Weekly Cable Ratings: Cowboys-Bucs Playoff Helps ESPN Win Again in Primetime

By
published

Fox News Channel extends total-day streak to three weeks

Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 NFC Wild Card playoff game
The January 16 NFC Wild Card playoff between Dak Prescott’s Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Bucs averaged 30 million combined viewers on ESPN and ABC. (Image credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

ESPN rode a Monday night NFL playoffs performance to the top of the primetime ratings charts, while Fox News Channel kept up its winning streak in the total-day ratings.

ESPN averaged 2.4 million viewers for the week of January 16 to January 22, notching its third primetime straight win, according to Nielsen. The network was bolstered by its coverage of the January 16 Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL NFC Wild Card Playoff game, which averaged more than 30 million viewers combined on ESPN and ABC, Nielsen said.

Fox News finished second with 1.9 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 943,000 viewers, Hallmark Channel with 885,000 viewers, and HGTV with 872,000 watchers.

Also finishing among the top 10 most-watched networks in primetime were History (742,000 viewers), TNT (730,000), INSP (698,000), TBS (656,000) and TLC (654,000). 

Fox News secured its third straight win on the total day charts with 1.3 million viewers, topping ESPN (825,000 viewers), MSNBC (629,000), HGTV (495,000), and Hallmark Channel (455,000), Nielsen reported. ■ 

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.