White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appears live and on Fox News on device during a news conference in Washington on June 30, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
All three major cable-news networks—CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News—set new viewership records in November, according to press releases and reports citing Nielsen Media Research data, with Fox taking top spot in total viewers in both the “total day” and “prime time” categories.
Fox News reigned supreme in total average viewers (1.94 million) in the “total day” category for the entire month of November, up 22 percent compared to the same month last year. The network also took top spot in total average viewers (3.94 million) in the “prime time” bracket for the month, a 41 percent year-over-year rise.
Fox News’ prime time lineup “crushed the competition and captured the top two spots in cable news,” a network representative told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement, with a press release noting that “‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ continues to make cable news history, marking the first time that a cable news program delivered over 5 million viewers for two consecutive months.”
“Both ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ and ‘Hannity’ finished the month of November averaging 5 million total viewers, making cable news history yet again as the only two programs in cable news to have ever marked this milestone,” the company added.
An advertisement features Fox News personalities, including Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, in New York City on March 13, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
CNN came in second in total average viewers (1.79 million) in the “total day” bracket for November, up 41 percent year-over-year. The network was also second in total average viewers (2.80 million) in the “prime time” category for the month, representing growth of 180 percent compared to November 2019.
“In its 40-year history, the network has never had a bigger audience than it did last month, when it broke every record for viewership,” CNN said in a press release. “In addition, CNN was the #1 network in cable news for the month, easily beating Fox and MSNBC in the key sales target of adults 25-54 in total day, prime time and daytime,” the company added.
A person watches CNN on her phone in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 6, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
MSNBC took third spot in total average viewers (1.59 million) in the “total day” category for the month of November, up 32 percent compared the same month last year and a new record for the network. It also came in third in total average viewers (2.66 million) in the “prime time” bracket for the month, a 29 percent year-over-year rise.
“MSNBC topped previous records and delivered its highest-rated month in the networks’ 25-year history in November,” the company said in a statement, adding, “'The 11th Hour with Brian Williams’ averaged 2.5 million total viewers dominating the competition again by finishing first for the second month in a row (vs. Fox News’ 2.1 million and CNN’s 1.4 million).”
Moderator Brian Williams watches a video during a taping of "Meet the Press" at the NBC studios in Washington, on June 22, 2008. (Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)
However, for the month of November since the day after the Nov. 3 election, CNN has taken top spot in total average viewers (1.834 million) in the “total day” category, with Fox News coming in second, with an overall average viewership of 1.613 million in the category, according to the Daily Beast.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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