Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Outpaces Competition

(Image credit: Fox News Channel)

Fox News continues to dominate the weekly cable ratings race as the industry moves closer to election day.

Fox News, led by its coverage of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, was the most watched network in primetime with 4.3 million viewers during the week of Oct. 12 to Oct. 18, nearly doubling second place MSNBC’s 2.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. ESPN placed third with 2.1 million viewers, followed by TBS’ 2 million and CNN’s 1.8 million watchers, reported Nielsen.

Fox Sports 1 entered the top 10 on the strength of its baseball playoffs coverage in sixth place with 1.5 million viewers, followed by HGTV (1.2 million viewers), TLC and Hallmark Channel (tied with 1 million) and USA Network (784,000). 

Fox News also racked up its 41st straight weekly win on a 24-hour basis, besting MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and TBS, said 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.