Viewer 'Fatigue' Gets The Attention of Lachlan Murdoch

Fox News Channel’s viewership fell sharply in the third quarter and October, prompting Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch to tell investors he sees signs of “viewer fatigue.” The network still leads cable news ratings, but October was on track to be its weakest month for total-day viewers since December 2023, according to preliminary Nielsen figures.

Fox averaged 1.1 million total-day viewers in October, down 27% from a year earlier, and 98,000 viewers in the advertiser-valued 25–54 demographic, down 32%. In the third quarter, total-day viewership dropped 16%, while viewing among adults 25–54 fell 24%.

Variety reports Murdoch believes viewers were not switching to other news channels but were watching less television. Fox News Media executives have seen similar patterns before, he added, and have a “playbook” for responding.

The declines come as overall television viewing continues to weaken. CNN and MS NOW have been slightly up in recent months, while Fox has lost viewers at a double-digit rate. The trend is drawing attention ahead of midterm elections, which polls suggest may favor Democrats, rather than the Republicans who make up Fox News’ strongest audience.

Murdoch suggested that a year of difficult news—including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—may have left some viewers weary of the news. Election periods typically bring more people to cable news, and networks seek to turn those viewers into regular audiences.

Fox’s ratings dip has not appeared to hurt its parent company’s overall results. Fox Corp. said Monday that World Cup broadcasts and political advertising helped lift profit and revenue in its first fiscal quarter.