Last week’s Vice Presidential debate proved to be a ratings bonanza for the cable news networks as Fox News, CNN and MSNBC led cable’s primetime ratings charts last week, according to Nielsen.
Fox News drew 4.5 million viewers to top all cable networks during the period of Oct. 15 to Oct. 11, followed MSNBC (2.8 million) and CNN (2.6 million), said Nielsen. The ratings were bolstered by coverage of the Oct. 7 Vice Presidential debate between incumbent Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), with Fox News topping all broadcast and cable networks' coverage with 11.9 million in total viewers.
Baseball playoffs-infused TBS finished fourth with 2.4 million viewers, followed by ESPN with 2 million viewers. HGTV (1.1 million viewers), TLC and Hallmark Channel (tied with 1 million viewers), USA Network (802,000) and Food Network (794,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week.
On a 24-hour basis, Fox News won its 40th straight week, averaging 2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and TBS, said Nielsen.
