Fox News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour news service that has been number one in basic cable for over eight years and the most-viewed channel for over 22 years. On another leading streak, it was reported that FNC had the highest-rated cable news in May 2024, surpassing other well-known channels such as CNN and MSNBC.
This is a huge milestone for Fox News as it had over 90 cable news shows rate among the 25 to 54 age group and total viewers. This shows the strength of the channel’s foothold in the cable news market. Furthermore, the channel has been number one in prime time for 40 months, and total day viewership for 39 months.
But this isn’t good news for their competitors; both CNN and MSNBC lost younger viewers and experienced a significant loss overall.
Anyone might wonder how FNC has managed to last so long in the cable news industry—and most importantly, sustain its top spot in the game. What exactly is it doing differently?
FNC’s lead
The channel stays in the lead by showing up-to-date programs and catering to a wide range of viewers, covering politics, current live events, international affairs and entertainment news.
This achievement is impressive, especially considering that cable TV viewership has dropped due to more people switching to online streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+. Similar shifts have occurred in other industries, such as the travel industry where bookings are primarily made online, the music industry where CD sales have fallen as music streaming services like Spotify have become popular, and the gaming industry where games are now played through online gaming platforms.
iGaming, in particular, has seen a huge surge of players moving online rather than visiting brick-and-mortar betting and gambling houses. According to Statista, over 80 million people have moved to gaming via online casinos. This move has widely been attributed to new game offerings like slots, table games, and live dealers.
Here are some of FNC top shows and their ratings:
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- Jesse Watters Primetime, which is shown every weeknight at 8pm ET, was the second most-viewed cable news show on the channel, with over 2.6 million viewers.
- The Five is another popular American political talk show program, hosted by Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Jeanine Pirro, Dana Perino, Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford. It was the most-watched cable news show, with almost 3.1 million viewers in May. This show is aired weekdays at 5pm ET.
- Gutfeld! Hosted by Greg Gutfeld, this program gathered over 2.3 million viewers including 295,000 in the 25 to 54 age group. The show delivers weekly news with satire, which draws in a wider audience. The show remains the highest-rated late-night program in cable television, surpassing Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the Late Show with Seth Colbert and many other popular late-night shows.
There are many more programs that have huge viewership compared to last year, so FNC is certainly doing something right. From its daytime shows to prime time and late-night shows, it has a substantial lead in viewership over its competitors.
What does this mean for the network? Continuous success:
For FNC, this could mean continuous success and an increase in viewership.
Considering FNC network has spent 22 years on top despite having a lot of competition, and with more cable news channels emerging over time, it has a chance to keep leading as the top news source. Also, FNC is strategic with the events it covers, giving it the upper hand in terms of its viewership and placing it ahead of others.
Take, for instance, the coverage of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial, which aired from April 15th to May 26th. This coverage attracted over 1.3 million viewers on average to the network, boosting FNC’s ratings and giving it a higher lead than CNN and MSNBC. This proves that the network knows its audience and what the average viewer likes to see on the screen, leading to its high ratings as a trusted go-to source.
Increase in viewership and market influence
On the topic of knowing its audience, the FNC network knows what resonates. It has acquired a loyal audience that has trust in the network, hence an increase in viewership is guaranteed as it keeps growing and covering what the majority of their audience watches. This includes Primetime shows like Hannity, which attracts at least 2.1m to 2.7m viewers on average.
This also means the network draws advertisers to it for use as a marketing platform. FNC has a strong influence among the 25 to 54 age group demographic, and placing marketers that target this specific age group in front of the news audience results in increased financial profits and bigger ad revenues.
Ultimately, FNC can maintain its successful leadership in the cable news market by continuously resonating with its audience. With its consistently high ratings, it proves that it is on a success streak for the long term.
