Fox News’ coverage of the Sept. 26 Presidential Debate helped the network finish last week as the most watched cable network in primetime, according to Nielsen.
Fox News, bolstered by the 11.4 million viewers who tuned into its live coverage of the first of three Presidential debates between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, averaged 3.2 million viewers during the week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 to beat out ESPN’s football-aided 2.2 million viewers for first place among all cable networks.
Cable news networks CNN (1.9 million viewers) and MSNBC (1.6 million) also rode its respective Presidential Debate coverage to finish third and fourth, respectively.
USA Network, TBS and HGTV (all tied with 1.3 million viewers); NFL Network (1.2 million) and Disney Channel and History (tied with 1.0 million) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week.
Fox News was also the most watched network on a 24-hour basis, while ESPN and Adult Swim took top honors in primetime and total day respectively among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen.
Most Watched Cable Shows During Week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 2
ShowNetworkTotal Viewers
Presidential Debate (9:03-10:40 pm) Fox News 11.4 million
Pres. Debate/Analysis (10:40 to 11 pm) Fox News 9.9 million
1st Presidential Debate (9:03-10:38 pm) CNN 9.9 million
NFL Monday Night Football (Atl-NO) ESPN 8.0 million
Thursday Night Football (Hou vs. N.E.) NFL Network 7.8 million
Debate Night In America (10:30-12 am) CNN 6.9 million
The Kelly File (11 -12 am) Fox News 5.3 million
Debate (9:03-10:40 pm) MSNBC 4.9 million
The O’Reilly Factor (8-9 pm) Fox News 4.3 million
MSNBC Debate Analysis (10:40-12 am) MSNBC 4.0 million
Source: Nielsen
