Fox News Rolls to First Quarter Cable Ratings Win

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Fox News finished the first quarter of 2019 as the most watched cable network in primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers during the period of Dec. 31 to March 31 to take the top spot in primetime, according to Nielsen. The network was paced by the strong performance of Hannity, which finished the quarter as the most watched cable news show during the 9 -10 pm timeslot with an average of 3.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

MSNBC finished second with 1.9 million viewers, followed by ESPN (1.6 million viewers), HGTV (1.3 million) and TBS (1.2 million), according to Nielsen.

USA Network, History, Hallmark Channel and TNT all tied for fifth place with 1.1 million viewers, with CNN, Investigation Discovery and Discovery Channel rounding out the top 10 most watched networks for the month.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News finished first with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (1 million), Nickelodeon (769,000), HGTV (752,000), Investigation Discovery (743,000) and ESPN (726,000), said Nielsen. 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.