TV Ratings: Fox Tops Cable, ABC Evenings News Wins Again

Fox News Channel opened September on top of both the primetime and total day cable charts, with ESPN hot on its heels as football season kicks off.  

Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers for the week of August 28 to September 3 to top all cable networks for the 10th straight week, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. ESPN, bolstered by the first weekend of the college football season, finished in a tie for second place with MSNBC, with both networks averaging 1.3 million viewers.

In total day, FNC averaged 1.095 million total viewers — the largest total day audience on all of basic cable for the 35th consecutive week. However, that’s -17% from the week prior.  Additionally, the network averaged 130,000 A25-54 in total day, No. 2 among basic cable networks in the measurement (only behind ESPN)  but -28% from the week prior.

Elsewhere in the cable news universe, in total day, MSNBC averaged 860,000 total viewers and just 86,000 A25-54 for the week of Aug. 28.  That’s -15% and -28%, respectively, from the previous week. MSNBC’s 860,000 total viewer average is No. 2 on basic cable, while its 86,000 A25-54 average is No. 12 on basic cable.

In total day, CNN averaged 515,000 total viewers and 104,000 A25-54 viewers this past week, % and %, respectively, from the week before. The 515,000 total viewer average places CNN No. 4 on all of basic cable for the week, whereas the 104,000 A25-54 average places CNN also at No. 4 on all of basic cable for the week.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN (w/permission)

The Five moved back into first place this week after temporarily ceding the top spot to Hannity. At 5 p.m. ET, the network’s panel talk news offering averaged a cable news-high 2.75 million total viewers and 308,000 A25-54 viewers for the week of Aug. 28, 2023.

Fox News had the six most-watched daily cable news offerings for the week. Jesse Watters Primetime secured second place among all daily cable news shows with a 2.49 million total viewer average at 8 p.m. Hannity took third place with a 2.325 million total viewer average at 9 p.m., with The Ingraham Angle’s 2 million viewers at 7 p.m., and Gutfeld!’s 1.91 million viewers at 10 p.m. rounding out the top five.

📺BROADCAST EVENING NEWS

“World News Tonight with David Muir” finished as the No. 1 program of the week in Total Viewers (7.899 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.183 million) on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports) during the week of Aug. 28, 2023, based on Live + Same Day Data from Nielsen Media Research.

“World News Tonight” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (7.899 million), Adults 25-54 (1.183 million) and Adults 18-49 (757,000), outperforming “NBC Nightly News” (6.504 million, 1.116 million and 750,000, respectively) by 1.395 million Total Viewers, by 67,000 Adults 25-54 and by 7,000 Adults 18-49. In fact, “World News Tonight” widened its overall viewer lead over the NBC program by 8% (vs. 1.291 million).

“World News Tonight” posted across-the-board increases versus the previous week. For the third straight week, “World News Tonight” improved year to year in Total Viewers (+6%/+450,000 – 7.899 million vs. 7.449 million).