Once again, the Fox News Channel dominated all other cable news outlets in 2023, with far-left MSNBC being the only other major network with year-over-year audience growth.
As the year came to a close, Fox News maintained its position as the most-watched cable news network for the eighth consecutive year. Six of the network’s news programs, including The Five, dominated the ratings, with The Five making history by becoming the first non-prime-time program to lead in ratings among both the crucial 25–54 age group and overall viewers.
It was Fox’s 22nd consecutive year at the top of cable news in terms of total viewers and the demo in terms of total day and prime-time viewers in 2023, Mediaite noted.
MSNBC held onto its position as the second most-watched cable network, trailing behind Fox News. The success of prime-time hosts such as Lawrence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow contributed to MSNBC’s strong performance.
The network experienced year-over-year growth in total viewers, standing out as the only one among its peers to do so. The continuous news coverage of Donald Trump’s legal challenges and other political developments kept MSNBC’s Morning Joe and early evening hosts Nicolle Wallace and Ari Melber as significant ratings attractions for the network.
Despite undergoing a change in leadership during the year, CNN struggled to recover its ratings, ending the year with its lowest viewership total since 2014, including a record low in the key demographic.
However, for the tenth consecutive year overall and the fourth year in a row during prime time, CNN managed to outperform MSNBC in the demographic, extending MSNBC’s long-standing losing streak in demo viewership.
As the cable industry experiences a decline, S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates that the number of American households with access to Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC has decreased to 70 million, down from 90 million in 2016, the report said.
Other smaller networks like Newsmax TV and News Nation have also experienced some growth but remain well behind the three major outlets.
