The April ratings are in, and it turns out America spent the month with their remotes glued to Fox News. In a bit of a broadcast ego-bruise, Fox News Channel officially leapfrogged over ABC and NBC in weekday primetime.
Averaging 3.2 million viewers, Fox managed to scoot past ABC’s 3.1 million and NBC’s 3.0 million.
While the champagne is likely flowing at Fox—which just notched its third most-watched April ever—the mood over at CBS and ABC is probably a bit more “stress-eating in the breakroom.”
Both networks recorded their lowest-rated April for primetime viewers this century. CBS, in particular, saw its primetime numbers dip below the four-million mark for the first time since before the iPod was invented.
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The “ouch” factor at CBS didn’t stop at sunset. Tony Dokoupil’s CBS Evening News slumped to 3.9 million viewers, marking his worst month since taking the job. It’s been a rough stretch for the anchor, who has spent three straight weeks under that four-million-viewer line.
Meanwhile, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is limping toward its final episode in May, posting its worst April demo numbers in show history.
Over at Fox, the 9 PM slot saw Sean Hannity having a better month than a pro golfer. Hannity drew 3.2 million viewers, actually outdriving ESPN’s coverage of The Masters.
Not to be outdone, Greg Gutfeld celebrated his five-year anniversary in the late-night space by continuing to beat everyone—Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon—showing that his brand of “disruptive” late-night is still the one people are actually staying up for.
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In the battle of the “Hard News” heavyweights, Bret Baier’s Special Report is making things very uncomfortable for the broadcast competition. Baier beat out Dokoupil’s CBS Evening News head-to-head in 20 major markets, including big hitters like New York and Chicago.
Even ABC’s World News Tonight felt the heat, losing to Baier in cities like St. Louis and Baltimore.
The daytime scene was just as lopsided.
The Five remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of the 5 PM hour with 3.8 million viewers, while Jesse Watters took the crown for the most-watched show in all of primetime. From 9 AM to 5 PM, every single Fox daytime program outpaced broadcast staples like GMA3 and Today with Jenna and Sheinelle.
Even the weekends offered no respite for the competition. Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures snagged the title of the most-watched cable news show of the weekend, while Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich’s Sunday Briefing saw its best month with younger viewers since it debuted.
While Fox News saw a tiny dip compared to a massive March, they finished the month with year-over-year gains, commanding nearly 60% of the cable news market.
CNN and MS Now, meanwhile, trailed significantly behind in the rearview mirror. It seems that for now, the “broadcast” giants are finding out that the “cable” guys aren’t just roommates anymore—they’re owning the house.
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