Fox News Channel Extends Cable Supremacy to 98 Consecutive Quarters, Captures 60% of News Viewers
Fox News Channel dominated cable and rivalled broadcast networks in the second quarter of 2026, averaging 1.6 million total-day viewers — the only basic cable network to clear the one-million mark — while capturing nearly 60% of…
HONG KONG— July 4, 2026
Fox News Channel dominated cable and rivalled broadcast networks in the second quarter of 2026, averaging 1.6 million total-day viewers — the only basic cable network to clear the one-million mark — while capturing nearly 60% of cable news viewership across both total day and primetime. The network's primetime average of 2.5 million viewers extended its unbroken run atop cable ratings to 98 consecutive quarters, a streak dating to the first quarter of 2002.
Gap Widens Across Cable Competition
Fox News's margin over rivals stretched sharply in Q2. ESPN finished a distant second in total-day viewership with 664,000 average viewers, followed by MSNBC at 655,000 and CNN at 496,000. In primetime, ESPN's 1.7 million average viewers was the nearest challenger; MSNBC drew 1.1 million and CNN settled for 711,000 — a combined figure still well short of Fox News's 2.5 million.
The network delivered 13 of the top 15 cable news programs during the quarter, with "The Ingraham Angle," "Jesse Watters Primetime," "Hannity," and "FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher" each leading their respective hours. "The Five" extended its own record, finishing as cable news's highest-rated program for the 19th consecutive quarter — the first non-primetime show to hold that distinction.
Broadcast Territory Breached in June
The competitive pressure extended beyond cable. During June, Fox News averaged 2.6 million weekday primetime viewers, outpacing both NBC and CBS. "Special Report with Bret Baier" drew more than 2.7 million viewers across Q2 and beat "CBS Evening News" in 18 major markets, including New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., while continuing to narrow the gap with the CBS broadcast.
"Gutfeld!," airing at 10 p.m. ET, averaged 2.8 million viewers, topping every broadcast late-night program — CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
Advertiser Demographics Underpin the Commercial Case
The ratings story carries a direct commercial signal. Fox News averaged 149,000 total-day viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, more than double CNN's 75,000 and MSNBC's 67,000. In primetime, the network drew 230,000 demo viewers, exceeding CNN's 120,000 and MSNBC's 107,000 combined.
Fox News also ranked first in cable among Hispanic, Asian, and upscale audiences in total day for both Q2 2026 and June, broadening its advertising appeal beyond its traditional base. For media buyers weighing reach and demographic concentration in the U.S. news environment, those numbers mark a structural advantage with few obvious challengers on the horizon.
On weekends, Maria Bartiromo's "Sunday Morning Futures" drew 1.9 million viewers to claim the top weekend slot, while "FOX & Friends" held its position as the most-watched morning lineup in cable news for the quarter.
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