FOX News Channel’s (FNC) The Five finished the week of February 9th beating CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil for the first time this year in total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.
The network also topped both CBS and ABC in both weekday and weekend primetime. Averaging 3.3 million weekday primetime viewers and 353,000 A25-54, FNC led ABC (2.7 million viewers and 397,000 A25-54) and CBS across the board (1.7 million viewers and 268,000 A25-54), according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. Notably, CBS posted its lowest-rated weekday prime since 1992.
Monday - Sunday total day (6 AM-6 AM/ET), FNC delivered over 1.8 million viewers and 188,000 in the 25-54 demo, while in primetime the network averaged nearly 2.8 million viewers and 285,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking the network’s highest rated weekday and primetime performance of the year.
The Five delivered 4,126,000 viewers and 355,000 in the 25-54 demo, securing 64% share of cable news viewers for the hour and posted its third consecutive week averaging more than 4 million viewers. Additionally, the program outpaced CBS Evening News (4,100,000 viewers) for the week with all airings.
The Five delivered 4,126,000 viewers and 355,000 in the 25-54 demo, securing 64% share of cable news viewers for the hour and posted its third consecutive week averaging more than 4 million viewers. Additionally, the program outpaced CBS Evening News (4,100,000 viewers) for the week with all airings.
- At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier averaged 3.3 million viewers and 332,000 in the 25-54 demo.
- The Ingraham Angle at 7PM/ET drew 3.2 million viewers and 361,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking its highest rated week in the 25-54 demo since September.
- Jesse Watters Primetime commanded 3.6 million viewers, posting its highest-rated week since September and 377,000 in the 25-54 demo at 8 PM/ET.
- At 9 PM/ET, Hannity delivered 3.1 million viewers and 319,000 in the 25-54 demo, securing its strongest week in both demos since September.
- FNC’s late-night hit Gutfeld! (weekdays, 10 PM/ET) averaged over 3.1 million viewers and delivered 340,000 in the 25-54 demo.
- At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher averaged over 2.1 million viewers and 274,000 in the 25-54 demo, delivering the program’s highest-rated week in total viewers since June and best week in the demo since September.
FNC continued to see its daytime programs outperform the broadcast competition. America’s Newsroom (weekdays, 9AM-11AM/ET; 2,176,000 viewers), The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11AM-12PM/ET; 2,161,000 viewers), Outnumbered (weekdays, 12 PM/ET; 2,148,000 viewers), America Reports (weekdays, 1PM-3PM/ET; 2,179,000 viewers) The Story with Martha MacCallum (weekdays, 3PM/ET; 2,255,000 viewers) and The Will Cain Show (weekdays, 4 PM/ET; 2,514,000 viewers) all led CBS Mornings (1,694,000 viewers) and ABC’s GMA 3 (1,505,000 viewers).
On Saturday: Kayleigh McEnany's Saturday In America (Saturdays, 10AM-12PM/ET) was the highest rated show of the weekend in total viewers and the 25-54 demo averaging 2.4 million viewers and 255,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX News Live anchored by Aishah Hasnie (Saturdays, 12 - 2PM/ET) delivered nearly 2 million viewers and 191,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Big Weekend Show (Saturdays/Sundays, 5-8 PM/ET) averaged 1.7 million viewers.
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| Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN |
On Sunday: Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures (Sunday, 10 AM/ET) was the number one cable news show of the day averaging nearly 1.9 million viewers and 151,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Sunday Briefing (Sunday, 11 AM/ET) hosted by Jacqui Heinrich delivered 1.6 million viewers and 148,000 in the 25-54 demo. In primetime, Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy averaged nearly 1.6 million viewers.
Source: Nielsen. Big Data + Panel. Week of 2-9-26 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.
The TV ratings for the broadcast evening newscasts (ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, NBC's Nightly News with Tom Llamas, and CBS's CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil) for the week of February 9, 2026 (likely covering February 9–15, based on standard Nielsen weekly reporting periods) come from Nielsen's live+same-day big data plus panel program ratings.
This week coincided with the first week of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and followed Super Bowl LX, which influenced viewership patterns.
- ABC's World News Tonight ranked as the No. 1 newscast overall (across broadcast and cable) in total viewers, averaging 8.657 million total viewers. This was down from the prior week's 8.987 million. It also led in other categories like Adults 25-54 (1.105 million) and Adults 18-49 (823,000), more than doubling CBS's performance in those metrics. ABC highlighted this as its ninth consecutive Olympic week win over NBC in total viewers.
- NBC's Nightly News averaged 7.797 million total viewers, up from the previous week's 7.233 million—the only one of the three to show week-over-week growth in total viewers. It topped the key Adults 25-54 demographic with 1.240 million, also up from the prior week's 1.1 million (the only increase in that demo). This positioned it strongly in the advertiser-coveted younger audience despite trailing ABC in total viewers by about 860,000.
- CBS's CBS Evening News trailed in third place, averaging 4.163 million total viewers (down from 4.576 million the prior week) and 458,000 in the Adults 25-54 demo (down from 579,000).
ABC maintained its overall lead in total viewers, while NBC showed momentum in the key demo amid Olympic coverage on NBC. CBS continued to lag behind the top two. For context, the prior week (February 2) had higher totals for ABC and CBS, with NBC gaining ground this week.
📺BROADCAST MORNING SHOWS
The TV ratings for the broadcast morning newscasts (ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Today, and CBS's CBS Mornings) for the week of February 9, 2026 are based on Nielsen's live+same-day big data plus panel program ratings. This week aligned with the start of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics (primarily on NBC), which boosted NBC's overall morning performance amid Olympic-related coverage and features.
- NBC's Today led in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic, averaging 3.481 million total viewers, 697,000 in Adults 25-54, and 457,000 in Adults 18-49. This positioned it as the No. 1 morning show overall, benefiting from Olympic tie-ins and strong momentum from prior weeks.
- ABC's Good Morning America placed second, averaging 2.906 million total viewers (down slightly from the prior week's 2.908 million), 475,000 in Adults 25-54 (down from 495,000), and 338,000 in Adults 18-49 (up from the prior week). ABC emphasized growth in the Adults 18-49 demo week-to-week and year-to-year (compared to the same week in 2025), and it continued its long streak of leading CBS in total viewers and Adults 25-54 (now over 1,413 consecutive weeks).
- CBS's CBS Mornings finished third, averaging 1.694 million total viewers (down from 1.843 million the prior week), 238,000 in Adults 25-54 (down from 254,000), and 160,000 in Adults 18-49 (down from prior levels). It trailed significantly behind the top two.
📺TV PRIMETIME
The primetime TV ratings for the U.S. broadcast networks for the week of February 9, 2026 per Nielsen weekly periods) were overwhelmingly dominated by NBC's coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
This marked the first full week of competition following the Opening Ceremony (which aired the prior week but built momentum) and the handoff from Super Bowl LX on February 8. Nielsen's live+same-day big data plus panel ratings, combined with multi-platform data (including Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC), showed NBC far ahead in total viewers and key demographics, while other networks' original and repeat programming saw suppressed numbers due to the sports event competition.
- NBC led decisively in primetime, driven by "Primetime in Milan" (typically 8–11 p.m. ET/PT), which featured highlights, replays of key events (e.g., figure skating, alpine skiing, hockey), and live elements. Primetime Olympic coverage averaged around 20–26 million combined viewers across platforms on most nights, with peaks exceeding 25–42 million on stronger evenings (e.g., Sunday primetime hit 42 million in some reports, the highest individual Winter Games broadcast in 12 years). Overall, NBC's Milan Cortina Olympics averaged 25.7–26.5 million viewers through mid-week across NBC broadcast, Peacock, digital platforms, and cable partners—nearly doubling the comparable point from the 2022 Beijing Games (12.8–13.7 million) and marking the most-watched Winter Olympics start since 2014 Sochi. By mid-week, over 200 million Americans had sampled "Legendary February" content (Super Bowl + Olympics). In the Adults 18-49 demo, primetime Olympics often posted 1.4–1.7+ ratings early in the week, declining slightly mid-week but remaining dominant.
- ABC ranked second on several nights but trailed significantly behind NBC's Olympic draw. Regular series like American Idol (0.43 in 18-49 on Monday, down sharply), The Rookie (0.19, series low), and others faced steep declines from Olympic competition. Primetime totals were in the low-to-mid millions per night for originals, with limited gains from sports or repeats.
- CBS placed third, heavily reliant on repeats (e.g., Survivor at 0.2, FBI at 0.14 on Monday) and sparse originals, resulting in low demo ratings (often 0.1–0.2) and total viewers in the low millions nightly. The network saw historic lows in some primetime averages.
- FOX lagged similarly, with unscripted/reality like Extracted (0.15) and movies/specials (Memory of a Killer at 0.14) dropping amid the event dominance, supplemented by repeats or sports alternatives.
The week highlighted a strong rebound for Winter Olympics viewership compared to 2022's lows, boosted by multi-platform streaming (Peacock saw significant gains, e.g., millions for events like the Opening Ceremony carryover), time zone-friendly European scheduling, and post-Super Bowl momentum. NBC's combined afternoon ("Milan Prime") + primetime windows drove much of the uplift. Other networks' scripted and unscripted fare was notably impacted, with many hitting season or series lows.