NEW YORK—A sharp drop in cable news ratings following a presidential election is as inevitable as snow in Buffalo. Yet in the Age of Trump, so far Fox News Channel is defying that trend.
Comparing the five weeks after the election to the white-hot campaign days of October, Fox’s prime-time audience is down 8 percent, the Nielsen company said. That’s a much smaller drop than rivals CNN and MSNBC, and smaller than all of the networks historically following elections.
“They’ve really, obviously, established themselves as the go-to place for all things Trump, Trump supporters certainly,” said Paul Sweeney, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. “This is their time to shine and they’re making the most of it.”
Post-election has been a victory lap for Sean Hannity, who made no secret of his support for Trump and was rewarded with regular interviews. Fox also enticed viewers with TMZ’s Harvey Levin getting a guided tour of the president-elect’s New York apartment.
Following Barack Obama’s victories, Fox’s post-election viewership dropped by 50 percent in 2012 and 36 percent in 2008, Nielsen said. The drop was 25 percent after Republican George W. Bush’s 2004 win.
Fox’s audience likely reflects the surprise nature of Trump’s win: Viewers depressed about his chances of winning were less inclined to watch during October and much more excited in November. Fox’s viewership shot up in late October when new questions were raised about Hillary Clinton’s emails.
The timing couldn’t be better for Fox, thrown into uncertainty this summer with the ouster of the man who essentially invented the network, Roger Ailes. People wondered whether James and Lachlan Murdoch, who run Fox’s parent 21st Century Fox, would want to change the focus of a network that strongly appeals to conservatives.
“The rising tide of Trump and what he represents coincides well with what Fox traditionally has been,” Sweeney said.
Given its success, Lachlan Murdoch has been quoted as saying it would be foolish of Fox to change direction. His brother James, during an appearance at a Business Insider conference earlier this month, said there’s more to the network’s success than politics, and that the programming is very engaging for viewers.
