The lineup of live TV sports events set for the Memorial Day weekend stars on the racetrack as  the 107th Indianapolis 500 revs up on Sunday.

NBC will televise the annual flagship IndyCar Series auto race Sunday afternoon from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nine former Indy 500 champions will compete in the race, including last year’s champion Marcus Ericsson. 

Also on Sunday, Fox will air the NASCAR Cup Coca-Cola 600 race, while ESPN carries the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix event. 

On the basketball court, the Miami Heat will look to close out the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals series on TNT. If the Celtics win, TNT will televise Game 7 of the series on Memorial Day.

On the ice, the Vegas Golden Knights will look to advance to the NHL Stanley Cup finals with a win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of their Western Conference Finals series on ABC. If Dallas extends the series to a Game 6, ESPN will televise the action on Memorial Day. 

In WNBA action, CBS on Saturday will televise the Connecticut Sun-New York Liberty game. 

On the pro football field, Fox Saturday will air the USFL game between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers and FS1 will televise the Philadelphia Stars-Pittsburgh Maulers contest. On Sunday, USA Network televises the Houston Gamblers-Memphis Showboats game, while FS1 offers the Michigan Panthers-New Jersey Generals game. 

On the links, CW will air final round coverage of the Trump National LIV pro golf tournament, while CBS airs the Charles Schwab Challenge PGA tournament and NBC televises the Senior PGA Tournament.

On the soccer field, USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, Syfy and Peacock will team to carry all 10 of the Premier League's “Championship Sunday” schedule of games. 

 This weekend’s list of live TV sports events begins Saturday on the basketball court with the start of the NBA Playoffs. 

After a week of play-in games to determine the final four playoff teams, the NBA’s first round, best-of-seven post-season series begin Saturday afternoon on ESPN with the Brooklyn Nets against the Philadelphia 76’ers, the Atlanta Hawks facing the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks meeting the Cleveland Cavaliers. ABC will round out Saturday’s action with the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings telecast.

On Sunday, ABC will televise the L.A. Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies contest, while TNT offers up a tripleheader beginning with the L.A. Clippers-Phoenix Suns clash. Also slated for Sunday on TNT is the Milwaukee Bucks game against the winner of Friday’s Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat play-in contest, and the Denver Nuggets matchup against Friday’s Oklahoma City Thunder-Minnesota Timberwolves winner. 

Football fans will have two spring leagues to watch as the USFL kicks off its second season Saturday alongside week nine of the XFL's inaugural season. Fox on Saturday will televise USFL matches featuring the Philadelphia Stars and Memphis Showboats and the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions, while NBC on Sunday will carry the Houston Gamblers-Michigan Panthers contest and FS1 will air the Pittsburgh Maulers-New Orleans Breakers game. 

On the XFL front, ABC on Saturday will televise the Vegas Vipers-Houston Roughnecks matchup while ESPN2 tackles the Orlando Guardians-San Antonio Brahmas game. On Sunday, ESPN will air the Arlington Renegades-D.C. Defenders game and the Seattle Sea Dragons-St. Louis Battlehawks contest.  

On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will televise weekend final round coverage of the PGA RBC Heritage golf tournament, while on the bowling lanes Fox and FS1 will offer weekend coverage of  the PBA World Series of Bowling tournament.

USA, Peacock and NBC will continue its weekend Premier League coverage with a total of nine live games across Saturday and Sunday. Fox on Sunday will air an MLS contest between LAFC and LA Galaxy 

On the racetrack NBC on Sunday will televise the Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar race, while FS1 televises the NASCAR Cup NOCO 400 race. On the baseball diamond, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball contest will feature the Texas Rangers against the Houston Astros. 

The prestigious Masters PGA golf tournament highlights the list of live sports events taking place during Easter weekend.

CBS will offer late round coverage of the Masters tournament from Augusta National Golf Club throughout the weekend. Friday’s second round of the tournament was suspended due to rain with Viktor Hovland, John Rahm, Sam Bennett and Brooks Koepka all vying for the top spot on the leaderboard. 

ESPN's Thursday coverage of the tournament's first round was viewed by an average of 2.5 million viewers, according to the network. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN on Saturday will feature a lightweight boxing matchup between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino, while Showtime will feature a junior middleweight bout between champion Sebastian Fundora and Brian Mendoza. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 287 pay-per-view match between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.  

On the ice, ABC will offer an afternoon NHL tripleheader including the Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars afternoon games, followed by the New Jersey Devils-Boston Bruins primetime matchup.

Fox on Saturday will televise the Wood Memorial horse racing event, while on Sunday the network will televise the NASCAR Cup Food City Dirt Race event.  

ESPN will air a XFL doubleheader featuring the Vegas-St. Louis and Arlington-Orlando games. On Sunday ABC will air the Houston-San Antonio game, while ESPN2 will carry the D.C.-Seattle contest.

USA, NBC and Peacock will televise a combined 10 Premier League soccer games over the weekend, while TNT on Saturday will televise the women’s soccer game between the US team and Ireland.

The NBA regular-season concludes Sunday with two national game telecasts on ESPN (Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz-L.A. Lakers). Also Sunday, ESPN will televise the San Diego Padres-Atlanta Braves Sunday Night Baseball contest.

USA Network/Syfy drama Chucky has been renewed for season three, and Syfy horror comedy Reginald the Vampire is renewed for season two.

“The cast and crew of Chucky would like to thank fans and critics alike for their overwhelming response to season two, which we’re delighted to announce has now spurred the official greenlight on season three,” said Don Mancini, executive producer of Chucky. “This news has made Chucky very happy. Thank Damballa for that because otherwise Chucky would have been frankly impossible to deal with. Many thanks also to our partners at Syfy, USA and UCP for helping us keep Chucky busy. See you in 2023 for what Chucky himself promises will be his scariest season ever.”

Chucky premiered in fall 2021. It is produced by UCP. Mancini, Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, David Kirschner and Jeff Renfroe executive produce.

Reginald the Vampire is based on the book series by Johnny B. Truant. The show premiered in October.

“The only thing better than getting the opportunity to make a season of television with Syfy is to get the opportunity to do it again,” said executive producer Harley Peyton. “All of us–cast and crew, writers, producers–can hardly wait.”

Reginald the Vampire is produced by Great Pacific Media Inc., Modern Story Company, December Films and Cineflix Studios. Peyton, Jeremiah Chechik, Todd Berger, Lindsay Macadam, Brett Burlock and Peter Emerson executive produce.

Watch trailers for Chucky and Reginald the Vampire below: ■

NFL post-season action kicks off the list of live sports programming airing over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

On Saturday Fox will televise the NFC Wild Card game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49’ers, while NBC will air the Los Angeles Chargers-Jacksonville Jaguars AFC Wild Card game.

Sunday’s action will feature the AFC Wild Card with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills on CBS as well as the Baltimore Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals on NBC. 

Fox on Sunday will air the NFC Wild Card matchup between the N.Y. Giants and Minnesota Vikings. On Monday night, ABC and ESPN will televise the primetime NFC playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

On the basketball court, ABC will air a Saturday night primetime NBA matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat. On Monday, TNT will televise a doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat against the Atlanta Hawks and the Phoenix Suns battling the Memphis Grizzlies. 

On the soccer field, USA, Peacock and NBC will offer up nine Premier League games combined on Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday’s college basketball schedule of games featuring top 10-ranked teams includes second-ranked Kansas taking on No. 14 Iowa State on the Big 12 Network. ESPN will televise games including fourth-ranked Alabama battling LSU, fifth-ranked Tennessee hosting Kentucky, No. 9 Arizona playing Oregon and No. 10 Texas against Texas Tech.

Sunday’s games include No. 6 UConn-St. Johns (FS1), while Monday’s tilt features third-ranked Purdue-Michigan State (Fox). ■ 

Mud, Sweat and Beards, about a couple of friends who explore some of the planet’s most remote locations while building “a primitive paradise” in these harsh locales, according to USA Network, premieres on USA April 4. There are four episodes. 

Donny Dust and Ray Livingston are the stars. “While exploring the Alaskan wilderness, Louisiana swampland, New Mexico desert and Icelandic shores, these best friends and world-class wilderness experts will work together as they do everything from building elaborate shelters to tracking down natural food sources, all while combating extreme weather, hunger, predators and wicked BO,” according to USA. 

The premiere sees the duo in Alaska, nearly setting the wilderness on fire, building a spruce bow smoker to cook a porcupine, and crafting a table and chairs out of natural elements. 

Mud, Sweat and Beards is produced by Leftfield Pictures. Shawn Witt, Gretchen Palek, Ryan Pender, Zach Green and Matt Odgers are executive producers. ■

The list of marquee TV sports events for the last weekend in January starts with the NFL Conference Championships.

On Sunday afternoon, CBS will televise the AFC Championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, while later that evening Fox’s NFL Championship telecast will feature the San Francisco 49’ers and Los Angeles Rams. The winner of each game will meet in Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles on February 6, which will air live on NBC.

On the mixed martial arts front, Showtime on Saturday will televise live the Bellator 273 fight card featuring a main event heavyweight championship fight between Ryan Bader and Valentin Moldavsky.

ABC on Saturday will air a live primetime NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors, while the NHL Network on Sunday will telecast the Seattle Kraken-New York Rangers hockey contest. 

ESPN on Saturday and Sunday morning will hit the tennis court for live coverage of the Australian Open women's and men's finals, respectively,  while on the auto racing track USA and NBC will offer weekend coverage of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. On Saturday, FS1 will offer live coverage of the Professional Bowlers Tour’s Players Championship Finals. 

The weekend college basketball lineup features several top ten-ranked teams playing on Saturday, including No. 1 Auburn hosting Oklahoma on ESPN and No. 3 Arizona against Arizona State on CBS. ESPN will also televise fourth-ranked Baylor against Alabama and fifth-ranked Kansas versus 12th-ranked Kentucky. ESPN2 will air seventh-ranked Houston’s game against UCF. On Sunday, CBS carries No. 6 Purdue against No. 16 Ohio State.

The list of high-profile TV sports events for the first weekend in December begins on the gridiron as college football enters its conference championship weekend with several top ranked teams battling for College Football Playoff positions.

Top-ranked Georgia will face third-ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship game on CBS, while second-ranked Michigan will face No. 13 Iowa on Fox. Fourth-ranked Cincinnati will face No. 21 Houston in the ACC Championship Game on ABC, while fifth-ranked Oklahoma State will battle ninth-ranked Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game on ABC. 

NBCSN, USA and NBC will continue its coverage of the Premier League with live game coverage on Saturday and Sunday. ABC will offer Major League Soccer doubleheader action on Sunday. 

ESPN on Sunday will televise the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race, while NBC will televise the final round of the PGA Hero World Challenge golf event.

On the combat sports front, DAZN on Saturday will stream the WBC lightweight championship fight between champion Devin Haney and top contender Joseph Diaz Jr. from Los Angeles. Showtime on Sunday offers a pay-per-view fight pitting WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis against Issac Cruz. 

ESPN on Saturday will air a UFC Fight Night Bantamweight title bout between Rob Font and Jose Aldo. 

NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast will feature an AFC West matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. 

WWE and Blumhouse Television will develop a scripted series based on WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

The limited scripted series, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon, will delve into the government’s 1994 indictment of McMahon for allegedly supplying anabolic steroids to WWE talent, according to the pro wrestling outfit. The series marks the first scripted series for  the WWE and the first scripted portrayal of the organization’s longtime chairman. 

Read Also: WWE to Offer New Year's Day Event 

Blumhouse Productions CEO Jason Blum along with Blumhouse TV President and former USA president Chris McCumber will develop the series. 

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said McCumber in a statement. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

Added WWE Executive Producer and Chief of Global Television Distribution Kevin Dunn: “Jason [Blum], Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history.”

McMahon, Blum, McCumber, Dunn and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers for the series, said WWE. 

The NBA Playoffs have helped both TNT and ESPN climb the primetime ratings charts as the league enters its semifinal playoff round. 

TNT averaged 3.6 million primetime viewers for the week of June 14 to June 20, topping all cable networks for the fourth straight week, according to Nielsen. TNT was paced by two game 7 weekend playoff games: its June 19 Milwaukee Bucks-Brooklyn Nets overtime thriller averaged a 2021 playoffs high 6.9 million viewers, while its June 20 Atlanta Hawks-Philadelphia 76’ers contest drew 6.1 million viewers -- the top two most watched shows on cable for the week. 

Read Also: NBA Playoff Game 7s Burst Post-'Bubble' Ratings Drought 

NBA playoffs-infused ESPN finished third for the week with 1.7 million viewers, behind  TNT as well as Fox News, which averaged 2.1 million viewers for the week, according to Nielsen.

MSNBC finished fourth with 1.2 million viewers, followed by USA Network’s 973,000 viewers. 

Discovery Channel (841,000 viewers), TLC (838,000), Hallmark Channel (785,000), and CNN (782,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks in primetime for the week. 

TNT and ESPN finished second and third respectively, on the total day charts, trailing only Fox News, which led all networks in the category for the 18th consecutive week with 1.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 

Last week was another dominating one for Fox News on the ratings charts as the network topped all cable networks in primetime and total day for the third straight week in May. 

Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of May 17 to May 23, easily beating second place MSNBC’s 1.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen. It's Fox News' eighth-straight win in the category. 

Also Read: Fox News Prime Time Shows Go On Demand Via Fox Nation 

ESPN and TNT tied for third place with 1.3 million viewers as both networks benefited from their respective NBA Playoffs coverage. Last week the NBA for the first time featured a "play-in" tournament to determine the final two playoff slots in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. ESPN's May 19 Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors play-in game finished as the most watched show on cable last week with 5.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 

HGTV finished fifth with 1.1 million viewers, followed by TBS (848,000 viewers), CNN and USA Network (tied with 829,000 viewers), Discovery Channel (795,000), and History (788,000).

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News led all cable networks for the 14th consecutive week with an average of 1.1 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (842,000), ESPN (764,000), HGTV (604,000), and CNN (569,000), said Nielsen. 

HBO and Prime Video will look to scare up viewers with two new sci-fi shows that highlight this week’s show debuts.

HBO on April 10 will premiere the Joss Whedon-produced series The Nevers, which follows a group of women with unique abilities -- and their detractors -- in Victorian-era England. 

Prime Video on April 9 will debut the Lena Waithe-produced series Them, which follows a African-American family in the 1950s who move from the Jim Crow south to California for a better life, but encounter horrors both real and supernatural, according to the streaming service.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 5 to April 11 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 5 -- Family Reunion (returning series) -- Netflix

April 6 -- Chad (comedy) -- TBS

April 7 -- Exterminate All the Brutes (Documentary) -- HBO

April 7 -- Queen of the South (returning series) -- USA

April 8 -- The Power (horror) -- Shudder

April 9 -- Doing the Most With Phoebe Robinson (talk) -- Comedy Central

April 11 -- Fear The Walking Dead (returning series) -- AMC

Queen of the South is back on USA Network April 7 with the start of season five. It will be the final season and there are 10 episodes. 

Queen of the South tells the powerful story of Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga), who is forced to run from a Mexican cartel and seek refuge in America, and her eventual rise to power over her own drug trafficking empire.

“For five incredible seasons, Queen of the South has captivated us with brilliant storytelling and bold, powerful characters,” said Frances Berwick, chairman, Entertainment Networks. “This series broke boundaries for the genre, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this incredible team of creators, cast and crew along with our studio partners at 20th Television and UCP.  As we close this final chapter, we look forward to a great season culminating in a finale that will give our fans the ending they deserve.” 

Also Read: USA, Syfy Head McCumber Leaving NBCU After 20 Years

The series is based on the novel La Reina Del Sur, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. 

“We could not be prouder of our entire cast and crew that joined us on this magnificent journey,” said executive producers Dailyn Rodriguez, Ben Lobato and David Friendly. “Queen of the South began shooting in Mexico City, brought us to faraway places like Malta and Colombia and finally landed in New Orleans. We cannot wait to share the explosive final season with our devoted fans. And, of course, we could not have made this show without the talented and tireless Alice Braga, who brought our queen to life."

Braga also executive produces.

Queen of the South is USA’s top series among 18-49 and 25-54 demos, the network said. 

Unscripted series She’s the Boss, starring entrepreneur Nicole Walters and her family, premieres on USA Network Feb. 25. USA calls the show a “docu-comedy” that follows Walters, who runs a marketing empire, her husband, a stay-at-home lawyer, three adopted daughters, and Nicole’s over-the-top assistant Eddie. 

“Although Nicole has conquered the business world, she and Josh are learning on-the-fly that parenthood isn’t always as easy as it seems, and the Walters work to juggle family, careers, obstacles, laughter and love,” said USA. “Faced with the never-ending entrepreneur laundry list and all the demands that come with being a wife and mother of three, can Nicole learn to find the perfect balance and truly have it all?”

The series is produced by Line By Line Media and executive produced by Justin Tucker, Amanda Scott, Sam Sarkoob and Bob Unger.

USA Network is part of NBCUniversal. 

The month of February rolls along with several returning series hitting airwaves this week. 

OWN on Feb. 16 will debut season five of its Ava DuVernay-produced drama series Queen Sugar, while Freeform on Feb. 17 will bring back its drama series Good Trouble for its third campaign. 

Also premiering this week is Hulu’s highly-touted movie Nomadland, which stars Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves her small town to travel the country. The film debuts on Hulu and in theaters on Feb. 19.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Feb.16 to Feb. 21) on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Feb. 16 -- Temptation Island (reality) -- USA

Feb. 17 -- Amend: The Fight for America (documentary) -- Netflix

Feb. 18 -- The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream (documentary) -- National Geographic

Feb. 18 -- It’s a Sin (drama) -- HBO Max

Feb. 19 -- I Care a Lot (movie) -- Netflix

Feb. 19 -- For All Mankind (returning series) -- Apple TV+

Feb. 19 -- Tell Me Your Secrets (drama) -- Prime Video

Feb. 21 -- Supervillian: The Making of Tekashl 61x9lne (music) -- Showtime

Feb. 21-- Allen v. Farrow (miniseries) -- HBO

Chris McCumber, who has overseen NBCUniversal cable networks USA and Syfy, said he has decided to leave the company after nearly 20 years. 

The move by McCumber, whose title is president, entertainment networks, comes after a reorganization led by new NBCU CEO Jeff Shell that consolidates the company’s broadcast, cable and streaming assets. 

As part of that reorg, Frances Berwick was named head of NBCU’s entertainment business overseeing the company’s networks, reporting into Mark Lazarus, who was named chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming earlier this year.

In an email to colleagues and friends announcing his plans to depart--following a period of transition--McCumber essentially endorsed the new structure.

“After nearly 20 years at this tremendous company, this has not been an easy decision. Yet I believe wholeheartedly that NBCUniversal is taking the right steps by creating a new organization built for the future,” he said. “I know that change is not always easy, but I believe that periods of disruption always open new doors. I encourage you all to seize every opportunity that comes your way. You’ve got a front row seat to the evolution of the television business… what a gift!”

McCumber joined USA Network in 2001 as senior VP, on-air promotion, and has been its top exec since 2011. USA has been the top rated entertainment network for 14 years and under McCumber greenlit, developed and launched series including Suits, Mr. Robot, Psych and Monk.

He added oversight for NBCU’s Syfy network in 2016. 

Before joining USA, McCumber was creative director for the media and entertainment practice at Lee Hunt Associates and Razorfish. He began his career at MTV Networks as associate producer, before joining the on-air promotion team that launched Comedy Central. 

An accomplished commercial film director, he helmed 14 short films for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, titled Fuzzy Memories by Jack Handy.

Here is the email from McCumber:

Friends and Colleagues –

I’ve always promised to be open and transparent – and it is in that spirit that I wanted you to be the first to hear that I have decided to leave NBCUniversal, following a period of transition.

After nearly 20 years at this tremendous company, this has not been an easy decision. Yet I believe wholeheartedly that NBCUniversal is taking the right steps by creating a new organization built for the future.

It’s difficult to encapsulate two decades into one note. Together as a team, we helped make USA Network the #1 cable entertainment network for a record 14 years, rebooted SYFY with a fan-first perspective, won a slew of awards, and created some of television’s most popular programs of all time. But beyond all the successes and accolades, what I’ll remember most is the special bond that we had as a team. A bond built on trust, mutual respect, and of course, having a lot of fun making great content.

I know that change is not always easy, but I believe that periods of disruption always open new doors. I encourage you all to seize every opportunity that comes your way. You’ve got a front row seat to the evolution of the television business… what a gift!

I’m forever grateful and proud to have had the privilege of working alongside each and every one of you, and to call you my teammates and friends.

Thank you for the honor –

Chris

Fox News continued to lead the cable news networks to the top spots among the weekly cable ratings charts, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 3.3 million viewers in primetime for the week of June 8 to June 14, topping all cable networks for the 21st consecutive week, reported Nielsen. Cable news networks MSNBC and CNN finished second and third, averaging 1.8 million and 1.6 million viewers, respectively.

HGTV topped all entertainment-based networks in primetime with 1.3 million viewers, followed by TLC’s 1.1 million viewers. TBS (980,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel (976,000), USA Network (804,000), History (771,000) and TNT (719,000) rounded out the top 10.

On the total day chart, Fox News won for the 23rd consecutive week as it joined MSNBC and CNN as the only cable networks to average more than 1 million viewers on a 24-hour basis during the week, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News posted its most-watched week ever during the month of June as coverage of the nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd continue to draw viewers to the major cable news networks. 

Fox News averaged 3.9 million viewers in primetime during the week of June 1 to June 7, marking its 20th consecutive weekly primetime ratings win, according to Nielsen Research. CNN and MSNBC also scored strong weekly ratings performances, averaging 2.5 million and 2.2 million viewers, respectively.

HGTV was the most watched entertainment-based network for the week with 1.3 million primetime viewers, followed by TLC and TBS’ 1 million viewers. History (898,000), Hallmark Channel (856,000), USA Network (845,000) and Discovery Channel (822,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched cable networks for the week.

Fox News cruised to its 22nd straight weekly ratings win on a total day basis, beating out CNN, MSNBC, HGTV and Food Network, according to Nielsen. 

Led by Fox News, the cable news networks dominated the cable ratings landscape, sweeping the top three slots in primetime and total day last week as the coronavirus pandemic dominated the airwaves.

In primetime, Fox News was the most watched network on cable for the 11th straight week, averaging 4 million viewers for the period of March 30 to April 5, according to Nielsen. CNN finished a distant second with 2.2 million viewers, with MSNBC right behind with 2.1 million viewers. TLC and HGTV tied for fourth with 1.1 million viewers.

History and Hallmark Channel tied for sixth with 1 million viewers, followed by TBS (990,000 viewers), TNT (917,000), Food Network (891,000) and USA Network (823,000).

Fox News topped the total day charts for the 13th consecutive week, besting CNN, MSNBC, HGTV, Food Network and Hallmark Channel, said Nielsen.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Feb. 3 to Feb. 9 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Feb. 3 -- Manhunt: Deadly Games (returning series) -- Spectrum

Feb. 3 -- McMillions (documentary) -- HBO

Feb. 5 -- They’ve Gotta Have Us (miniseries) -- Netflix

Feb. 6 -- Briarpatch (drama) -- USA

Feb. 6 -- Interrogation (drama) -- CBS All Access

Feb. 6 -- The Sinner (returning series) -- USA

Feb. 7 -- All or Nothing: The Philadelphia Eagles (sports/reality) -- Prime Video

Feb. 7 -- High Maintenance (returning series) -- HBO

Feb. 7 -- Locke & Key (drama) -- Netflix

Feb. 7 - Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet (comedy) --Apple TV+

Feb. 7 -- Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (family) -- Disney+

Feb. 9 -- Homeland (returning series) -- Showtime

Feb. 9 -- Kidding (returning series) -- Showtime

USA Friday released the first official trailer for its new spy-thriller Treadstone,  which explores the origin story and present-day actions of a CIA black ops program that was prominently featured in the Bourne Identity movie franchise, according to the network.

The series stars Jeremy Irvine, Tracy Ifeachor, Omar Metwally, Brian J. Smith, Hyo Joo Han, Gabrielle Scharnitzky, Emilia Schüle and Michelle Forbes, according to USA. 

Fox News continues to cruise through the summer on the weekly cable ratings charts, finishing as the most watched cable network in primetime and on a 24-hour basis for the first week in July.

The network, which finished as the most watched cable network in June, averaged 2 million viewers in primetime during the week of July 1 to July 7, topping all cable networks for the seventh consecutive week with an average of 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 

Finishing a distant second was MSNBC and HGTV, which were tied with 1.1 million viewers, followed by USA Network with 1 million viewers.

Rounding out the top 10 most watched networks in primetime for the week were TLC (996,000 viewers), History (893,000), Hallmark Channel (860,000), Investigation Discovery (845,000), INSP (776,000) and TBS (769,000).

Fox News topped the total day chart for the 26th consecutive week, besting Nickelodeon, MSNBC, HGTV and Investigation Discovery, according to Nielsen. 

Fox Sports scored 14.27 million viewers across its TV and streaming services for its coverage of Sunday's USA-Netherlands FIFA Women's World Cup Soccer Final from France, making it the most watched English-language televised soccer match since the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final, according to Nielsen. 

The game, in which the U.S. defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to repeat as Women's World Cup champions, was down from the 22 million viewers generated by the USA’s win against Japan in 2015 -- a record audience for an English-language soccer telecast -- but was up 22% over the 11.4 million viewers for the 2018 men’s FIFA World Cup final, according to Nielsen.

The U.S.-Netherlands game was played at 11 a.m. ET compared to the 2015 USA-Japan game, which was played in primetime.

Overall, household ratings for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 were up 2% over full tournament ratings for 2015 and were up +11% over the full 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, according to Nielsen.

On Spanish-language network Telemundo, the game averaged a total audience delivery of 1.6 million viewers, up 22% from the 2015 final, according to the network. 

During the tournament, Fox's U.S.-France telecast was the most-watched FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal ever, and its coverage of the USA’s win over Chile was the most-watched FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage match ever, said Fox Sports. 

Fox Sports has scored some big audience numbers for its Women's World Cup tournament coverage heading into Sunday's USA-The Netherlands finals match.

Fox Sports is averaging 1.4 million viewers across Fox broadcast, FS1 and FS2 through the semifinals of its 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup coverage from France, up 6% through semifinal coverage of the 2015 tournament across Fox networks, according to Nielsen. 

The numbers include a whopping 7.0 million viewers who tuned into Tuesday's USA-England semifinal match. Overall, the game -- won by the USA 2-1 to catapult the team into the finals -- drew 7.3 million viewers across Fox and streaming services, according to Fox Sports officials. 

Wednesday's Netherlands -Sweden game delivered 2.3 million viewers on FS1, making it the most watched, non-US Women's World Cup semifinal on record, according to Fox Sports. 

Sunday's USA-Netherlands contest starts at 11 a.m. and can be viewed on Fox broadcasting network and Spanish-language network Telemundo. 

The USA women’s soccer team will continue its run toward the Women’s World Cup finals today (July 2) with an afternoon semi-final match against England.

The game, which begins at 3 PM (ET), will be carried live on Fox broadcasting and on Spanish-language broadcast network Telemundo. The game will also be live streamed on Fox Sports Go and the Telemundo Deportes app.

Team USA’s last game -- a 2-1 victory against France on June 28 -- averaged 6.1 million viewers on Fox, making it the most watched Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match on record and the most watched, English-language television soccer match since last year’s men’s World Cup final, according to Fox Sports.

Overall through quarterfinals, Fox Sports is averaging  1.2 million viewers, up 10 % vs. 2015 Women's World Cup (1.1 million) and 51% vs. 2011 (804,000), according to Nielsen Media Research.

On Spanish-language network Telemundo, The Women’s World Cup quarterfinals averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 331,000 viewers across Telemundo’s platforms – a 41% increase over the 2015 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals (235,000 average viewers). Also, the USA-France match was the second most live streamed Women’s World Cup match in the history of the network, said Telemundo officials.

A USA victory today would propel the team to the July 7 finals match against the winner of tomorrow’s match between Sweden and the Netherlands, which will air live on FS1 at 3 PM. 

The Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in France has thus far been a ratings winner for Fox Sports.

Through Sunday’s action, Fox Sports' FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage is averaging 1.07 million viewers, up 16% through day two of the Round of 16 in 2015 (927,000 viewers) and up 92% compared to 2011 through the Group Stage (559,000 – there was no Round of 16 in 2011), according to Nielsen numbers from Fox.

The numbers are paced by the performance of the U.S. Women's National Team, which rolled through the group stage in record fashion, scoring the most goals ever in the stage (including a 13-0 rout of Thailand in the opener) while shutting out its three opponents, Thailand, Chile and Sweden. The team’s 2-1 win over Spain Monday afternoon in the quarterfinal round drew 3.1 million viewers on FS1, which was down 16% from the 2015 round of 16 game -- although the 2015 game aired in primetime. The USWNT won the 2015 tournament, in Canada, defeating Japan in the final game.

Fox Sports executive vice president of research and content strategy Michael Mulvihill spoke with Multichannel News about Fox Sports’ ratings momentum for its Women’s World Cup tournament coverage. 

MCN: How does Fox Sports view its ratings performance for the Women’s World Cup at this point in the tournament?

Michael Mulvihill: We’re very satisfied. There has never been a case where a World Cup or Olympics moved from a North American site to a site elsewhere in the world and had viewership increase in the U.S. The fact that we are there-quarters of the way through the tournament and our average rating is up really runs counter to the long-term trend of events that go from North America abroad, and it's a really pleasant surprise. I think we’ve been encouraged by the numbers that we’ve seen for the U.S. matches, and we’re encouraged by the [ratings] improvement of the non-U.S. matches. It’s not the case anymore where the American audience tunes in for our national team and nothing else … they’re really tuning into non-U.S. team matches as well. I feel like we’ve had good news on several fronts.

MCN: What do the ratings gains say about the growing audience engagement in women’s sports in general and women’s soccer in particular?

MM: There are always numerous factors in a ratings increase or decrease, but in this case the most important factor is that there really is grass roots growth and interest in women’s athletics generally and women’s soccer specifically. I think the experience we had in 2015 -- which was a tremendous success, and ended in the U.S. winning the championship -- set us up pretty well in terms of being able to grow real interest in the event.

MCN: Viewership for the U.S.-Spain afternoon game was down compared to 2015, when the U.S. quarterfinal game was aired in primetime. Will we continue to see a falloff of ratings for Team USA games as we get closer to the finals due to the time zone difference?

MM: It’s possible, and it’s an obstacle for sure. For some of these U.S. games we’re comparing weekday afternoon windows to weekday primetime widows four years ago. We can also look at the other side of the coin and say because the U.S. game was early yesterday we were able to have a U.S. lead-in for the Sweden-Canada game, and that game did quite a bit better than the comparable non-U.S. game four years earlier. So in aggregate, the day came out close to even with the comparable day in 2015.

MCN: The USA women’s team has been in the news for some controversies that have transpired both on the field and off the field. Does that help or hurt ratings for the games?

MM: The most important factor is winning, and I think the manner in which they got through the group stage certainly helps -- they set a record for the most goals ever scored in a group stage, and they didn’t allow a goal until yesterday’s match. They’ve been proceeding in such a fun-to-watch style of play that I think it does help build momentum as we go through the tournament.

MCN: The Women’s World Cup finals takes place the same day as the Concacaf Gold Cup men's soccer tournament final on July 7 -- are you concerned about the competition potentially diluting your viewership? [Fox Sports also has the English-language U.S. TV rights to the Gold Cup; Univision has the Spanish-language rights. Telemundo has the Spanish-language Women's World Cup U.S. rights.]

MM: No, not at all. I think it's actually a lot of fun. The fact that the Concacaf Gold Cup is going on at the same time as the Women’s World Cup is a feast for soccer fans and it makes for a fun summer season, and I think it will culminate in a really fun day a couple of Sundays from now.

MCN: If the unthinkable happens and the U.S. team loses in the World Cup tournament prior to the finals, are you confident that your Women’s World Cup ratings will remain strong for the rest of the tournament?

MM: Let’s acknowledge reality -- there’s no substitute for having our national team in the finals. That clearly would be our preference, and that’s what will deliver the strongest ratings for us. But we can also point out the game between France and Brazil on Sunday that was the most watched, non-U.S. game ever. So far in the round of 16, the viewership that we’ve seen in the non-U.S. games is about double the rating that the non-US games were doing in the round of 16 four years ago. So there’s no sense in pretending that we want to see the U.S. in the finals because obviously we do, but I think we’ve seen some really positive things in the non-U.S. numbers as well. 

Fox Sports’ weekend coverage of the U.S. Open golf championship and the FIFA Women’s World Cup capped an impressive five-day run of strong viewership performances for marquee sports telecasts.

Fox broadcasting continued to set soccer telecast milestones with its Sunday afternoon coverage of the US women’s soccer team’s 3-0 win over Chile. The network drew 5.3 million viewers for the game, making it the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in the country since the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup final in Russia, according to Nielsen.

The telecast was also most-watched, FIFA Women’s World Cup Group Stage match ever in the U.S., according to Fox Sports.

Later that evening, the network moved to the greens for its final round coverage of the US Open golf championship. The network’s primetime coverage of the championship from Pebble Beach, California -- in which Gary Woodland (pictured) took home the prized trophy -- delivered 7.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Overall, 31.7 million viewers watched all or part of the tournament, making it Fox Sports’ most watched U.S. Open ever.

Fox Sports kicked off its U.S. Open coverage this past Thursday (June 13) with FS1 focusing cameras on the play from two groups of golfers -- including Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka -- while Fox Sports handled main coverage duties for the championship. The telecasts drew a combined 3.4 million viewers -- the best first round coverage on a broadcast network since 2002, according to Fox Sports.

RELATED: Fox Takes Swing At Alternative Feed During U.S. Open Golf Event

Also on June 13, ABC concluded its coverage of the Golden State Warriors-Toronto Raptors NBA Finals by drawing more than 18 million viewers to the sixth and final game of the series, won by the Raptors. While ABC’s ratings were hampered by having the Canadian-based Raptors -- the Toronto market is not rated by Nielsen -- in the finals, the network’s game telecasts on the nights aired were the most-watched shows on television, according to Nielsen.

The NBA Finals ended a day after the NHL Stanley Cup finals finished a thrilling Game 7 between the now champion St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins by averaging 8.7 million viewers on NBC -- the most watched Nielsen-rated NHL telecast, which dates back to 1994, according to Nielsen.

The high cost of sports programming and the value proposition of sports networks will always be a subject for debate within the industry, but what is indisputable is the ability of marquee sports events to still draw big audiences and, more often than not, score more viewers up against any other content on traditional television.

Fox Broadcasting scored a major ratings goal Tuesday as its telecast of the USA-Thailand FIFA Women's World Cup soccer match drew more than 2.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 

The game, in which the USA team won in a 13-0 blowout, averaged 2.62 million viewers, making it the most watched English-language soccer telecast in the US since last year's men's World Cup final drew 11.6 million viewers, according to Fox. 

Fox Sports executive vice president and head of programming Bill Wanger said he expects ratings for the US women to climb throughout the tournament. 

"Anytime you get a record number of goals it gets people talking and excited," said Wanger. "We expect the US women's team ratings to keep increasing as the tournament goes on."

Digitally, the game delivered the most streamed Fox sports FIFA Women's World Cup match ever with 315,000 unique streamers, according to Fox. Further, Fox Sports social platforms drew 7 million views, the most thus far for the tournament and 525% more than the daily average for the 2015 World Cup, according to Fox.

The USA-Thailand match also delivered for Spanish-language network Telemundo, which averaged 444,000 viewers for the event, more than doubling viewership for the USA team's opening match at the 2015 World Cup, according to Nielsen.  

The USA women play next on Sunday (June 16) against Chile before facing Sweden on June 20. 

Fox News was the most watched network in primetime and on a total day basis for the first week of June, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.3 million viewers in primetime during the week of May 27 to June 2, easily besting second place MSNBC’s 1.5 million watchers, said Nielsen. Fox News was led by the May 29th episode of primetime talk show Hannity, which was the most watched show of the week with 3.5 million viewers.

HGTV finished third for the week with 1.3 million viewers, followed by USA Network and Hallmark Channel (tied with 1.1 million viewers.)

Fox News was also tops in cable for the week on a total day basis, averaging 1.2 million viewers. MSNBC, Nickelodeon, HGTV and Investigation Discovery rounded out the top five, according to Nielsen. 

TNT’s National Basketball Association playoffs coverage helped propel the network to the top of the weekly cable primetime ratings charts last week, according to Nielsen.

TNT averaged 3.2 million viewers during the week of May 6 to May 12, topping Fox News’ 2.3 million primetime viewers, said Nielsen. ESPN, which also featured NBA Playoffs coverage, finished third with 1.8 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (1.7 million viewers) and HGTV (1.1 million.)

NBC Sports Network skated to a sixth place tie with USA Network on the strength of its NHL postseason coverage. A&E Network, History and Hallmark Channel rounded out the top 10 most watched networks in primetime last week, said Nielsen.

Fox News remained hot on a total day basis, averaging 1.3 million viewers to finish first ahead of YNT, its 18th consecutive weekly win. MSNBC, ESPN and HGTV finished well behind Fox News for the week, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News finished the first quarter of 2019 as the most watched cable network in primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers during the period of Dec. 31 to March 31 to take the top spot in primetime, according to Nielsen. The network was paced by the strong performance of Hannity, which finished the quarter as the most watched cable news show during the 9 -10 pm timeslot with an average of 3.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

MSNBC finished second with 1.9 million viewers, followed by ESPN (1.6 million viewers), HGTV (1.3 million) and TBS (1.2 million), according to Nielsen.

USA Network, History, Hallmark Channel and TNT all tied for fifth place with 1.1 million viewers, with CNN, Investigation Discovery and Discovery Channel rounding out the top 10 most watched networks for the month.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News finished first with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (1 million), Nickelodeon (769,000), HGTV (752,000), Investigation Discovery (743,000) and ESPN (726,000), said Nielsen. 

Fox News remained perfect for the month of March, finishing first among all cable networks in primetime and on a total day basis last week.

Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers for the week of March 18-24 to finish first for the 10th consecutive week, according to Nielsen. TBS finished second with 1.9 million viewers, followed by TNT and MSNBC, which each drew 1.7 million watchers, according to Nielsen.

HGTV and History finished tied for fifth with 1.2 million subscribers, followed by USA Network (1.1 million), and Investigation Discovery, truTV and Discovery (all tied with 1.0 million viewers.)

Fox News’ 1.3 million average viewers on a 24-hour basis was good enough to keep the network in first for the 11th week in a row. MSNBC, Nickelodeon, TBS and Investigation Discovery rounded out the top five, according to Nielsen. 

Bolstered by its coverage of President Trump’s Feb. 5 State Of The Union address, Fox News easily topped cable’s weekly ratings charts, Nielsen said.

Fox News averaged 3.2 million subscribers during the week of Feb. 4-10, topping MSNBC’s 2 million subscriber average, according to Nielsen. HGTV finished third with 1.3 million viewers, while History and CNN tied for fourth with 1.2 million watchers.

Hallmark Channel and Investigation Discovery (tied with 1.1 million viewers) and USA Network, TLC and TNT (tied with 1.0 million) rounded out the top 10.

Fox News also topped MSNBC, Nickelodeon, HGTV and Investigation Discovery on a 24-hour basis for the week, said Nielsen. 

Fox News Channel continued its domination of the cable network ratings race with a sweep of the October primetime and total day charts, according to Nielsen.

Fox News was the most watched cable network among total viewers for the month (Oct. 1-28), averaging 2.8 million viewers, said Nielsen. The win marked Fox News’ fifth consecutive primetime monthly ratings win.

ESPN finished second for 2.6 million viewers, followed by TBS Network (2.4 million), MSNBC (1.5 million), and FS1 (1.3 million).

USA Network, Hallmark Channel and HGTV (all tied with 1.1 million), CNN (931,000) and TNT (911 million) rounded out the top 10.

Fox News also finished first on a total day basis for the 28th consecutive month, followed by ESPN, MSNBC, Nickelodeon, TBS and Hallmark Channel, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News Channel remained in the top spot on the weekly cable ratings front in both primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.9 million viewers in primetime during the week of June 11-17, topping all cable networks for the third straight week, The network’s programming secured the top four telecasts during the week and 17 of the top 25 cable telecasts for the week, according to Nielsen.

MSNBC finished second with 1.7 million viewers, flowed by HGTV (1.4 million), USA Network (1.2 million) and TBS (1.1 million).

CNN and History (tied with 1 million), Investigation Discovery (987,000), Food Network (946,000), Discovery Channel (945,000) and A&E Network (905,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched shows for the week.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News dominated the field for the 23 consecutive week, topping Nickelodeon, MSNBC, HGTV and Investigation Discovery, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News is heating up cable's weekly summer ratings wars, finishing as the most watched cable network in primetime and total day for the second straight week in the period, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers to finish first among all cable networks for the week of June 4 to June 10, according to Nielsen. MSNBC finished second with 1.6 million viewers, followed by HGTV’s 1.4 million viewers; USA’s 1.3 million watchers and TBS’s 1.1 million viewers.

CNN, ID and History (1 million); A&E Network (952,000) and Discovery Channel (949,000), rounded out the top 10.

Fox News extended its total day winning streak to 22 weeks averaging 1.3 million viewers for the week. Nickelodeon, MSNBC, HGTV and Investigation Discovery followed closely behind, according to Nielsen. 

TNT has secured its second straight weekly primetime ratings win, thanks to its coverage of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, according to Nielsen.

TNT averaged 3.1 million viewers to take the top spot during the week of April 30 to May 6, according to Nielsen. Fox News was second with 2.3 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.7 million viewers.

NBC Sports Network’s NHL playoffs coverage and ESPN’s NBA post-season telecasts helped both networks tie for fourth place with 1.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

HGTV, USA Network and TBS (all tied with 1.2 million viewers), History (978,000) and Investigation Discovery (930,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks in primetime.

Fox News was the top choice for viewers on a 24-hour basis for the 17 consecutive week, besting TNT, MSNBC, Nickelodeon and HGTV, said network officials. 

Fox News Channel steamrolled over basic cable networks to again finish first in the weekly cable ratings race on both a primetime and total day basis, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News averaged 2.3 million viewers in primetime for the week of Feb. 26 to March 4, besting MSNBC’s 1.8 million viewers for the 7th consecutive week. ESPN finished 3rd with 1.4 million viewers, followed by HGTV (1.3 million) and USA Network (1.2 million).

On a total day basis, Fox News won for the eighth straight week, beating out MSNBC, Nickelodeon, HGTV and Investigation Discovery, according to Nielsen.

AMC’s The Walking Dead was the most watched show of the week with 6.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Most Watched Shows for the week of Feb. 26-March 4

Date ShowNetworkTotal Viewers

3/4     The Walking Dead                                               AMC                              4.0 million

2/26   WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9pm)                         USA                              3.4 million

3/3     Live College Basketball                                        ESPN                            3.3 million

2/28   The Rachel Maddow Show                                    MSNBC                         3.2 million

2/26   WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10 pm)                      USA                              3.2 million

3/1     The Rachel Maddow Show                                   MSNBC                         3.1 million

2/26   Tucker Carlson Tonight                                        Fox News                      3.0 million

2/26   The Rachel Maddow Show                                   MSNBC                          3.0 million

2/27   Curse of Oak Island                                            History                          3.0 million

3/1     Hannity                                                              Fox News                      2.9 million

Source: Nielsen                                 

Fox News has won February’s monthly cable ratings race in both primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen. 

In primetime Fox News averaged 2.7 million viewers during the period of Jan. 29 to Feb. 25 to best all cable networks, according to Nielsen. MSNBC was second with 1.8 million viewers, followed by USA Network, TNT and HGTV, which tied with 1.3 million viewers each. Fox News dethroned ESPN, which was the most watched cable network last month in primetime.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers for the month, topping MSNBC, Nickelodeon, HGTV, Investigation Discovery and NBC Sports Network, according to Nielsen. The network has now won cable's total day race for 20 consecutive months, according to Nielsen.  

Fox News was also the dominant player in the cable news network ratings arena, topping MSNBC and CNN among total viewers and the key adult 25-54 demo both in primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.

February Cable News Network Ratings

Primetime

(Total Viewers)

Network                     Ratings           % Year To Year Change

FNC                             2.7 million      -5%

MSNBC                       1.8 million      +21%

CNN                            979,000         -18%

(Adults 25-54)

Network                     Ratings           %Year To Year Change

FNC                             576,000         -3%

MSNBC                       397,000         +15%

CNN                            357,000         -16%

Source: Nielsen

Fox News was the most watched cable network in primetime and on a total day basis for the second consecutive week in February, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News drew 2.2 million viewers for the week of Feb. 12 to Feb. 18, barely topping TNT’s 2.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Winter Olympics-fueled NBCSN finished third with 2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC and USA Network. 

On a total day basis, Fox News beat out MSNBC, MSNBC, Nickelodeon and TNT for top honors.

TNT’s coverage of the NBA All-Star weekend festivities represented the top three most watched shows of the week. Sunday’s game drew 6.4 million viewers to top all shows, while the network’s NBA All-Star Saturday Night coverage (4.6 million) and its Feb. 18 NBA Tip-off coverage (3.3 million) finished second and third respectively, reported Nielsen. 

Fox News Channel dominated the weekly cable ratings primetime and total day charts, paced by its coverage of President Trump’s Jan. 30 State of the Union address, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News averaged 3.8 million viewers during the period of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen. The cable news network’s performance was bolstered by the 11.7 million viewers Fox News averaged for SOTU coverage. 

MSNBC was second in primetime during the week with 1.9 million viewers, followed by HGTV and USA Network’s 1.4 million viewers each, and History’s 1.2 million watchers. 

Fox News also beat out MSNBC on a total day basis, followed by Nickelodeon, Investigation Discovery and HGTV, said Nielsen.

ESPN, on the strength of its college football playoff coverage, was the most watched cable network in primetime for the month of January, according to Nielsen.

ESPN’s Jan. 8 Georgia-Alabama College Football Playoff  National Championship game telecast drew 27 million viewers, the most watched cable show thus far in 2018.

ESPN averaged 2.9 million viewers during the week of Jan. 1 to Jan. 28 to beat out Fox News Channel’s 2.4 million viewers, said Nielsen. MSNBC was third with 1.8 million viewers, followed by HGTV’s 1.5 million viewers and USA Network’s 1.3 million watchers.

Fox News was tops among all cable networks on a 24-hour basis with 1.4 million viewers, followed by ESPN (1.1 million), MSNBC (1 million), Nickelodeon (988,000), Investigation Discovery (871,000) and HGTV (863,000).

Fox News Channel captured its first weekly cable primetime ratings win of the year while extending its total-day ratings streak to two weeks, according to Nielsen.

The network, which finished 2017 as the most watched cable network in primetime among total viewers, averaged 2.7 million total viewers during the week of Jan. 15-21, Nielsen said. College football-infused ESPN was the most watched cable network in primetime for the first two weeks of 2018. 

MSNBC finished second with 2 million viewers, followed by HGTV and USA, which tied with 1.4 million viewers, and TNT, which averaged 1.3 million watchers, according to Nielsen. MSNBC was also second to FNC on a total-day basis, with Nickelodeon, HGTV and Investigation Discovery following close behind, Nielsen said.

FNC topped all cable news networks within the key adult 25-54 demo in both primetime and total day, Nielsen said.

BET’s telecast of its 2017 Hip-Hop Awards turned up a lot of social media noise last night, according to Nielsen.

The special generated 5.8 million social media interactions from 2.5 million unique Twitter and Facebook accounts, according to Nielsen’s Daily Top Five report.

NBC’s This Is Us finished a distant second with 288,000 interactions, followed by USA’s WWE SmackDown!, CW’s The Flash and FX’s American Horror Story:Cult, said Nielsen.

On the live sports front, BeIN Sports’ coverage of the Trinidad and Tobago-United States FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifying soccer match drew 1.7 million social media interactions to top all events. The US team lost that game, officially eliminating them from 2018 World Cup competition.

ESPN, led by its Monday Night Football franchise, dominated cable’s weekly primetime ratings charts for a fourth consecutive week, according to Nielsen.

ESPN averaged 3.7 million viewers during the week of Oct. 2 to Oct. 8 to finish first among all cable networks and ahead of second place Fox News Channel, which averaged 2.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen. TBS (2.3 million viewers) and FS1 (1.6 million viewers) rode strong performances from their respective Major League Baseball playoffs coverage to finish third and fourth for the week respectively.

MSNBC (1.4 million homes); CNN, USA and HGTV (all tied with 1.1 million viewers); Disney Channel (925,000) and Hallmark Channel (924,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched cable networks in primetime for the week.

Fox News bested ESPN, Nickelodeon, MSNBC and CNN on a total-day basis to win in the category for a fourth straight week.

ESPN was the top choice among adults 18-49 both in primetime and on a total-day basis, according to Nielsen. 

Most Watched Cable Shows Oct. 2-8, 2017

DateShowNetworkTotal Viewers

10/2   Monday Night Football – Wash/KC                                    ESPN              12.0 million

10/3   MLB Wild Card Game – Minn/NY Yankees                          ESPN               6.8 million

10/8   MLB Divisional Series – Cleve/NY Yankees                         FS1                 5.2 million

10/7   College Football – Alabama-Texas A&M                            ESPN                4.7 million

10/4   MLB Wild Card Game – Colo./Ariz.                                   TBS                  4.4 million

10/5   Thursday Night Football – N.E./T.B.                                 NFL Network     3.9 million

10/3   Hannity                                                                         Fox News         3.8 million

10/2   Special Report W/ Bret Baier                                           Fox News         3.8 million

10/2   Tucker Carlson Tonight                                                   Fox News         3.8 million

10/5   MLB Divisional Series – Cleve/NY Yankees                        FS1                 3.7 million

10/2   Hannity                                                                        Fox News          3.7 million

Source: Nielsen

The return of first-run broadcast network series continues to generate the lion’s share of headlines during the first few weeks of the fall television season.

But as the autumn leaves begin to fall, and Halloween pumpkins and Thanksgiving turkeys become more prevalent in viewers’ homes, so will the premieres of new and returning scripted series from cable networks and streaming services.

Once upon a time, competitors to the broadcast networks refrained from launching their best and strongest shows during the fall for fear of getting lost in the sheer noise of popular over-the-air shows premiering after a long summer hiatus. But in a world of 450-plus scripted series, cable and streaming services don’t have the luxury of ignoring any days on the calendar.

So viewers should expect to see a cavalcade of new as well as popular returning shows such as USA Network’s Emmy Award-winning series Mr. Robot on Oct. 11 and cable’s most-watched series, AMC’s The Walking Dead, on Oct. 22. New debuts such as Showtime’s drama White Famous, Audience Network’s Loudermilk and TBS’s The Last O.G. will undoubtedly draw their fair share of water-cooler buzz.

Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu aren’t shying away from competing during the fall season. Netflix will look to scare up audiences with the October launch of Emmy-nominated series Stranger Things while offering a Thanksgiving Day serving of Spike Lee’s much-talked-about reboot of his 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It. Hulu will beam viewers forward in time Nov. 14 with the Seth Rogen-produced sci-fi comedy Future Man(pictured) while delivering its slice of the Marvel Comics franchise with the Nov. 21 debut of Marvel’s Runaways.

The fall is no longer the purview of the broadcast networks, and that only benefits viewers.

The return of college football on ESPN as well as The Weather Channel's live coverage of Hurricane Irma teamed to knock Fox News from its exclusive perch atop the weekly cable primetime and total day charts.

ESPN tied Fox News atop the primetime charts for the week of Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 with 2.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Fox News has now held or shared the top spot of the weekly primetime charts for 16 consecutive weeks.

The Weather Channel finished a close third with 2.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1.9 million viewers and CNN’s 1.8 million watchers.

Rounding out the top 10 most watched networks in primetime for the week were USA (1.5 million), HGTV (1.3 million), TBS (1.1 million) and FX and Investigation Discovery (tied with 1 million).

The Weather Channel’s coverage of Hurricane Irma helped the network finish as the most watched cable network on a total day basis, ending Fox News’ streak of 35 consecutive weeks in the top spot. CNN, MSNBC and Nickelodeon rounded out the top five. 

TWC was also the most watched network among 18-49 year olds on a 24-hour basis, while ESPN was the top choice for viewers in the demo in primetime. 

ESPN’s Sept. 4 Tennessee/Georgia Tech college football telecast drew 5.1 million viewers to finish as the most watched cable show of the week, with The Weather Channel’s Hurricane Irma coverage dominating the rest of the top 10 list, according to Nielsen.

After a dominant summer ratings performance, Fox News Channel remained at the top of the weekly ratings charts heading into September.

Fox News finished as the most-watched cable network in primetime for the 15th straight week, averaging 2.1 million viewers during the week of Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, according to Nielsen.

MSNBC finished second for the week with 1.8 million viewers, followed by ESPN’s 1.7 million viewers, USA’s 1.5 million viewers and HGTV’s 1.3 million watchers, said Nielsen.

TBS (1.2 million viewers), History (1.1 million), CNN and Investigation Discovery (1 million) and Disney Channel (921, 000) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week. 

Fox slayed cable networks on a 24-hour basis for the 35th consecutive week, besting in order Nickelodeon, MSNBC, CNN and ESPN.

The return of college football helped ESPN finish first for the week in primetime among adults 18-49, while Adult Swim was the most watched network in the demo on a total day basis, said Nielsen.

Most Watched Cable Shows During The Week of Aug. 28 to Sept. 3

DateShowNetworkTotal Viewers

8/31   College Football Ohio State/Indiana                     ESPN                           5.1 million

8/28   WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9 pm)                       USA                            3.3 million

8/28   WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10 pm)                     USA                            3.3 million

8/28   Rachel Maddow Show                                        MSNBC                         3.1 million

9/3     NASCAR Cup Series                                          NBCSN                         3.1 million

8/29   Rachel Maddow Show                                       MSNBC                         3.0 million

8/28   Tucker Carlson Tonight                                    Fox News                       2.8 million

8/30   Tucker Carlson Tonight                                    Fox News                       2.8 million

8/29   Hannity                                                          Fox News                       2.8 million

8/29   The Five                                                        Fox News                        2.6 million

Source: Nielsen

Fox News continued its cable primetime and total day ratings roll last week, while HBO’s Game Of Thrones set a series ratings mark in its season seven finale, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News won cable’s weekly primetime ratings race for the 13th consecutive week, averaging 2.4 million viewers for the week of Aug. 21 to Aug. 27, Nielsen reported. MSNBC finished a distant second with 1.8 million viewers followed by USA Network’s 1.5 million viewers, HGTV’s 1.4 million and CNN’s 1.3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 most watched networks for the week were TBS (1.2 million viewers); ESPN (1.1 million); Investigation Discovery and History (1 million viewers each) and Discovery Channel (918,000.)

Fox News won its 34th consecutive total day week ratings race, topping Nickelodeon, MSNBC, CNN, Adult Swim and HGTV.

USA Network was the most watched network in prime time among adults 18-49, while Adult Swim took top honors among the demo on a 24-hour basis, said Nielsen.

HBO’s Aug. 27 Game Of Thrones season seven finale drew a series record 12 million viewers to easily top all cable shows during the week, according to Nielsen.

RELATED: ‘Game of Thrones;' ‘VMA Awards’ Dominate Sunday’s Social Media TV Ratings 

Most Watched Cable Shows During The Week of Aug. 21-27 

DateShowNetworkTotal Viewers

8/27   Game Of Thrones                                               HBO                          12 million

8/21   President Trump Address-Afghanistan                  Fox News                   5.1 million

8/22   Hannity                                                             Fox News                   4.5 million

8/21   President Trump Address/Analysis                       Fox News                   4.4 million

8/21   WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10 pm)                     USA                           3.5 million

8/21   NFL Pre-Season Football – NYG/Cleve.                 ESPN                          3.5 million

8/22   Special Report w/Bret Baier                                Fox News                    3.5 million

8/21   Presidential Address Pre-coverage                       Fox News                    3.4 million

8/21   WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9 pm)                      USA                            3.4 million

8/21   WWE Monday Night Raw (10-11:12 pm)             USA                            3.2 million

Source: Nielsen