TV News Ratings: Fox Returns To The Top, ABC News Wins The Season

Fox News Channel found its way back to the top spot of the cable ratings charts, ending a two-week run at the top by football-powered ESPN.

Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers in primetime for the week of September 18-24 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. ESPN finished second with 1.5 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.2 million watchers.

HGTV pulled into fourth with 864,000 viewers, while Hallmark Channel settled into fifth place with 734,000 viewers. TBS and TLC tied for sixth with 649,000 viewers, followed by INSP (637,000 viewers), Food Network (570,000) and USA Network (535,000).

Fox News’s average of 1 million total-day viewers was enough to secure sole possession of first place after tyinh ESPN for first place on the chart last week. MSNBC was second with 801,000 viewers, followed by ESPN (704,000), HGTV (442,000) and CNN (419,000), according to TV News citing Nielsen data.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN (w/permission)

The Five remained in first place among all daily cable news programming, averaging a cable news-high 2.66 million total viewers and 268,000 A25-54 viewers for the week of Sept. 18, 2023.

Fox News had the six most-watched daily cable news offerings for the third consecutive week. Jesse Watters Primetime secured second place among all daily cable news shows with a 2.33 million total viewer average at 8 p.m. Hannity remained in third place with a 2.07 million total viewer average at 9 p.m., with Gutfeld! (1.94 million at 10 p.m.) and The Ingraham Angle (1.76 million at 7 p.m.) rounding out the top five.

Six through 10 in total viewers: Special Report With Bret Baier (1.75 million at 7 p.m.), MSNBC’s The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell (1.62 million at 10 p.m.), Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace (1.5 million at 4-6 p.m.), The Beat with Ari Melber (1.46 million at 6 p.m.), with Fox News’ Outnumbered rounding out the top 10 with a 1.42 million total viewer average at 12 p.m. ET.

📺BROADCAST MORNING SHOWS

For the 2022-2023 season, “Good Morning America” (3.151 million) ranked as America’s No. 1 morning newscast in Total Viewers for the 11th consecutive year, increasing its lead over NBC’s “Today” (2.815 million) versus last season (+43% – 336,000 vs. 235,000) to its largest in 8 years — since the 2014-2015 season.

In addition, “GMA” slashed its season margin with “Today” in Adults 25-54 by more than half (-55% – 14,000 vs. 31,000) to its closest performance in 8 years — since the 2014-2015 season.

During the 2022-2023 season, “GMA” ranked No. 1 in Adults 25-54 for 22 weeks, representing the highest number of No. 1 finishes during the course of a season in 8 years — since the 2014-2015 season.

“GMA” (3.151 million, 689,000 and 460,000, respectively) beat “CBS Mornings” (2.353 million, 500,000 and 333,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+798,000), Adults 25-54 (+189,000) and Adults 18-49 (+127,000) during the season.

📺BROADCAST EVENING NEWS

For 2022-2023 Season, “World News Tonight with David Muir” spent 31 of 53 weeks as the No. 1 program of the week in Total Viewers on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports). “World News Tonight” stood as the most-watched evening newscast for the 7th straight season — since the 2016-17 season — based on Most Current Data from Nielsen Media Research. “World News Tonight” ranked as America’s No. 1 evening newscast for the 2022-2023 season in all key target demos, Total Viewers (8.089 million), Adults 25-54 (1.288 million) and Adults 18-49 (891,000), taking the top spot for the 4th year in a row.

Historic firsts for the newscast: For the first time in more than 30 years, “World News Tonight” wins the most consecutive seasons in Total Viewers (the Nielsen electronic database started in September 1991), and for the first time in 27 years, “World News Tonight” wins four seasons in a row in both key Adults demos.

The ABC evening newscast also stood as the No. 1 program of the week on all of broadcast and cable television in Total Viewers on 14 of the 53 weeks of the season, more weeks at No. 1 than any other program this season.

In addition, “World News Tonight” won all 53 weeks of the 2022-23 season as the No. 1 newscast in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49. The ABC newscast won every week of the season for the 3rd time in the last 4 years in Total Viewers and for the 2nd year in a row in Adults 25-54.

Muir and “World News Tonight” reported on breaking news and global events every night, including Muir’s on-site reporting from southwest Florida; Monterey Park, California; Turkey; Rolling Fork, Mississippi; South Sudan; and Maui.