Fox News

‘The Five’ Again the Number One Show in Cable News with Nearly 4 Million Viewers, Closely Followed by ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ with 3.3 Million Viewers

‘Special Report’ and ‘FOX & Friends’ Lead Broadcast Competition in Major Markets Around the Country

‘The Will Cain Show’ Delivers 32% Viewership Increase for FNC Year-Over-Year

MSNBC Posts Second Lowest-Rated May in Network History in Demo, New Lineup Debuts to Dismal Ratings

CNN Delivers Second Lowest-Rated Month in Demo History

NEW YORK – May 28, 2025 – FOX News Channel (FNC) finished May continuing to exert its dominance in all of television, beating broadcast network ABC in weekday primetime, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. In May, FNC averaged 2.9 million viewers in weekday primetime making it the fourth highest-rated network in all of television leading ABC (2.7 million viewers). FNC also surpassed ESPN (2.3 million viewers) during weekday primetime during coverage of the NBA and NHL playoffs. Once again, more Democrats, Independents and Republicans tuned in to FNC over any other cable network across total day, according to data from Nielsen MRI Fusion. FNC was also number one in cable news with Asians, Hispanics and upscale viewers throughout total day during May.

For the month of May in primetime (8-11 PM/ET), FNC delivered 2.5 million viewers and 262,000 in the 25-54 demographic, growing its audience 23% year-over-year in total viewership and 32% in the 25-54 demo. In total day, FNC drew 1.6 million viewers and 180,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking 21% growth year-over-year with viewers and 22% in the 25-54 demo. FNC commanded nearly 65% of the cable news share with viewers across total day and primetime, completely dismantling CNN and MSNBC which are both down throughout total day and primetime viewers and demo compared to 2024. FNC has now delivered the top 1,100 cable news telecasts since Election Day (11-6-24 through 5-25-25) and top 135 cable news telecasts in the month of May. Additionally, all FNC weekday programs finished May with double digit year-over-year gains.

Meanwhile, both CNN and MSNBC marked historic lows during May, with CNN posting its second worst month ever in the 25-54 demo across total day and primetime, while MSNBC had its second worst May in history during total day and primetime in the 25-54 demo. In primetime 25-54 demo, CNN dropped to 76,000 and in total day just 59,000, while MSNBC’s primetime 25-54 demo plummeted to just 73,000 and 49,000 across total day. The network was down 41% in total day demo and 34% in primetime demo compared to May 2024 and down 21% in total day and down 30% in prime versus April 2025 which encompasses their new programming changes, each of which has underperformed. During primetime, FNC commanded more than five times the viewership of CNN. Additionally on CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper dropped to 525,000 viewers, its worst month since August 2015. On MSNBC, Morning Joe dropped to 57,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, its second worst month in the key 25-54 demo since launch.

FNC’s number one show The Five secured a staggering 3.8 million viewers and 368,000 in 25-54 demo, leading all of cable news across the board. The Five also surpassed broadcast programs including NBC’s Law and Order SVU (3.7 million viewers) and CBS Evening News (3.7 million viewers). At 8 PM/ET Jesse Watters Primetime led all of primetime commanding 3.3 million viewers and 363,000 in the 25-54 demo. Year-over-year, Jesse Watters Primetime is up a whopping 51% in the 25-54 demo, outpacing ABC’s The Rookie (3 million viewers) and CBS’ S.W.A.T. (2.9 million viewers).

FNC’s Hannity remained dominant with 2.7 million viewers and 299,000 in the 25-54 demo, easily surpassing MSNBC during this hour which collapsed to 1.3 million viewers and 102,000 in the 25-54 demo with Rachel Maddow scaling back to one show per week. Tuesday-Friday at 9 PM/ET, The Briefing with Jen Psaki is averaging fewer than one million viewers (973,000) and only 74,000 in the 25-54 demo, a 46% collapse with viewers and 54% decline in the 25-54 demo compared to the 2025 Tuesday-Friday average before May 5th on MSNBC. On CNN The Source with Kaitlan Collins has collapsed to just 462,000 viewers and 81,000 in the 25-54 demo, down 24% year-over-year with viewers. Hannity is also leading key broadcast shows including ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2,703,000 viewers) and Good Morning America (2,655,000 viewers). Additionally, The Ingraham Angle (weeknights, 7 PM/ET) posted 2.7 million viewers and 297,000 in the 25-54 demo, with Laura Ingraham continuing her reign as the highest rated woman in cable news. Compared to May 2024, The Ingraham Angle was up 50% in the younger 25-54 demo while MSNBC is down 46% in the demo at this hour despite newly launched programming.

FNC’s hit late-night program Gutfeld! continued to dominate all of late-night television across the board. Notching 2.9 million viewers, 328,000 in the 25-54 demo and 193,000 in the 18-49 demo Gutfeld! walloped CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (1.9 million viewers; 278,000 A25-54; 172,000 A18-49), ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.4 million viewers; 240,000 A25-54; 154,000 A18-49), NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1.1 million viewers; 271,000 A25-54; 152,000 A18-49), Late Night with Seth Meyers (754,000 viewers; 190,000 A25-54; 106,000 A18-49), and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show (466,000 viewers; 128,000 A25-54; 107,000 A18-49) across the board.

The network’s nightly newscast Special Report with Bret Baier (weeknights, 6 PM/ET) averaged over 2.8 million viewers and 282,000 in the 25-54 demo, continuing to close the gap with the broadcast competition. In May, Special Report leads CBS Evening News in 21 top markets across the country including New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas. The show also beats ABC’s World News Tonight in seven markets including New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and St. Louis and outrates NBC’s Nightly News in Tampa Bay, Boston and New York. Additionally, the newly launched Will Cain Show continued to grow the timeslot at 4 PM/ET seeing 2.1 million viewers and 235,000 in the 25-54 demo, a 32% with viewers and 43% in the 25-54 demo year over year.

FNC’s signature morning show FOX & Friends (weekdays, 6-9 AM/ET) finished the month with 1.4 million viewers and 176,000 in the demo and remained the number one cable news program in the mornings with both categories for 51 consecutive months in 25-54 demo, beating CNN and MSNBC combined in viewers per usual. FOX & Friends is leading CBS Mornings in 24 major markets throughout May including New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington DC, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Cleveland, and Miami. FOX & Friends is also leading ABC’s Good Morning America in markets including Washington DC, Orlando and Baltimore and is defeating NBC’s The Today Show in markets including Atlanta, Boston and Tampa Bay during May.

FNC’s daytime lineup continued to crush the competition, led by two-hour morning news program America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET), which saw 1.9 million viewers and 210,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Faulkner Focus at 11 AM/ET, anchored by Harris Faulkner, notched 1.9 million viewers and 208,000 in the 25-54 demo and at 12 PM/ET, Outnumbered earned 2.1 million viewers and 236,000 in the demo with both programs just slightly behind The View which averaged 2.4 million on broadcast. America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith garnered 1.9 million viewers and 226,000 in the 25-54 demo. Martha MacCallum’s The Story averaged 1.8 million viewers and 207,000 in the 25-54 demo. Every single FNC daytime show between 9 AM – 5 PM/ET led NBC’s Today Third Hour (1,645,000 viewers), ABC’s GMA3 (1,222,000 viewers) and NBC’s Today with Jenna & Friends (1,138,000 viewers).

FNC also continued to excel against the competition throughout the weekend for the month, winning every hour with total viewers and 25-54 demo, defeating CNN and MSNBC by double to triple-digits among both categories on both days. On Saturdays, My View with Lara Trump (Saturday, 9 PM/ET) was the most watched show, drawing over 1.4 million viewers. FOX & Friends Weekend (weekends, 6-10 AM/ET) was most-watched in the 25-54 demo with 157,000 viewers. Life, Liberty & Levin (weekends, 8 PM/ET) secured 1.4 million viewers and 120,000 in the 25-54 demo, while The Big Weekend Show (weekends, 6-8 PM/ET) drew 1.2 million viewers and 106,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX News Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla (Saturday, 10 PM/ET) attracted 1.3 million viewers and 136,000 in the 25-54 demo.

On Sundays, FNC’s Sunday Morning Futures earned the top-rated show of the weekend, garnering 1.7 million viewers and 163,000 with 25-54 demo. Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy was the top show in primetime with 1.5 million viewers and 135,000 A25-54. At 11 AM/ET, MediaBuzz, hosted by Howard Kurtz, delivered 1.2 million viewers and 131,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Big Weekend Show nabbed with 1.3 million viewers and 128,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX & Friends Weekend took 1.2 million viewers and 146,000 in the 25-54 demo. One Nation with Brian Kilmeade (Sunday, 10 PM/ET) nabbed 1.4 million viewers and 146,000 in the 25-54 demo.

MAY 2025 VIEWERSHIP & 25-54 DEMO (Monday-Sunday, Live + Same Day):

TOTAL DAY

FNC: 1,557,000 total viewers and 180,000 A25-54 (up 21% with viewers; up 22% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

CNN: 353,000 total viewers and 59,000 A25-54 (down 24% with viewers; down 27% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

MSNBC: 545,000 total viewers and 49,000 A25-54 (down 33% with viewers; down 41% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

PRIMETIME (8-11P)

FNC: 2,463,000 total viewers and 262,000 A25-54 (up 23% with viewers; up 32% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

CNN: 426,000 total viewers and 76,000 A25-54 (down 18% with viewers; down 21% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

MSNBC: 877,000 total viewers and 73,000 A25-54 (down 24% with P2+; down 34% with A25-54 vs. 2024)

MAY RATINGS FOR THE TOP FIVE PROGRAMS IN CABLE NEWS:

Total Viewers: The Five (3,766,000), Jesse Watters Primetime (3,326,000), Gutfeld! (2,915,000), Special Report (2,807,000), Hannity (2,730,000)

Adults 25-54: The Five (368,000), Jesse Watters Primetime (363,000), Gutfeld! (328,000), Hannity (299,000), The Ingraham Angle (297,000)

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Month of May 2025 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service and has been the number one network in basic cable for the last nine years and the most-watched television news channel for 23 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 70% of the cable news viewing audience according to Nielsen Media Research. Notably, Nielsen/MRI Fusion has consistently shown FNC to be the network of choice for more Democrat and Independent viewers, with the most politically diverse audience in cable news. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that more Americans named FNC as their main source for political news than any other network while a 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll found FNC as the leading single source of news for voters across the country. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in more than 60 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.

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FOX News Media Contact:

Connor Smith: 212-301-3879 or Connor.Smith@FOX.com