FOX NEWS CHANNEL DELIVERS RECORD-BREAKING QUARTER ACROSS TOTAL DAY AND PRIMETIME AS WELL AS HIGHEST-RATED PROGRAM EVER IN CABLE NEWS
“Tucker Carlson Tonight” Makes History, Breaking “Hannity” Record for Highest-Rated Quarter of any Cable News Program and Notching the Top Spot in Cable News Across Total Viewers and the Demo for First Time Ever
“Hannity” Earns Highest-Rated Program in Total Viewers for the Month of June, While “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Wins with the Key Demo
FNC Finishes Number One in All of Basic Cable in 25-54 Demographic Across Total Day and Primetime, Earning Highest-Rated Quarter in the Category Since 2005
For the First Time in History, the Network Finishes Number One in all of Basic Cable in Primetime Across A25-54 and A18-49
NEW YORK – June 30, 2020 – FOX News Channel (FNC) completed the second quarter of 2020 with the largest audience in network history in both total day and primetime, according to Nielsen Media Research. Notably, FNC was also the most-watched network across both total day and primetime among all of basic cable, marking 16 consecutive quarters in the top spot in total day. The network also scored its highest-rated demo since 3Q’05 in total day and 4Q’16 in primetime, growing 61 percent in total day and 67 percent in primetime year-over-year. FNC finished the quarter as the number one network in upscale cable rankings (income of $100K+) in both weekday total day and primetime among total viewers, the key 25-54 demographic and the younger 18-49 demographic.
Throughout total day and primetime, FNC marked 74 uninterrupted quarters as the top-rated cable news network and continued to deliver a huge percent advantage over both MSNBC and CNN. In total day, FNC garnered nearly 2 million viewers and 366,000 with A25-54. In primetime, FNC delivered 3.6 million viewers and 624,000 in the 25-54 demographic, notching 49 straight quarters as the leading cable news channel in the key 25-54 demographic. Additionally, FNC beat both CNN and MSNBC in primetime with total viewers. The network’s primetime offering, Tucker Carlson Tonight, also delivered the highest viewership in cable news history, breaking a previously-held record by FNC’s Hannity last quarter.
During the second quarter of 2020, FNC claimed 12 of the top 15 cable news programs, as well as the top six in the 25-54 demo. The network also comprised 89 of the top 100 telecasts this quarter. Additionally, nearly all of the network’s early evening and primetime programs notched their highest-rated quarters ever in both total viewers and the key demo, including The Five (weeknights at 5PM/ET), Special Report with Bret Baier (weeknights at 6PM/ET), The Story with Martha MacCallum (weeknights at 7PM/ET), Tucker Carlson Tonight (weeknights at 8PM/ET), Hannity (weeknights at 9PM/ET), The Ingraham Angle (weeknights at 10PM/ET), FOX News @ Night (weeknights at 11PM/ET), Outnumbered Overtime (weekdays at 1PM/ET), The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino (weekdays at 2PM/ET), Watters’ World (Saturdays at 8PM/ET), The Greg Gutfeld Show (Saturdays, 10PM/ET), and Justice with Judge Jeanine (Saturdays at 9PM/ET). Your World with Neil Cavuto (weekdays at 4PM/ET), The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton (Sundays at 9PM/ET) and Life, Liberty and Levin (Sundays at 10PM/ET) all experienced their all-time highest-rated quarters in total viewers.
Tucker Carlson Tonight at 8PM/ET finished the quarter as the number one program in all of cable news among both total viewers and the key A25-54 demographic for the first time since launch, delivering a record 4,331,000 viewers and 791,000 in the 25-54 demo. FNC’s primetime lineup of Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity made cable news history with both programs breaking the all-time record that Hannity shattered in 1Q’20 for the highest-rated quarter for any cable news program. Both programs were the first cable news telecasts to deliver over 4 million total viewers for an entire quarter and for the second consecutive quarter, both programs have delivered over 4 million viewers once again.
At 9PM/ET, Hannity scored the second highest-rated program in total viewers, averaging 4,311,000 and 754,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 demographic, respectivelyThe Ingraham Angle delivered nearly 3.6 million viewers and 655,000 in the 25-54 demo, earning the highest in network history in the 10PM/ET timeslot. At 5PM/ET, The Five dominated the hour with 3.9 million viewers and 655,000 in the 25-54 demo, coming in ahead of MSNBC’s primetime offering The Rachel Maddow Show and besting CNN and MSNBC combined in both categories in the timeslot. Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity beat several entertainment and news programming on broadcast in total viewers, including ABC’s The Goldbergs, Good Morning America, and This Week, CBS’ Game On! and Face The Nation, and NBC’s Dateline, Titan Games, The Today Show, and Meet the Press.
From 5-6AM/ET, FOX & Friends FIRST was the number one show in its timeslot, garnering 712,000 total viewers. FNC’s signature morning show FOX & Friends marked 74 consecutive quarters as the highest-rated morning show in cable news with 1.6 million viewers 302,000 in the demo. Furthermore, FOX & Friends secured its third highest-rated quarter in program history with total viewers. America’s Newsroom garnered 2 million viewers and 357,000 in the demo defeating the competition in both categories.
FNC’s afternoon ensemble program, Outnumbered, averaged 2.1 million viewers and 367,000 in the demo, and at 1PM/ET, Outnumbered Overtime anchored by Harris Faulkner averaged 2 million viewers and 360,000 in the 25-54 demo. Faulkner beat ABC’s GMA 3 at 1PM/ET in total viewers a record 37 times since 3Q’19 and topped the broadcast network for the third consecutive quarter. At 2PM/ET, The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino delivered 2 million viewers and 367,000 with A25-54, the highest viewership in the timeslot in network history. FNC’s latest addition to the news lineup, Bill Hemmer Reports, averaged 2 million viewers and 373,000 in the demo during the 3PM/ET hour. Your World with Neil Cavuto at 4PM/ET averaged 2.2 million viewers and 391,000 with A25-54, also marking its highest-rated quarter with total viewers.
Among FNC’s early and late evening programming, Special Report with Bret Baier garnered 3.7 million viewers and 668,000 in the 25-54 demo. Chief political anchor Bret Baier also scored the highest-rated 6PM/ET hour in network history in both total viewers and the younger demographic. The Story with Martha MacCallum delivered 3 million viewers and 603,000 in the 25-54 demo, also the highest of any 7PM/ET hour in the channel’s history. At 11PM/ET, FOX News @ Night with Shannon Bream had an audience of 2.1 million viewers and 459,000 in the 25-54 demo, outpacing MSNBC’s 11th Hour with Brian Williams in the 25-54 demographic for the fifth straight quarter.
On the weekends, FOX & Friends Weekend (weekends from 6-10AM/ET) dominated CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewers, with 1.6 million and 287,000 in the demo. Additionally, Saturday’s primetime powerhouse lineup of Watters World (Saturdays at 8PM/ET), Justice with Judge Jeanine (Saturdays at 9PM/ET) and The Greg Gutfeld Show (Saturdays at 10PM/ET) surpassed CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewers. The Greg Gutfeld Show finished the quarter as the highest-rated late-night program in total viewers with 2.9 million, topping all broadcast and cable late night comedy programs, including CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers.
FNC also won all weekend primetime hours in total viewers, including Watters World (3.2 million viewers; 469,000 A25-54), Justice with Judge Jeanine (3.3 million viewers; 468,000 A25-54), The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton (1.9 million viewers; 277,000 A25-54), and Life, Liberty and Levin (2.1 million viewers; 288,000 A25-54). Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo (Sundays at 10AM/ET) averaged 2.1 million total viewers and 353,000 in the demo and MediaBuzz hosted by Howard Kurtz delivered 1.9 million viewers and 335,000 in the 25-54 demo, propelling them to lead their timeslots. Notably, MediaBuzz also outpaced CNN’s Reliable Sources across the board, with only 1.4 million total viewers and 323,000 in the demo. FOX Report with Jon Scott (1.9 million viewers; 330,000 A25-54) and Cavuto Live (2 million viewers; 365,000 A25-54) each also dominated the competition in their respective timeslots.
FNC finished the month of June as the number one network in all of television in primetime in total viewers. The network also claimed the top-rated spot in the A18-49 demographic in primetime. The primetime win in A18-49 marked the network’s first ever in the category. Ranking in at the number one program in cable news in total viewers, Hannity delivered 4.3 million total viewers and 792,000 in the key demographic. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson Tonight captured the top spot in the younger demographic with 4.3 million total viewers and 799,000 in the demo. Additionally, The Ingraham Angle experienced its highest-rated month since program inception in both total viewers and the key demo with 3.8 million total viewers and 719,000 with A25-54. FOX News @ Night, Watters’ World, Justice with Judge Jeanine, and The Greg Gutfeld Show all earned their highest-rated months in both categories since program inception. Additionally, FNC is the only cable news network that remains up year to year for every month in 2020 to date.
SECOND QUARTER 2020 RATINGS FOR THE TOP FIVE PROGRAMS IN CABLE NEWS:
Total Viewers: Tucker Carlson Tonight (4,331,000), Hannity (4,311,000), The Five (3,898,000), Special Report with Bret Baier (3,658,000), The Ingraham Angle (3,622,000)
Adults 25-54: Tucker Carlson Tonight (791,000), Hannity (754,000), Special Report with Bret Baier (668,000), The Five (655,000), The Ingraham Angle (655,000)
2Q’20 VS. 2Q’19 NIELSEN NUMBERS (seven day week, L+SD):
TOTAL DAY
FNC: 1,958,000 total viewers – up 48% (366,000 in 25-54 – up 61%)
CNN: 1,188 total viewers – up 120% (335,000 in 25-54 – up 150%)
MSNBC: 1,209,000 total viewers up 34% (193,000 in 25-54 – up 45%)
PRIMETIME: 8-11PM/ET
FNC: 3,574,000 total viewers – up 50% (624,000 in 25-54 – up 67%)
CNN: 1,806,000 total viewers – up 137% (528,000 in 25-54 – up 181%)
MSNBC: 1,999,000 total viewers – up 19% (315,000 in 25-54 – up 25%)
JUNE 2020 RATINGS FOR THE TOP FIVE PROGRAMS IN CABLE NEWS:
Total Viewers: Hannity (4,323,000), Tucker Carlson Tonight (4,256,000), The Ingraham Angle (3,763,000), The Five (3,293,000), The Rachel Maddow Show (3,114,000)
Adults 25-54: Tucker Carlson Tonight (799,000), Hannity (792,000), The Ingraham Angle (719,000), Cuomo Prime Time (641,000), Anderson Cooper 360 (617,000)
JUNE’20 VS. JUNE’19 NIELSEN NUMBERS (seven day week, L+SD):
TOTAL DAY
FNC: 1,793,000 total viewers – up 39% (335,000 in 25-54 – up 58%)
CNN: 1,141,000 total viewers – up 115% (326,000 in 25-54 – up 159%)
MSNBC: 1,209,000 total viewers – up 38% (191,000 in 25-54 – up 52%)
PRIMETIME: 8-11PM/ET
FNC: 3,634,000 total viewers – up 53% (660,000 in 25-54 – up 85%)
CNN: 1,855,000 total viewers – up 146% (557,000 in 25-54 – up 206%)
MSNBC: 2,055,000 total viewers – up 21% (321,000 in 25-54 – up 25%)
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most watched television news channel for more than 18 consecutive years. According to a 2020 Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index report, FOX News is the top brand in the country for morning and evening news coverage. A 2019 Suffolk University poll also named FOX News as the most trusted source for television news or commentary, while a 2019 Brand Keys Emotion Engagement Analysis survey found that FOX News was the most trusted cable news brand. Owned by FOX Corp, FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
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FOX News Media Contact:
Tess Glancey/212-301-3285