Fox News Maintains Dominance in Third Quarter of 2026

Fox News Channel continues to lead ahead of its 30th anniversary, maintaining its position at the top among weekday primetime viewers. In the third quarter of 2026, Fox News outpaced CBS, averaging 2.4 million weekday primetime viewers, keeping its lead among broadcast networks throughout the year.

Fox News dominated cable news channels, achieving an average of 1.3 million total-day viewers, becoming the sole network to exceed one million viewers. MS NOW followed with 592,000, trailed by ESPN, CNN, and HGTV.

“The Five” averaged 3.1 million total-day viewers, ranking as the top cable news show.

During primetime, Fox News secured an average of 2.1 million viewers, beating ESPN, which came in second with 1.1 million. MS NOW managed 930,000, and CNN secured 607,000 viewers. Fox News maintained a strong hold, capturing 56% of the total day audience and 57% during primetime.

Programs like “The Five,” featuring Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Emily Compagno, Jessica Tarlov, and Harold Ford Jr., sustained its top ranking for 20 consecutive quarters. Other top shows included “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Gutfeld!,” “Special Report with Bret Baier,” “Hannity,” and “The Ingraham Angle.” These shows nearly dominated the top 14 cable news programs. “The Rachel Maddow Show” from MS NOW was the only non-Fox News program in this rank, averaging 1.9 million viewers.

CNN’s highest-ranked show, “Newsnight,” averaged 686,000 viewers, placing 24th in cable news rankings. Fox News continued its success with daytime programs like “America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino,” “The Faulkner Focus,” and “Outnumbered.”

“Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher” led its timeslot with 1.3 million viewers. “Gutfeld!” surpassed all late-night TV shows, beating “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.” “FOX & Friends” retained its position as the most-watched morning show, triumphing over “CBS Mornings” in major markets like New York and Philadelphia.

Weekend programming thrived with shows such as “Life, Liberty & Levin” and “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” achieving strong viewership. “Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany” led Saturdays with 1.4 million viewers, matching “Sunday Morning Futures” viewership on Sundays.

In the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, Fox News excelled, averaging 120,000 in total-day viewers and 183,000 during primetime. “The Five” led with 289,000 viewers in this critical category.

Data attributed to Nielsen Media Research.