Fox News has reported its second-highest third quarter in history, with a steady viewership despite a turbulent political landscape marked by assassination attempts, a presidential debate, and political conventions.
Fox News Channel has maintained its dominance in the cable news arena during the tumultuous third quarter of 2024, securing the highest ratings among total viewers and topping broadcast networks ABC and CBS. The quarter witnessed a series of significant events, including the suspension of President Biden's re-election bid, Vice President Kamala Harris's emergence as the Democratic nominee, and the selection of Senator JD Vance and Governor Yim Walz as the Republican and Democratic running mates, respectively. The high-profile Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, and two assassination attempts against former President Trump further fueled the news cycle.
Despite these seismic events, Fox News managed to secure its highest-rated third quarter in history, averaging 1.6 million total viewers and consistently reaching the one-million viewer plateau. This success was fueled by the widespread appeal of its flagship shows, such as "The Five," which became the first non-primetime program in cable news history to claim the top spot for 12 consecutive quarters.
Fox News Retains Dominance in Cable News Arena Despite Assassination Attempts and High-Profile Interviews
Fox News's strong performance extended to the primetime slot, where it secured an average of 2.7 million viewers between 8-11 p.m. MSNBC came in second with an average of 1.5 million viewers, followed by ESPN with 1.2 million average viewers. CNN, despite its recent efforts to bolster its ratings, failed to crack the one-million viewer benchmark and finished fourth with an average of 924,000 viewers.
Fox News's dominance has been a consistent trend since 2002, marking 91 consecutive quarters as the most-watched cable news station. It also maintained the largest share of the cable news audience, capturing 52% of viewers in total day and 53% in primetime.
Fox News Retains Dominance in Cable News Arena Despite Assassination Attempts and High-Profile Interviews
Furthermore, Fox News topped all cable channels in the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 24-54, with an average of 215,000 total day viewers. ESPN came in a close second with 213,000 viewers, followed by USA, CNN, and MSNBC. Fox News also remained the top cable news channel in the key demo during primetime, with an average of 367,000 viewers.
The success of Fox News's programming was evident in the stellar performance of "The Five," which averaged 3.5 million total viewers to maintain its reign as the most-watched non-primetime show in cable news history. Other standout shows included "Jesse Watters Primetime," "Hannity," "Gutfeld!," "The Ingraham Angle," and "Special Report with Bret Baier." Notably, "Hannity" dominated the 9 p.m. ET hour, securing the top spot among the key demo.
Fox News Retains Dominance in Cable News Arena Despite Assassination Attempts and High-Profile Interviews
Fox News's late-night program, "Gutfeld!," continued its record-breaking year with its highest-rated quarter in program history, averaging 2.8 million total viewers and 413,000 in the key demo. This success allowed it to surpass various broadcast and late-night shows, including CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," and NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." Former President Trump's guest appearance on "Gutfeld!" in September further bolstered the program's ratings, drawing its largest audience in history.
Other Fox News programs, such as "FOX & Friends," "America's Newsroom," "The Faulkner Focus," "Outnumbered," "America Reports," "The Story with Martha MacCallum," and "Your World with Neil Cavuto," also contributed to the network's strong performance.
Fox News Retains Dominance in Cable News Arena Despite Assassination Attempts and High-Profile Interviews
Fox News's convention coverage was another highlight, with the network delivering the highest-rated primetime coverage of all time during the RNC, attracting 10.4 million viewers and 2 million in the demo. The network closed the quarter as the highest-rated network in both total day and primetime during September, marking an impressive 43-straight months on top.
Fox News Media's simulcast of ABC's presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump brought in a sizable audience of 14.2 million viewers. These unwavering ratings and the network's ability to navigate the challenging political landscape confirm Fox News's continued leadership in the cable news arena.
Fox News Retains Dominance in Cable News Arena Despite Assassination Attempts and High-Profile Interviews
