November was a record-breaking month for the cable news networks as election coverage dominated the news cycle.
Fox News led all cable networks in primetime, averaging a record 3.9 million viewers during the period of Oct. 26 to Nov. 29, said Nielsen. CNN averaged 2.8 million viewers to finish second followed by MSNBC’s 2.6 million -- both record performances for the networks, according to Nielsen.
ESPN finished fourth with 2.4 million, followed by Hallmark Channel with 1.7 million, and HGTV with 1 million watchers. TBS (934,000 viewers), TLC (880,000), Food Network (834,000) and Discovery Channel (796,000) rounded out the top 10.
Fox News was also the big winner on the 24-hour basis, marking its 227 consecutive month at the top of the chart. CNN, MSNBC, Hallmark Channel and ESPN also garnered strong ratings returns in the category during the month.
