Fox News Returns To Weekly Ratings Top Spot

Fox News flipped spots with TBS as the most watched cable network in primetime last week.

Fox News drew 1.8 million viewers in primetime according to Nielsen, topping TBS -- the winner for the past two weeks led by its ‘March Madness” college basketball tournament coverage  -- and HGTV, which tied for second place with an average of 1.5 million viewers each during the week of April 11 to April 17.

ESPN and TNT tied for fourth place with 1.4 million followed by USA and CNN, averaging 1.3 million viewers each. History and Disney Channel (1.2 million viewers each) and Discovery Channel (1.1 million) rounded out the top 10.

Nickelodeon was the most watched network on a 24-hour basis with 1.1 million viewers, with Fox News, Adult Swim, Disney Channel and HGTV following close behind.

ESPN was the top choice among adults 18-49 with 734,000 viewers, while TBS was the favorite among women 18-49 and 25-54.

Most Watched Shows During The Week Of April 11-April 17

Date      Show                                                                                     Network                                  Viewers

4/17       Fear The Walking Dead                                                           AMC                                      5.5 million

4/14       CNN New York Democratic Debate                                           CNN                                       5.4 million

4/17       NBA Playoffs (Memphis/San Antonio)                                       TNT                                       3.9 million

4/11       WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10)                                                USA                                       3.6 million

4/13       NBA regular season (Memphis/Golden State)                            ESPN                                  3.6 million

4/11       WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9)                                                  USA                                       3.4 million

4/17       NBA regular season (Utah/LA Lakers)                                       ESPN                                     3.4 million

4/11       WWE Monday Night Raw (10-11:12)                                          USA                                       3.4 million

4/17       NBA Playoffs (Portland/LA Clippers)                                         ESPN                                     3.0 million

4/11       The O’Reilly Factor                                                                 Fox News                                3.0 million

Source: Nielsen

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.