Fox News Channel finished July as the most-watched network in weekday primetime across all of television, topping broadcast competitors NBC, ABC, and CBS, according to Nielsen rating data released Wednesday.
Fox News averaged 2.64 million viewers during weekday primetime hours throughout the month. NBC followed with 2.45 million viewers, ABC drew 2.27 million, and CBS brought up the rear among major broadcast networks with 1.92 million viewers.
Across the full Monday-through-Sunday primetime window (8–11 p.m. ET), Fox News held its lead with 2.33 million viewers, outpacing ABC’s 2.29 million and CBS’s 1.99 million.
The network’s July viewership was bolstered in part by special “America 250” programming surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, which delivered the highest Independence Day ratings in network history. Coverage peaked at 5.7 million viewers during Donald Trump’s late-night address.
In total-day viewership, Fox News averaged nearly 1.5 million viewers, taking roughly 60 percent of the total cable news market share and outperforming competitors CNN and MS NOW combined. CNN averaged 465,000 total-day viewers for the month, while MS NOW pulled in 636,000.
Daily ensemble show The Five maintained its position as the top-rated program in cable news, averaging 3.3 million viewers. That figure placed it ahead of several primetime broadcast entries, including CBS’s Big Brother (3.2 million) and NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball (2.8 million). Jesse Watters Primetime ranked second overall in cable news with nearly 3 million viewers, followed by Gutfeld! (2.63 million), Hannity (2.55 million), and Special Report with Bret Baier (2.52 million).
In the late-night slot, Gutfeld! drew 2.6 million total viewers, placing it ahead of broadcast competitors Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC (1.6 million), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC (1.4 million), and Late Night with Seth Meyers (790,000).
The month brought historic low ratings for several broadcast news offerings. CBS recorded its lowest-rated overall primetime month since 1992, with CBS Evening News averaging 3.8 million viewers—its lowest monthly average under anchor Tony Dokoupil—and CBS Mornings delivering its lowest-rated month in program history with 1.6 million viewers.
ABC also notched its lowest primetime monthly performance in the key adults 25–54 demographic since 1992, averaging 391,000 viewers in the category.
Fox News’ morning flagship FOX & Friends averaged 1.3 million viewers, maintaining its lead among morning cable news programs for the 65th consecutive month while topping CBS Mornings in 23 major local markets, including New York, Chicago, and Dallas.
In daytime programming, Fox News broadcasts between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET consistently outpaced network rivals, including NBC News Daily (1.6 million), ABC’s GMA3 (1.5 million), and The Kelly Clarkson Show (938,000).
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