Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Continues Primetime Dominance

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Extends primetime winning streak to 10 weeks

Sean Hannity
Fox News Channel’s ‘Hannity’ (Image credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Fox News Channel extended its weekly winning streak in the primetime basic cable ratings to double digits last week as it remained hot in August. 

Fox News averaged 2.3 million viewers for the week of August 5-11 to top all cable networks for the 10th straight week, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News.

MSNBC finished second with 1.3 million viewers, followed by Olympics-fused USA Network’s 1 million viewers and CNN’s 696,000 watchers.

Also Read: NBCU Says Olympics Delivered 36.6 Million Viewers in Primetime

The launch of NFL preseason games propelled NFL Network to fifth place with 572,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (561,000 viewers), INSP (536,000), HGTV (521,000), History (488,000) and TBS (472,000).

On the total-day front, Fox News won its 31st consecutive week with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (965,000 viewers), USA (903,000), CNN (524,000) and Hallmark Channel (326,000), according to 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.