Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Rolls in Primetime

By R. Thomas Umstead
last updated

News networks dominate total day ratings

The Ingraham Angle
Laura Ingraham of Fox News Channel’s ‘The Ingraham Angle’ (Image credit: Fox News)

Fox News Channel captured its third straight weekly primetime ratings title over sports-fueled cable networks.

Fox News averaged 2.2 million subscribers during the week of April 11 to April 17, besting NBA playoffs-boosted TNT (1.4 million viewers) and ESPN (1.2 million viewers), Nielsen reported. News network MSNBC was fourth with 1.2 million subscribers.

HGTV finished fifth with 971,000 watchers, followed by INSP (860,000); History and TLC (tied with 833,000); Food Network (778,000); and Discovery Channel (753,000).

Three cable news networks occupied the top weekly ratings spots on a 24-hour basis, with Fox News leading the way with 1.5 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (671,000) and CNN (592,000). TNT (587,000) and ESPN (569,000) rounded out the top five most-watched networks in the category, per Nielsen. ▪️ 

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.