Fox News Channel wallops CNN, MS NOW during Q1 of 2026
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Fox News Channel dominated the first quarter of 2026, ranking first among all cable channels for the 20th consecutive quarter while surpassing CBS among weekday prime time viewers.
Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers per day during the busy news cycle, compared to 691,000 for MS NOW and 577,000 for CNN.
During prime time, Fox News averaged 2.6 million viewers, while MS NOW averaged 1.1 million viewers and CNN had just 797,000 viewers. This was the period when Fox News topped cable news prime time viewership for the 97th consecutive quarter, and the channel also surpassed ESPN despite its coverage of college football and the NFL playoffs.
Fox News dominated nearly 60% of the cable news audience in both total day and prime time.
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Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld. (FOX News Media)
It was much the same among the adult 25-54 demographic that advertisers covet; Fox News averaged 172,000 daily viewers among the critical group, compared to 101,000 for CNN and just 72,000 for MS NOW.
Fox News’ prime time schedule drew 265,000 demo viewers, while CNN had 156,000 and MS NOW averaged just 114,000.
Fox News, meanwhile, delivered 14 of the 15 most-watched programs on cable news channels with viewers, posting double-digit hourly increases from the previous quarter.
“The Five,” starring Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., extended its historic run as the first non-primetime program to rank as the most-watched program in cable news for 18 consecutive quarters, averaging 4 million total viewers and 354,000 base demos.
“Special Report with Bret Baier” averaged more than 3 million viewers in the demo and outpaced “CBS Evening News” in 19 major markets including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington D.C. with 289,000 viewers
“The Ingraham Angle,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Hannity” and “FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher” dominated cable news competition in their time slots, while nearly all Fox News programs had their highest-rated quarter in a year.
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“Special Report with Bret Baier” averaged more than 3 million viewers in the first quarter of 2026. (FOX News Media)
“Gutfield!” CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” NBC’s “Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” It reached an average of 3 million viewers, surpassing all broadcast and nightly television programs, including TV programs.
During weekday prime time, Fox News averaged 3 million total viewers, while CBS reached 2.9 million.
“America’s Newsroom with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer,” “The Faulkner Focus,” Outnumbered, “America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith,” “The Story with Martha MacCallum” and “The Will Cain Show” each crushed their cable news rivals, and even “CBS Mornings,” ABC’s “GMA3” and NBC’s “Today with Jenna and Sheinelle.”
“FOX & Friends” averaged 1.4 million viewers, beating out “CBS Mornings” and cable news morning show competition FOX & Friends in 23 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
“FOX & Friends FIRST” and “FOX & Friends Weekends” were also successful, helping the FOX & Friends series become the most-watched morning series on cable news channels for the quarter.
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Brian Kilmeade interviews JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on “Fox & Friends” on March 31, 2026 in New York. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Kayleigh McEnany’s “Saturday in America” drew 2.3 million viewers; “FOX News Live with Aishah Hasnie,” “The Big Weekend Show,” “My View with Lara Trump,” “FOX News Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla” and “Life, Liberty & Levin” helped the network outshine its competition on Saturday.
Maria Bartiromo’s “Sunday Morning Futures” became Sunday’s most-watched cable news program with 2 million total viewers, while “Sunday Briefing” with rotating hosts Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich continued to grow its timeslot by double digits.
“Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy,” “Life, Liberty & Levin” and “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” had strong views that would help Fox News dominate Sundays as well.
Fox News also ranked as the fastest-growing network in all of television among primetime viewers and earned the top spot in cable among Hispanic and Asian viewers in total days for both the first quarter of 2026 and the month of March.
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Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Medi Research.
