October Ratings Reveal One Big Winner in Cable News Viewership

Fox News Channel easily maintained its No. 1 position among cable news rivals and is on pace to finish 2025 as the highest-rated TV network—beating... Read More

The post October Ratings Reveal One Big Winner in Cable News Viewership appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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Fox News Channel easily maintained its No. 1 position among cable news rivals and is on pace to finish 2025 as the highest-rated TV network—beating broadcast channels ABC, CBS, and NBC in viewers during weekday prime time.

The latest Nielsen Big Data + Panel numbers, released Wednesday, were yet another reminder of Fox News’ dominance.

The cable network averaged 3.28 million viewers in prime time, Monday through Friday. That viewership puts Fox News ahead of ABC (3.25 million), CBS (3.09 million), and NBC (3,09 million) for 2025, even though those channels are more widely available to a bigger audience than cable-only networks.

Fox News captured 63% of the cable news audience during total day and 64% in prime time.

Its five top-rated shows included:

“The Five,” its popular 5 p.m. roundtable, which recorded the highest viewership across cable news during October with an average of 3.7 million viewers.

“Jesse Watters Primetime,” which airs at 8 p.m. and averaged 3.1 million viewers.

“Gutfeld!” averaged 2.8 million viewers during its 10 p.m. broadcast. The show drew 325,000 viewers in the 25-54 age demographic, the highest among Fox News’ programs.

“Special Report with Bret Baier,” which competes with broadcast news shows during the 6 p.m. hour, averaged 2.8 million viewers. In some U.S. markets, Baier’s show beat its rivals on ABC, CBS, and NBC.

“Hannity,” in the 9 p.m. timeslot, drew 2.6 million on average.

“Fox & Friends,” which airs from 6-9 a.m. weekdays, remained atop the ratings as the No. 1 cable news morning program, finishing October with 1.3 million viewers. “Fox & Friends” has maintained the top spot for 56 consecutive months in 25-54 age demographic.

On weekends, “Sunday Morning Futures” recorded 1.6 million viewers to beat its cable news competition, while “Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany” attracted 1.4 million on average.

Fox News was also the No. 1 cable network with Asians, Hispanics, and upscale viewers throughout total day during the month of October.