FOX News Channel’s ‘Democracy 2024 Election Night’ and Special Coverage of Vice President Harris’ Concession Speech Lead Broadcast and Cable Television
MSNBC Craters in Primetime Post-Election Seeing Declines of Nearly 60%, While FNC Delivers Best Week Since 2020
‘Gutfeld!,’ ‘America Reports’ and ‘The Faulkner Focus’ Score Highest-Rated Weeks Since Launch; ‘The Faulkner Focus’ and ‘America’s Newsroom’ Beat ‘The View’
‘Special Report with Bret Baier’ tops ‘CBS Evening News’ Following the Election
NEW YORK – November 12, 2024 – During the week of the election, November 4-10, FOX News Channel (FNC) was the number one network in all of television with weekday primetime viewers defeating the broadcast competition. Throughout weekday primetime, FNC commanded 5.4 million viewers, trouncing ABC’s 4.9 million viewers, as well as CBS and NBC which saw just 4.1 million viewers. In primetime for Monday-Sunday (8-11 PM/ET), FNC earned 4.3 million viewers and 872,000 in the 25-54 demo. In total day Monday-Sunday (6AM-6AM/ET), FNC posted 2.6 million viewers and 472,000 in the 25-54 demo. This marked FNC’s best week across both primetime and total day since November 2020. Commanding 61% of the cable news audience share, FNC blew CNN and MSNBC out of the water across total day and primetime as the competition saw just 17% and 22% viewership share, respectively. Additionally, FNC’s ratings skyrocketed for the week, delivering the most growth in cable news week-over-week and year-over-year in all categories.
On Election Day, FOX News Media’s primetime coverage of election night across FNC, FOX Network, FOX Business Network (FBN) and FOX News Digital topped all television networks with nearly 13.6 million viewers and 4.4 million in the 25-54 demo. FNC’s Democracy 2024 primetime coverage averaged nearly 10.3 million in total viewers and 3.1 million in the 25-54 younger demographic, dominating the competition in both categories and beating ABC, NBC, CBS and all cable news networks for the second election in a row. Co-anchored by Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story’s Martha MacCallum, the network’s marathon coverage from 6 PM – 3 AM/ET averaged 8.6 million viewers and 2.6 million in the 25-54 demo, leading all of television. FNC’s coverage peaked during the 10 PM/ET hour with 11.2 million viewers and 3.5 million in the 25-54 demo, which was the top telecast of the week even surpassing Monday Night Football on ESPN. Across total day (3 AM – 3 AM/ET), FNC also reigned supreme, averaging 4.7 million viewers and 1.2 million in the younger 25-54 demo for the duration of Election Day coverage. In the 1 AM/ET hour, FNC’s Decision Desk was the first major network to call the race for former President Donald Trump and the channel commanded over 7.4 million viewers and 2.4 million in the 25-54 demo, leading CNN and MSNBC combined. In terms of cable news share, FNC occupied 48% of viewers in primetime and 50% across total day.
Following the election, FNC’s special coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech continued to sweep the television news competition on Wednesday, delivering 7.9 million viewers and 1.4 million in the 25-54 demo. Anchored again by Baier and MacCallum, the FOX News Democracy 24 special coverage from 4:15-4:45 PM/ET set a record for post-election coverage and commanded 64% of the cable news audience. Comparatively, CNN averaged just 2.2 million viewers and 555,000 in the 25-54 demo and MSNBC saw 2.3 million viewers and 353,000 in the 25-54 demo. According to Nielsen numbers, ABC only pulled 2.4 million viewers and 572,000 in the 25-54 demo, CBS lagged behind with 1.5 million viewers and 327,000 in the 25-54 demo and NBC averaged only 1.7 million viewers and 396,000 in the 25-54 demo during the speech. Notably, Special Report with Bret Baier (6 PM/ET) averaged 5.1 million viewers and 928,000 in the 25-54 demo on Wednesday, besting CBS Evening News which saw 4.5 million viewers and 789,000 in the 25-54 demo. Additionally, America’s Newsroom (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 4,631,000 P2+) and The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 4,502,000 P2+) marked a significant milestone surpassing ABC’s The View (4,470,000 P2+) despite being in fewer homes than the broadcast competitors.
Throughout the week, MSNBC’s ratings cratered. In the days since the election (Wednesday – Sunday), MSNBC is down nearly 60% compared to year-to-date with viewers cratering to just 567,000 and 63,000 in the 25-54 demo in primetime. In total day, MSNBC slumped to just 545,000 viewers and 66,000 in the 25-54 demo shedding nearly 40% of its viewership. Comparatively, FNC has seen its primetime A25-54 viewership rise nearly 70% post-election. On Friday, MSNBC delivered a paltry 636,000 viewers and 61,000 in the 25-54 demo, its worst non-holiday of the year. Notably, Friday saw a number of shows deliver their lowest-rated days of the year with Alex Wagner Tonight (585,000 P2+), Andrea Mitchell Reports (29,000 A25-54), Chris Jansing Reports (39,000 A25-54), Deadline White House (968,000 P2+), Jose Diaz-Balart Reports (407,000 P2+), Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (609,000 P2) and The Reidout (715,000 P2+). In fact, Alex Wagner Tonight slumped to its lowest-rated show ever on Friday. On the weekend, MSNBC fell to its lowest-rated total day in the 25-54 demo since 1997. CNN also saw declines post-election, managing just 429,000 viewers and 95,000 in the 25-54 demo and just 491,000 viewers and 114,000 in the 25-54 demo in primetime. Compared to year-to-date, CNN has lost 16% of its total day viewers and a whopping 34% of its primetime viewers.
Meanwhile, FNC notched multiple records for the week. Gutfeld! (3.8 million P2+; 627,000 A25-54), The Faulkner Focus (3 million P2+) and America Reports (2.8 million P2+) all secured the highest-rated week the shows have seen since launch. The Five (5.3 million P2+) secured its second highest week since 2011 launch. Following the election from Wednesday – Sunday The Faulkner Focus (3,478,000 P2+) and Outnumbered (3,318,000 P2+) marked a significant milestone leading ABC’s The View (3,263,000 P2+). Additionally, The Faulkner Focus, Outnumbered, America’s Newsroom (3,242,000 P2+) and America Reports (3,035,000 P2+) all surpassed NBC’s The Today Show (2,979,000 P2+) and ABC’s GMA (2,762,000 P2+) in post-election coverage. FOX & Friends (2,318,000 P2+) led many broadcast programs including CBS Mornings (2,219,000 P2+), NBC’s TODAY Third Hour (1,922,000 P2+), CBS’ The Talk (1,289,000 P2+) and ABC’s GMA3 (1,286,000 P2+) after the election.
For the week, The Five averaged a massive 5.3 million viewers and 726,000 in the 25-54 demo to lead all of television. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 4 million viewers and 583,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 4 million viewers and 618,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 4.7 million viewers and 712,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 3.9 million viewers and 630,000 with A25-54. At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 2.1 million viewers and 401,000 in the 25-54 demo. FNC’s Gutfeld! continued to lead all late-night television across the board. For the week, Gutfeld! averaged 3.8 million viewers and 627,000 in the 25-54 demo, crushing CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2 million P2+; 368,000 A25-54), ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.7 million P2+; 353,000 A25-54) and NBC’s The Tonight Show (1.2 million P2+; 305,000 A25-54).
On Saturday, Life, Liberty & Levin (weekends, 8 PM/ET) was the most-watched show of the day with 2,114,000 viewers, while One Nation with Brian Kilmeade (Saturday 9 PM/ET) led the way in the 25-54 demo with 211,000 viewers. The Big Weekend Show (weekends, 7 PM/ET) averaged 1.8 million viewers and 186,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX & Friends Weekend (weekends, 6-10 AM/ET) commanded 1.7 million viewers and 194,000 in the 25-54 demo. On Sunday, Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures (Sunday, 10 AM/ET) dominated cable news averaging 2.1 million viewers and 235,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Big Weekend Show (weekends, 7 PM/ET) following with 1,946,000 viewers and 234,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy posted 1,779,000 viewers and 180,000 in the younger demo.
Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 11-4-24 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. 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 eight years and the most-watched television news channel for more than 22 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 50% 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 nearly 70 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.
