Fox News was the most watched cable network in July on both a primetime and total day basis, according to Nielsen.

The cable news network averaged 3.2 million viewers in primetime during the period of June 29-July 26, a record for the network in the month of July, said Nielsen. MSNBC finished a distant second with 2 million viewers, followed by CNN’s 1.5 million watchers.

HGTV and TLC tied for fourth with 1.2 million viewers, followed by TBS (906,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel (881,000), History (814,000), Food Network (793,000), and USA Network (721,000).

Fox News drew 1.6 million viewers on a 24-hour basis to win the category for the 49th consecutive month, according to Nielsen. MSNBC, CNN, HGTV and Hallmark Channel all finished among the top five most-watched cable networks during the period in total day, according to Nielsen. 

The WNBA will be the next league to begin play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a shortened regular season beginning in July.

Under the current plan, teams will report to Florida’s IMG Academy in early July and a 22-game regular-season will tip off in late July without fans after a team training camp period, according to league officials. Regular season matchups and times will be announced at a later date, with ESPN, NBA TV and CBS Sports Network telecasting live games.

“We are finalizing a season start plan to build on the tremendous momentum generated in the league during the off-season and have used the guiding principles of health and safety of players and essential staff to establish necessary and extensive protocols,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a statement. “We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan.”

The WNBA follows soccer’s Premier League and the NWSL -- as well as the NHL and NBA -- in announcing a return to live play over the next two months.

The announcement also comes as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN Monday night that he’s “not 100% confident” that the league would play in 2020 after the players and league owners failed to come to an agreement over finances and safety protocols for a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It’s just a disaster for our game ... it's important that we find a way to get past it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans,” Manfred said during ESPN’s The Return of Sports special.

Epix will premiere its new original series Pennyworth on July 28, the network recently announced. 

The series follows Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) -- a former British SAS soldier in his 20s -- who forms a security company and goes to work with a young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), who’s not yet Bruce’s father, in 1960s London, said network officials.

Also starring in the series are Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ryan Fletcher (Outlander), Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (Eastenders), Emma Paetz (Gentleman Jack), Polly Walker (The Mentalist, Rome) and Emma Corrin (The Crown). 

Prolific producer, director and writer Ryan Murphy is the latest big name talent to defect to Netflix from the television industry, signing an exclusive multi-year production deal with the streaming service.

The groundbreaking deal calls for Murphy, who has produced such Emmy Award-winning shows as FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Feud and American Horror Story – as well as breakout new Fox broadcasting series 9-1-1 – to produce new series and films exclusively at Netflix beginning July 1, according to the service. 

Murphy’s move from traditional television and cable networks to the digital streaming service follows producer/creator Shonda Rhimes, who signed an exclusive deal with Netflix in August after producing such shows as Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder for broadcast network ABC.

Netflix is already slated to premiere two new Murphy-produced original series, Ratched and The Politician.

“Ryan Murphy’s series have influenced the global cultural zeitgeist, reinvented genres and changed the course of television history,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, in a statement. “His unfaltering dedication to excellence and to give voice to the underrepresented, to showcase a unique perspective or just to shock the hell out of us, permeates his genre-shattering work. From Nip/Tuck -- our first licensed series -- to American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and American Horror Story, we’ve seen how his brand of storytelling captivates consumers and critics across the globe. His celebrated body of work and his contributions to our industry speak for themselves, and we look forward to supporting Ryan in bringing his broad and diverse stories to the world.”

READ MORE: Comcast, FX Team on Commercial-Free Subscription Option

The deal comes two months after 20th Century Fox agreed to sell key content assets to the Walt Disney Co., including its movie and television production studios and cable networks FX, FXX and National Geographic. While Murphy's current FX and Fox shows will repotedly remain on their respective channels, his depature is a major loss for the company. 

Murphy in a statement said: "The history of this moment is not lost on me. I am a gay kid from Indiana who moved to Hollywood in 1989 with $55 dollars in savings in my pocket, so the fact that my dreams have crystallized and come true in such a major way is emotional and overwhelming to me. I am awash in genuine appreciation for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and Cindy Holland at Netflix for believing in me and the future of my company, which will continue to champion women, minorities and LGBTQ heroes and heroines, and I am honored and grateful to continue my partnership with my friends and peers at Fox on our existing shows."