'One Nation' debuts on FOX News
'One Nation' host Brian Kilmeade welcomes his viewers by laying out the goal for the show and describing the journey ahead.
Fox News made history to kick off 2022, finishing January as the No. 1 cable news network for the 20th consecutive year among both total day and primetime viewers.
"I am immensely proud of this landmark achievement as it is a testament to the dedicated teams across FOX News Channel, who are the backbone in making us number one for 20 consecutive years with the most loyal and politically diverse audience in cable news," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said.
Fox News became the No.1 cable news network among total viewers in wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in January 2002 and has remained No. 1 ever since. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
When Fox News launched on October 7, 1996, FOX had seen remarkable growth in entertainment programming, children’s content and live sports offerings, but the company lacked a relevant news organization. Founder Rupert Murdoch predicted ratings success for the costly cable news venture despite criticism from skeptics, and FNC became the most-watched cable news channel only six years later.
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Fox News became the No.1 cable news network among total viewers in wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in January 2002 and has remained No. 1 ever since, keeping the top spot for two decades.
Fox News finished January by crushing CNN and MSNBC viewership combined among both total day and primetime viewers for the sixth straight month. Fox News was also the only cable news network to show year-over-year viewership growth, while MSNBC and CNN both had enormous declines, shedding nearly three quarters of their audiences apiece.
Fox News has been the most-watched cable network for four different U.S. presidents, multiple election cycles, the aftermath of 9/11, countless natural disasters, the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, the downfall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a pair of Royal weddings, a global recession, Brexit, the killing of Usama bin Laden by Navy SEALs, the Occupy Wall Street movement, captivating crime stories such as Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony, Michael Jackson’s death, the execution of Saddam Hussein, tragic mass shootings, Benghazi, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Black Lives Matter effort, #MeToo movement, international conflicts, and the ongoing COVID pandemic, in addition to thousands of other news events and history-making stories.
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Fox News stars including Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade have been around for the entire ride, while others such as Harris Faulkner, Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, and Tucker Carlson joined along the way.
"Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 560,000 viewers among the key demo to finish No. 1 in the category most coveted by advertisers. (Fox News)
During January, Fox News averaged 1.4 million total viewers for a 4% increase compared to last year, while MSNBC averaged 656,000 for a 60% drop compared to Jan. 2021. CNN settled for only 493,000 average viewers, marking a 74% drop compared to last year.
Fox News averaged 226,000 among the key news demographic of adults age 25-54, compared to only 101,000 for CNN and a dismal 74,000 for MSNBC.
Fox News also crushed competitors during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m., averaging 2.2 million compared to 1.2 million for MSNBC and only 633,000 for CNN. Along the way, Fox News was home to 95 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the month.
Newly-Launched "Jesse Watters Primetime" averaged more than 3 Million viewers in its first week.
"The Five" averaged 3.6 million viewers to finish as the most-watched cable news program in January, marking its second straight month in the top spot despite airing before the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. that typically dominate viewership. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" finished second with 3.4 million viewers and "Jesse Watters Primetime," "Hannity," "Special Report with Bret Baier" and "The Ingraham Angle" all outdrew anything CNN or MSNBC had to offer as Fox News swept the top six programs.
MSNBC’s most-watched program was "The Rachel Maddow Show," which finished seventh, but the namesake host announced on Monday that she would step away for several weeks to focus on other projects. Rachel Maddow heads into her hiatus with her worst monthly rating among the key demo since January 2017.
"The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell" had its worst turnout among total viewers since December 2016, while "Morning Joe" had its smallest monthly audience since January 2017.
Sean Hannity has been with Fox News for the entire 20-year run atop cable news. (Fox News)
CNN continued to struggle during the Biden era as fledgling morning show "New Day" had its worst month ever among the key demo, averaging only 59,000 viewers in the critical category.
"Anderson Cooper 360" was CNN’s most-watched show, but finished No. 23 in cable news behind 14 Fox News shows and six MSNBC offerings.
Despite being CNN’s most popular program, "Anderson Cooper 360" had its worst month among total viewers since October 2015. However, CNN’s 9 p.m. ET hour has been such a disaster that the liberal network kicked off February by adding an additional hour of "AC 360" to the lineup in the slot once occupied by Chris Cuomo.
CNN has experimented with different primetime options since it was forced to terminate Cuomo last year, but a two-week special, "Democracy in Peril," failed to resonate with viewers as hosts Brianna Keilar and Jim Acosta flopped in their primetime debuts.
"FOX & Friends" averaged 1.3 million viewers to top cable news morning shows for the 10th consecutive month.
"Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 560,000 viewers among the key demo to finish No. 1 in the category most coveted by advertisers. Fox News had the 13 most-watched programs among the demo as MSNBC and CNN have found it difficult to attract younger viewers during the Biden administration.
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Fox News continued its dominance during the weekend, beating CNN and MSNBC combined among total viewers and the demo during both total day and primetime and winning every weekend hour.
All data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
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