Fox News Primetime Is Now Bigger than ABC, CBS, or NBC; CNN Might as Well Not Exist

Everybody has been laughing at CNN’s skydive without a parachute, and we all had a chuckle when the ratings came out that showed that CNN’s viewership is now about 1/6th that of Fox News. 

After all, who would have predicted that the publicity push for Jake Tapper’s “Original Sin” (apologies to Alex Thompson, who co-wrote the book and is an actual journalist, but nobody cares about non-celebrities anymore) wouldn’t give CNN a bump or two in the ratings? I expected it would have, since any publicity is good publicity if you are looking for ratings. 

So it’s funny that the more people see Jake Tapper, the less interested they are in listening to him. That is funny. Admit it. 

But it turns out that it is a categorical mistake to compare Fox News to CNN or MSNBC, and I mean that literally. They are not in the same category at all. Fox News is no longer just a news channel juggernaut–they are a genuine ratings juggernaut against the prime time lineups of all the networks. 

Nolte: Dying CNN Crashes to 374K Viewers, Fox News Tops ABC, CBS, NBC https://t.co/McfJe5IP3C

— Steve Ferguson (@lsferguson) June 4, 2025

You don’t tend to think of a cable news channel as in the same category as the networks that broadcast innumerable versions of Law and Order or the sitcoms that people apparently watch (I literally cannot name one on the air anymore, except for reruns of Seinfeld). 

Fox News topped all three broadcast networks during the week of May 26-30. NBC and CBS averaged only 2.4 million average primetime viewers, while CBS earned just 2.3 million. Fox News grabbed 2.7 million.

Between May 26 and June 1, Fox News earned 1.5 million average viewers throughout the total day, compared to CNN’s pathetic 308,000.

In the 25-54 age demo that sets advertising rates, Fox News attracted an average of 175,000 during the total day and 240,000 during primetime. CNNLOL earned only 49,000 and 61,000, respectively.

But Fox News has broken into the big time. The Five–which is as much a comedy show as a serious news discussion venue–is killing it in the ratings, so much so that it has beaten those Law and Order clones on numerous occasions. 

The Fox News Channel’s most popular show, The Five, earned more demo viewers — 409,000 — than CNN earned average primetime viewers. The Five also attracted 3.7 million total viewers. That’s more viewers than most primetime network shows, and The Five probably costs about a 20^th to produce.

Go figure. 

@LeadingReport Fox News continues CRUSHING the fake news cabal with 2.3M patriots tuning in while CNN’s 374k proves nobody trusts liberal propaganda. Trump’s America First movement is DOMINATING the airwaves week after week. Total victory!

— The Scoop (@TheScoopUS) June 4, 2025

News nerds like us tend to compare Fox News to its cable news “peers,” but that understates its cultural significance. If a cheaply produced show like The Five, which essentially consists of talking heads joking around about politics and the news, can attract more viewers–including the coveted “demographic” we keep hearing about– it really is a cultural juggernaut. 

Which raises a question: why do the advertisers still skew the way they do? You see a lot fewer big corporations throwing cash onto the screen on Fox than on network television–at least that is my impression from the times I have been forced to watch the channel at other people’s homes. 

Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B

— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024

As with so many other things, I think it is class. The people who purchase advertising for transnational corporations likely find Fox News viewers icky. They will spend some money there for eyeballs, but they are not fans of the channel or its viewership. Their money spends, but as with Jaguar, they want customers who are of the better sort.