Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Holds On to Top Spot in Primetime, Total Day

By R. Thomas Umstead
last updated

ESPN rides MLB Home Run Derby coverage to second place primetime finish

ESPN 'Home Run Derby'
(Image credit: ESPN)

Fox News outpaced all cable networks in primetime for the second straight week as it looks to dominate the remaining weeks of summer cable viewing.

Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of July 12 to July 18 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen. ESPN, which benefited from strong viewership numbers for its coverage of baseball’s July 19 Home Run Derby (7.1 million viewers), finished in a tie with MSNBC for second place with 1.3 million average viewers. HGTV finished fourth with 1.2 million viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel’s 998,000 watchers.

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History (940,000), TLC (845,000), CNN (831,000), USA Network (763,000) and INSP (757,000) rounded out the top 10 most watched cable networks last week in primetime.

Fox News extended its total day winning streak to 22 weeks in a row, averaging 1.1 million viewers, besting MSNBC (776,000 viewers), HGTV (644,000), CNN (573,000) and Hallmark Channel (558,000), said Nielsen. 

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R. Thomas Umstead
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.