When looking at these networks’ performance during the same period a year ago:
- During primetime, Fox News was down -33% in total viewers and -43% in the A25-54 demo. During total day, the network was down -30% in total viewers and -36% in the demo.
- MS NOW was up +3% in total viewers and +2% in the demo. During total day, the network gained +11% in total viewers and +32% in the demo—the only network with gains within this yearly comparison.
- In primetime, CNN was up by +4% in total viewers and +15% in the demo. During total day, it fell by -7% in total viewers and -13% in the demo.
PROGRAMMING:
Fox News held 12 of the 15 spots among the week’s most-watched cable news shows, with The Five on top with 2.621 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MS NOW was represented in the chart by Monday’s 9 p.m. ET airing of The Rachel Maddow Show, with 1.57 million total viewers at No. 8. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, had 1.199 million total viewers at No. 14, and The Briefing with Jen Psaki, airing Tuesday to Friday at 9 p.m., was in the No. 15 position, with 1.15 million total viewers.
The Five remained on top in the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 233,000 viewers. Fox News held 11 of the 15 top spots in the demo, with MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show averaging 145,000 viewers, landing at No. 8. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell finished at No. 11 with 126,000 demo viewers. CNN was represented by CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, which airs five nights a week at 10 p.m. ET and finished in 10th place with 127,000 viewers, and The Source with Kaitlan Collins, which airs weeknights at 9 p.m. ET, finishing in 15th place with 111,000 demo viewers.
September 28, 2026 (Nielsen Big Data + Panel):
Prime Time
| Fox News | MS NOW | CNN | |
| • Total Viewers: | 1,631,000 | 917,000 | 554,000 |
| • A25-54: | 140,000 | 89,000 | 97,000 |
Total Day
| Fox News | MS NOW | CNN | |
| • Total Viewers: | 1,070,000 | 575,000 | 366,000 |
| • A25-54: | 94,000 | 62,000 | 52,000 |
