Fox News Channel maintained its dominance throughout the summer of 2025, finishing the season with the highest primetime viewership among all television networks, including the three major broadcast networks – ABC, NBC, and CBS. According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox averaged 2.43 million total viewers in primetime since June 20, besting ABC’s 2.38 million viewers, NBC’s 2.21 million viewers and CBS’ 2.03 million viewers. In August, Fox averaged 2.3 million viewers in primetime, while MSNBC ranked second with an average of 783,000 total viewers in primetime, while CNN trailed in third, averaging 444,000 total viewers. Fox was the only network of the three to expand its audience from August 2024, improving by 1% in total viewers, while MSNBC dropped 57% of its viewers and CNN lost 59% year-over-year.
Notably, Fox News maintained its dominance in the advertiser-coveted demographic of ages 25-54, averaging 237,000 in August compared to CNN’s 78,000 and MSNBC’s 72,000. In total day viewership, Fox News led with an average of 1.45 million total viewers with 160,000 in the key demo during August, while MSNBC averaged just 502,000 total viewers with 46,000 in the demo and CNN averaged 333,000 total viewers with 53,000 in the demo. Fox’s prime-time lineup saw several shows solidify their positions, with