Fox News Channel averaged 1.3 million total-day viewers in the third quarter of 2026, finishing as the only cable network to exceed the one-million viewer benchmark. The network maintained its lead among weekday primetime broadcast viewers, averaging 2.4 million viewers to surpass CBS for the quarter. This performance marked the 20th consecutive quarter that "The Five" has been the highest-rated show in cable news, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
"The Five," hosted by Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Emily Compagno, Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., averaged 3.1 million viewers during the period. The show dominated the ratings landscape, with "Jesse Watters Primetime," "Gutfeld!," "Special Report with Bret Baier," "Hannity" and "The Ingraham Angle" rounding out the top six programs. Fox News offerings occupied nearly all positions in the top 14 cable news programs, with the sole exception being MS NOW's "The Rachel Maddow Show."
MS NOW finished second in total-day viewership with an average audience of 592,000. ESPN, CNN and HGTV followed in subsequent positions. During primetime hours, Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers compared to 1.1 million for second-place ESPN. MS NOW recorded 930,000 viewers, while CNN managed 607,000. Fox News outdrew CNN and MS NOW combined in both total-day and primetime categories.
| Network | Total-Day Viewers | Primetime Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Fox News | 1.3 million | 2.1 million |
| MS NOW | 592,000 | 930,000 |
| ESPN | Not specified | 1.1 million |
| CNN | Not specified | 607,000 |
Fox News commanded 56% of the total-day audience and 57% during primetime. The network is on pace for its highest-rated midterm election year in history based on total-day viewership. "Maddow" averaged 1.9 million viewers to finish seventh, though it aired only 10 episodes during the quarter compared to 59 for "The Five." CNN's most-watched program was "Newsnight," which averaged 686,000 viewers to finish No. 24 among cable news programs.
Daytime programming also contributed to the network's performance, with strong quarters for shows including Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino's "America's Newsroom," Sandra Smith and John Roberts' "America Reports," Martha MacCallum's "The Story," and The Will Cain Show. "Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher" averaged 1.3 million viewers to lead its timeslot. Additionally, "Gutfeld!" outperformed all broadcast and late-night television programs, including ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and NBC's "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon."
In the morning slot, "FOX & Friends" remained the most-watched cable news show with 1.1 million viewers, beating "CBS Mornings" in 21 markets including New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Weekend programming also saw success, with "Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany" and "Sunday Morning Futures" each averaging 1.4 million viewers to lead their respective days.
Among adults age 25-54, a demographic of interest to advertisers, Fox News led cable news with an average of 120,000 total-day demo viewers and 183,000 during primetime. "The Five" averaged 289,000 demo viewers in this category to finish as the No. 1 show.