FOX News achieved its highest-rated Saturday since April 2003 during its coverage of the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran, drawing massive audiences amid the escalating conflict that began on Saturday.
According to Nielsen Media Research (using Big Data + Panel), FOX News Channel (FNC) delivered 3 million total viewers across the full day on Saturday, February 28—the network's strongest Saturday performance in total day viewership since April 2003.
Primetime on Saturday was even stronger, with FNC averaging 4 million total viewers and 517,000 in the key 25-54 demographic.
The coverage reached its peak during a special edition of The Story with Martha MacCallum in the 5 p.m. ET hour, attracting 4.667 million total viewers and 542,000 in the 25-54 demo. This outperformed NBC's Saturday Night Live, which drew 4.611 million viewers in the same period.
FNC decisively beat combined viewership of CNN and MSNBC ("MS Now") in every single hour of the weekend, both in total viewers and the 25-54 demographic.
On Sunday, March 1, FNC maintained strong numbers with 2.6 million total viewers and 347,000 in the 25-54 demo for the full day, and 3.1 million total viewers with 475,000 in the demo during primetime.
For the entire weekend, this marked FNC's highest-rated weekend since July 13-14, 2024, when the network covered the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Several weekend programs posted record highs for their series:
- Saturday in America, anchored by Kayleigh McEnany and Bret Baier (10 a.m.–12 p.m. ET Saturday): 4 million viewers.
- The Sunday Briefing with Jacqui Heinrich (11 a.m. ET Sunday): 2.8 million viewers.
- Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo (10 a.m. ET Sunday): 3.4 million viewers.
- Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy (9 p.m. ET Sunday): 3.3 million viewers.
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| Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN |
These ratings reflect heightened public interest in the U.S.-Israeli operation—known as "Operation Epic Fury"—which targeted Iranian leadership (including the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), nuclear sites, missile capabilities, and military infrastructure, sparking retaliatory actions and regional escalation.