MS NOW Gains 11% in Primetime Viewers as Fox News Keeps 14 of Top 15 Shows

Q: As one network surges in viewership, is the long-held hierarchy of cable news on the verge of a major shakeup?

Not yet, but the hierarchy is clearly under pressure. The latest Nielsen week shows real momentum for MS NOW. It was the only major cable news network to post gains in both total viewers and adults 25-54 across both primetime and total day. Primetime rose to 976,000 viewers, up 11 percent, while total day climbed to 603,000, up 9 percent. Its demo gains were smaller but still positive, and “The Rachel Maddow Show” was the only non-Fox program to crack the Top 15. That said, Fox News still holds a commanding lead. It averaged 2.3 million primetime viewers for the week, more than double MS NOW, and claimed 14 of the 15 most-watched cable news programs. “The Five” remained the top show at 3.345 million viewers. Even with some flat or slightly softer total-viewer trends, Fox’s scale and lineup depth still define the market. The more important story is the direction of travel. MS NOW’s June gains fit a broader pattern of year-over-year growth in recent months, while CNN is also improving, especially in the key ad demographic. At the same time, Fox has shown some year-over-year softness even as it keeps winning weekly and quarterly crowns. So this is better described as a competitive reshuffling than an immediate overthrow. Fox remains firmly on top, but the gap beneath it is becoming more dynamic, and if MS NOW and CNN sustain their growth while Fox’s audience plateaus, the long-set pecking order could become less stable over time.

3 articles · Updated · TV Insider · Jun 12

MS NOW averaged 976,000 primetime viewers and 102,000 adults 25-54 in the week of June 1, up 11% and 2% from the prior week, making it the only cable news network to gain in both primetime and daytime on both measures.
Daytime also improved for MS NOW, which drew 603,000 total viewers and 64,000 in the key demo, up 9% and 12% week over week.
Fox News still led the ratings, averaging 2.3 million primetime viewers and 203,000 in the demo; it was flat in total viewers, up 11% in the demo, and held 14 of the 15 most-watched cable news shows.
CNN also posted gains in primetime to 637,000 total viewers and 116,000 in the demo, up 8% and 7%, while The Five led all cable news programs with 3.345 million viewers and MS NOW's The Rachel Maddow Show was the only non-Fox entry in the top 15.