Fox News was 2020’s most watched cable network in both primetime and total day as viewers gravitated to news content during a year dominated by the pandemic, social justice protests and the Presidential election.
Fox News averaged 3.5 million viewers in primetime for the period of Dec. 30, 2019 to Dec. 27, 2020, the largest primetime audience for a cable news network in history, according to Nielsen.
“This ratings milestone is a testament to the incredible work of the Fox News Channel team during a pivotal year,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott in a statement. “We are immensely proud and honored to once again serve as the destination for news and opinion in America.”
MSNBC (2.1 million viewers) and CNN (1.7 million) finished second and third, respectively, giving the major cable news network a sweep of the top primetime slots.
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ESPN finished fourth with 1.5 million viewers, followed by HGTV and TLC, which tied with 1.1 million viewers. The rest of the top 10 most watched cable networks include Hallmark Channel and TBS (tied with 1 million), TNT (923,000) and History (890,000).
On a total day basis, Fox News set a ratings record for a cable news service with 1.8 million viewers to lead all cable networks, followed by MSNBC (1.2 million viewers) and CNN (1.1 million viewers.)
