. The 40-minute runover of Pittsburgh’s 19-9 victory into prime time in the Eastern and Central time zones, where the bulk of the nation’s population lives, averaged 7.53 million viewers. The runover is not considered a separate program but is included in the weekly average.

The Tuesday episode of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” averaged 6.326 million viewers to finish second after four consecutive first-place finishes. The Wednesday results show was third, averaging 5.548 million viewers, the week’s only other prime-time program to top 5 million viewers.

“Celebrity Family Feud” was ABC’s ratings leader for the ninth time in nine weeks, averaging 4.562 million viewers, fourth for the second consecutive week and the third time in four weeks. Sunday’s first match featured teams led by professional wrestlers Rey Mysterio and The Miz; retired Dodgers pitching star Orel Hershiser and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner led the teams for the second game.

📺BROADCAST NEWS

To sum up the evening news landscape during the week of August 22, 2022 — ABC World News Tonight with David Muir remains No. 1, per usual, while NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell gained back some A25-54 viewers after struggling the previous week.

According to TV Newser citing live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, World News Tonight averaged 7.23 million total viewers and 1.225 million adults 25-54 for the week of August 22. The 7.23 million figure means World News Tonight is not only the top-rated evening newscast, but it’s also the most-watched show on U.S. TV—excluding sports—for the 20th consecutive week. Additionally, ABC’s evening newscast has now defeated its competition from NBC and CBS 195 of the past 196 weeks in average total viewers—and 124 of the last 126 weeks among adults 25-54.

NBC Nightly News averaged 6.07 million total viewers on the linear network this past week. That’s down less than -1% from the week prior. The 6.07 million figure places the broadcast at No. 3 on U.S. TV, excluding specials, sports and syndication.  As for CBS, The Evening News averaged 4.45 million total viewers—and 6,000 adults 25-54 for the fourth week of August.

📺LATE NIGHT TV

FNC’s Gutfeld! (2,191,000 P2+, 358,000 A25-54) made television history, becoming the first late-night cable program to finish the month as the most-watched late-night show in all of broadcast and cable, outpacing CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2,156,000 P2+, 377,000 A25-54) for the month of August. This is the first time Colbert has been unseated as late-night’s highest-rated host for a full month in more than five years (January 2017). Additionally, August marked the show’s highest-rated month since launching last April. Airing at 11 PM/ET, the program also topped every show on CNN and MSNBC in the younger 25-54 demo. Gutfeld! averaged 2.2 million viewers 358,000 with A25-54 this month, also besting ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1,144,000 P2+, 270,000 A25-54) and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1,339,000 P2+, 382,000 A25-54) in total viewers.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

📺CABLE TV

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

FNC’s late afternoon offering The Five continued as the top-rated show in viewers for the fifth consecutive month and finishing first in cable news for the last eight out of nine months. 

The roundtable program averaged 3.4 million viewers, 427,000 with 25-54 demo and 270,000 in the 18-49 demo, outpacing every show on CNN and MSNBC across the board. At 8 PM/ET, Tucker Carlson Tonight continued as the highest-rated program in cable news in the younger 25-54 demo, averaging 3.3 million viewers and 486,000 in the demo. Hannity at 9 PM/ET scored 2.9 million viewers, 397,000 in the 25-54 demo and 235,000 among adults 18-49, achieving the third most-watched program in all categories and outpacing the competition on MSNBC and CNN combined. MSNBC’s newly-launched 9 PM/ET program Alex Wagner Tonight delivered a paltry 1.6 million viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo, which Hannity more than doubled. At 10 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle garnered 2.5 million viewers, 358,000 in the 25-54 demo and 218,000 in 18-49. 

Notably, FNC’s The Five and Tucker Carlson Tonight both beat ABC’s The Bachelorette in total viewers.

📺STREAMING:

The limited series “Echoes” was last week’s most popular program on Netflix, with viewers spending 68.49 million hours watching the mystery thriller’s seven episodes between Aug. 22 and Sunday, their first full week of release, according to figures released Tuesday by the streaming service.

Viewership was up 167.2% from the 25.63 million hours watched the previous week, when the limited series was available for three days and was Netflix’s 10th most streamed program.

“Me Time” was Netflix’s most streamed movie, with viewers spending 59.23 million hours watching the Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy in its first three days of release.