Fox News continues cable news lead over MS NOW, CNN in October viewership
Fox News Channel remained ahead of MS NOW and CNN in cable news viewership in October, leading in both total-day and prime-time audiences. The figures point to a sustained gap between Fox and its rivals, with Fox’s average total-day audience exceeding the two competitors’ combined total.
Fox averaged 1.1 million total-day viewers, compared with 588,000 for MS NOW and 402,000 for CNN. In prime time, Fox drew 1.7 million viewers, MS NOW 925,000 and CNN 598,000; October was Fox’s 68th consecutive month leading in both periods. “The Five” averaged 2.7 million viewers, while “Jesse Watters Primetime” led prime time with 2.3 million.
In short
- Fox averaged 1.1 million total-day viewers in October.
- It led MS NOW and CNN in prime time too.
- Fox extended its run to 68 consecutive months.
Explained simply
Cable news channels compete for viewers across two main measures: total-day audience, which counts viewing throughout the day, and prime time, the evening hours when many channels schedule their biggest programmes. Ratings are average audience estimates, rather than a count of everyone who watched at any point.
Fox News Channel, MS NOW and CNN are US television news networks. They rely on programmes and advertising to reach audiences, and their viewing figures are often used to compare their relative reach in the cable news market.
Audience size matters to networks because it can affect advertising income and how many people see their coverage. Monthly ratings can also show whether a channel’s position is changing over time.