Fox News Channel Beats ABC And All Of Cable News In May Ratings
For the Fox News Channel, the race in May wasn't about beating the cable news competition, but about taking its place among the highest-rated networks in all of television, outperforming ABC in prime time and finishing close behind NBC, according to preliminary ratings data compiled by Nielsen.
Among total prime time viewers, CBS finished first overall with an average audience of 3.517 million viewers, with TNT (2.950 million viewers), NBC (2.942 million viewers) and Fox News Channel (2.910 million viewers) in a near photo-finish for second place. ABC trailed with an average total audience in prime of 2.696 million viewers.
Fox News Channel's performance is significant for a cable news network, with FNC even out-delivering ESPN (2.291 million viewers) in a month that featured both the NBA and NHL playoffs.
The month brought discouraging ratings news for both CNN and MSNBC, which each had their second-lowest rated month ever among viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers. CNN delivered an average prime time audience of just 81,000 viewers in the key demo, with MSNBC delivering an audience of 78,000. CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper had its worst month since August 2015, with a total audience of 525,000 viewers, while MSNBC's flagship morning show, Morning Joe, dipped to just 56,000 viewers in the key demo, the show's second-worst showing in that key metric since the program's launch.
In prime, Fox News Channel was up 28% versus May 2024 among total viewers, and up 39% in the key demo, while CNN fell 14% among total viewers and 16% in the key demo. MSNBC's declines were even bigger, down 19% among total viewers and down 29% among viewers 25-54.
The highest-rated shows in cable news in May all aired on the Fox News Channel, with The Five again taking top honors with an average total audience of 3.766 million viewers, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime (3.326 million viewers), Gutfeld! (2.915 million viewers), Special Report with Bret Baier (2.807 million viewers), and Hannity (2.730 million viewers).
In the key demo, The Five was again number one with 368,000 viewers, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime (363,000 viewers), Gutfeld! (328,000 viewers), Hannity (299,000 viewers) and The Ingraham Angle (297,000 viewers).
The Five continues to be a force of nature, dominating cable news ratings even as it airs outside of prime time, when viewership is typically highest. With a total audience of 3.8 million viewers, the show beat each of the broadcast networks evening news shows in May.
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