Here Are the Cable News Ratings for May 2025
Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN all took a beating during the month of April with all three networks recording declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo.
MSNBC and CNN suffered double-digit drops across the board, with the former recording the steepest drops as the network transitioned to a new weeknight schedule that saw Rachel Maddow resume her once-a-week hosting duties.
These May drops come after MSNBC was the only network to post month-to-month gains in total viewers during primetime and total day in April.
Despite its month-to-month declines, Fox News continued to dominate the cable news landscape, and finished ahead of the ABC broadcast network in weekday primetime total viewers.
Fox News
According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News had 2.463 million total viewers and 262,000 A25-54 viewers in primetime. During total day, it had 1.557 million total viewers and 180,000 demo viewers.
Compared to its April 2025 performance, FNC experienced a -5% decline in total viewers and an -11% decrease in the demo during primetime viewing hours. Across total day, it was down a respective -4% and -11% in those measured categories.
Looking at Fox News' performance alongside the same month in 2024, it rose +23% in total viewers and +32% in the demo during primetime. In total day, it was up by +21% in the former category and +22% in the latter-the only news network to see year-to-year gains.
MSNBC
MSNBC ranked as the No. 2 cable news network among total viewers in primetime and total day with 877,000 and 545,000 viewers, respectively. The network also pulled in a respective 73,000 and 49,000 A25-54 viewers across both of those dayparts.
Month-to-month, MSNBC was down -27% in total viewers and -30% in the demo in primetime. During total day, the network was down -17% in the former category and -21% in the latter.
Year-to-year, MSNBC dropped -24% in total viewers and -34% in the demo during primetime. The network was down a respective -33% and -41% in those measured categories during total day.
CNN
CNN saw 426,000 total viewers and 76,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. Across total day, the network averaged 353,000 total viewers and 59,000 demo viewers.
Compared to its April primetime performance, CNN dropped -18% in total viewers and -23% in the demo. During total day, it dropped -14% in the former category and -13% in the latter.
Year-to-year, CNN was down -18% in total viewers and -21% in the demo during primetime. In total day, CNN declined a respective -25% and -27% in those measured categories.
Looking at the May performance of the other news nets:
NewsNation - The network once again finished the month with double-digit increases in weekday total day viewership compared to the same period in 2024. Cuomo remains its top program with 153,000 total viewers and 17,000 A25-54 viewers.
Fox Business - The network had seven of the Top 10 business programs with total viewers and outperformed CNBC by double digits during business day, market hours, and total day. Kudlow remained the net's top show with 304,000 total viewers and 14,000 A25-54 viewers.
CNBC - Fast Money Halftime Report was the network's most-watched program with 193,000 total viewers and 48,000 A25-54 viewers.
Newsmax - Rob Schmitt Tonight was the network's top show in total viewers with 380,000 viewers. Finnerty finished first in the demo with 30,000 viewers.
PROGRAMMING
Fox News - The Five (3.766 million at 5 p.m. ET) was the most-watched program in total viewers, and in the demo (368,000).
MSNBC - The Rachel Maddow Show (1.894 million at 9 p.m. ET) led the way in total viewers and the demo (157,000).
CNN - Erin Burnett Outfront (549,000 at 7 p.m. ET) was the network's top performer in total viewers. CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip (97,000 at 10 p.m. ET) was No. 1 in the demo.
The Top 15 Among Total Viewers
The Five - Fox News (3,766,000)
Jesse Watters Primetime - Fox News (3,326,000)
Gutfeld! - Fox News (2,915,000)
Special Report with Bret Baier - Fox News (2,807,000)
Hannity - Fox News (2,730,000)
The Ingraham Angle - Fox News (2,682,000)
The Will Cain Show - Fox News (2,088,000)
Outnumbered - Fox News (2,055,000)
America's Newsroom - Fox News (1,933,000)
The Faulkner Focus - Fox News (1,914,000)
The Rachel Maddow Show - MSNBC (1,894,000)
America Reports - Fox News (1,890,000)
The Story with Martha MacCallum - Fox News (1,833,000)
Fox News @Night - Fox News (1,482,000)
Fox & Friends - Fox News (1,374,000)
The Top 15 Among Adults 25-54
The Five - Fox News (368,000)
Jesse Watters Primetime - Fox News (363,000)
Gutfeld! - Fox News (328,000)
Hannity - Fox News (299,000)
The Ingraham Angle - Fox News (297,000)
Special Report with Bret Baier - Fox News (282,000)
Outnumbered - Fox News (236,000)
The Will Cain Show - Fox News (235,000)
America Reports - Fox News (226,000)
America's Newsroom - Fox News (210,000)
The Faulkner Focus - Fox News (208,000)
The Story with Martha MacCallum - Fox News (207,000)
Fox News @Night - Fox News (191,000)
Fox & Friends - Fox News (175,000)
The Rachel Maddow Show - MSNBC (157,000)
May 2025 Cable News Ratings (Nielsen Live+SD data):
PRIMETIME
Fox News
MSNBC
CNN
• Total Viewers:
2,463,000
877,000
426,000
• A25-54:
262,000
73,000
76,000
TOTAL DAY
Fox News
MSNBC
CNN
• Total Viewers:
1,557,000
545,000
353,000
• A25-54:
180,000
49,000
59,000
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
The Memo: Uneasy truce descends in Trump-Musk war
President Trump and Elon Musk let an uneasy truce mostly take hold Friday, a day after their previous alliance imploded in spectacular fashion. On Thursday, Musk cast innuendo on Trump's decades-old association with deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, implying that the 'Epstein files' had not been released because they contained incriminating information about the president. Musk also contended the president would not have won last year's election against then-Vice President Kamala Harris without his help. Those jabs followed comments from Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where he took aim at Musk. Trump asserted that Musk had grown critical of the massive budget bill making its way through Congress for selfish reasons — because it cut incentives to buy electrical vehicles such as Teslas. He also suggested the businessman was operating out of a sense of pique because the White House recently withdrew its nomination of a Musk ally, Jared Isaacman, to lead NASA. There was nothing nearly so spectacular during the day Friday — although that could change at any moment give both men's irascibility and penchant for verbal combat. Instead, Trump mostly confined himself to phone calls to TV anchors, where he expressed shoulder-shrugging lack of interest in speaking with Musk. Musk maintained his usual prolific social media posting, but mostly about topics unrelated to Trump. Still, it was hardly a full ceasefire. On his round of phone calls — none of which appeared to have been recorded for broadcast — Trump told Bret Baier of Fox News, 'Elon has totally lost it,' informed Jonathan Karl of ABC News that Musk had 'lost his mind,' and asserted to Dana Bash of CNN that 'the poor guy's got a problem.' The White House also let it be known that Trump intended to either sell or give away the Tesla he bought in March as a public display of support for Musk. Musk, among many other posts, approved of the idea advanced by another social media user that he had 'criticized Congress, not Trump. Trump then attacked Elon personally.' 'Exactly,' Musk responded. The businessman also called Trump's erstwhile chief strategist Steve Bannon 'a criminal.' Musk and Bannon have a long-running feud. But many Republicans will settle for hostilities between Trump and Musk at least not ramping up any further from their Thursday levels. Trump seems reluctant to get into an all-out verbal war with Musk, especially given the massive megaphone wielded by the world's richest man. Musk has more than 220 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns. Though unpopular with the general population, Musk has a strong hold over the younger, male-dominated online right. CBS News also reported that, despite the feud, 'there has been no effort to oust the over 100 administration officials who came from Musk's orbit.' The leveling-off of tensions will come as a relief to Republicans on Capitol Hill. Exasperation with Musk neared the boiling point Thursday, when he implied he might back the creation of an alternative party, while also lambasting Trump and congressional leaders — including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) for how far they have moved from past statements bemoaning growing deficits. The current legislation, which Trump called the 'big beautiful bill,' would increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Republican leaders are already grappling with tight math as they try to get the bill through the Senate, where the GOP has a 53-47 majority. Republican senators have expressed misgivings from different perspectives, with Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) dismayed that the legislation does not curb government spending, while others such as Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) are uneasy about changes to Medicaid that are projected to lead to millions of Americans losing health insurance. Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to turn some of the Trump-Musk chaos to their advantage. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a fundraising appeal telling supporters that the clash between the two men meant 'we knew our moment to get ahead had arrived.' Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch (Mass.) and Robert Garcia (Calif.) wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel seeking more information about Musk's comments regarding Trump and Epstein. The move was first reported by Axios. The two congressmen — both of whom serve on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, with Lynch as its acting ranking member — cited Musk's contention that the 'real reason' the Epstein files had not been released was because Trump was mentioned in them. 'We ask that you immediately clarify whether this allegation is true,' the two Democrats wrote. They also requested a description of 'the role of President Donald Trump in reviewing documents pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.' The White House has dismissed the request as a stunt, and many other Republicans will argue it is mischief-making. But the bigger question is whether the Trump-Musk feud will burst back into life anytime soon — and, if so, who will get caught in the blast zone.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariff policy is 'chaos and absurdity': Rep. Dean on asking Trump Commerce Secy. about bananas
MSNBC's Ali Velshi is joined by Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Madeleine Dean, to discuss the House Appropriations Cmte. testimony by Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and why he struggled to explain the administration placing tariffs on bananas which can only be grown in a few places inside the United States.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump announces China will restart rare earth mineral shipments to US after productive call
President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to start sending rare earth minerals to the U.S. after halting the shipments in April. Trump held a gaggle on the presidential jet Friday evening, and one reporter asked him just before landing if Xi had agreed to restart the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets to the U.S. "Yes, he did," Trump replied. "We're very far advanced on the China deal." The news comes about a month and a half after China effectively halted exports of seven precious minerals, vital for assembling cars, robotics and defense systems, to the U.S. in a direct strike on America's manufacturing and defense supply chain. Liz Peek: Trump Must Stay Strong, Us Reliance On Chinese Minerals And Drugs Puts Americans At Risk Overseas deliveries of magnets stopped April 4, when new licensing rules took effect, according to The New York Times. Companies are only allowed to export rare earth materials if they obtain special export licenses, which take 45 days to receive. Read On The Fox News App The halt also threatened to undercut Trump's tariff strategy because China produces about 60% of the world's critical mineral supply and processes even more, up to 90%. Putin Says Russia Is Open To Economic Cooperation With Us On Rare Earth Minerals China's mineral halt to the U.S. Defense Department came after Beijing had already imposed sanctions on multiple U.S. military contractors late last year, according to Reuters. Chinese entities were prohibited from engaging or cooperating with them in response to an arms sale to Taiwan, the outlet reported. Trump and Xi had a lengthy call Thursday amid economic and national security friction regarding trade between the U.S. and China. Trump's 'Rare' Price For Us Military Aid To Ukraine Called 'Fair' By Zelenskyy "I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal," Trump said Thursday in a Truth Social post. "The call lasted approximately one and a half hours and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries." Trump said the conversation focused mostly on trade. The call came nearly a week after Trump condemned China for violating an initial trade agreement that the U.S. and China hashed out in May and a day after Trump said Xi was "extremely hard to make a deal with" in a Truth Social post. Fox News' Diana Stancy, Bonny Chu, Danielle Wallace, Morgan Phillips and Reuters contributed to this article source: Trump announces China will restart rare earth mineral shipments to US after productive call
