



Fox News’ dominance in cable news viewership took a huge hit in May, as the absence of their top primetime host, Tucker Carlson, decimated their ratings.
While Fox News remained ahead in both primetime and total day viewership, MSNBC emerged as the only major cable news network to experience gains in viewership.
In primetime viewership, Fox News averaged 1.42 million viewers, representing a significant 37% decline compared to the same month the previous year.
Conversely, MSNBC saw a 14% increase with an average of 1.16 million viewers in May 2023. CNN, on the other hand, faced a drop of 25% with an average of 494,000 viewers.
Examining the key demographic of viewers aged 25-54, Fox News encountered a substantial 62% decrease, averaging 135,000 viewers in this category.
In contrast, MSNBC enjoyed a 14% rise with an average of 120,000 viewers, while CNN experienced a 25% decline with 113,000 viewers.
Shifting focus to total day viewership, Fox News averaged 1.09 million viewers, indicating a 25% decrease.
Meanwhile, MSNBC recorded a 16% increase with an average of 736,000 viewers, and CNN suffered a 17% drop to 416,000 viewers.
Within the 25-54 demographic, Fox News maintained its lead with 126,000 viewers, although it experienced a notable 45% decline.
MSNBC secured an average of 85,000 viewers, enjoying a 21% increase, while CNN dropped 21% with 84,000 viewers.
Since the departure of Tucker Carlson in April, Fox News has relied on guest hosts to fill the primetime slot.
While these temporary hosts have maintained the network’s lead in the 8 p.m. time period, it is apparent that some former Tucker viewers have migrated to Newsmax, resulting in a surge of viewership for Eric Bolling’s show.
Among the top cable news shows, Fox News’ The Five emerged victorious with the highest average total viewership of 2.63 million.
Jesse Watters Primetime followed closely with 2.14 million viewers, while Hannity garnered 1.91 million viewers. S
pecial Report with Bret Baier secured an audience of 1.81 million, and Gutfeld! attracted 1.65 million viewers.
In the 25-54 demographic, The Five maintained its lead with 276,000 viewers, accompanied by Gutfeld! with 224,000 viewers, Jesse Watters Primetime with 194,000 viewers, Special Report with Bret Baier with 187,000 viewers, and Hannity with 178,000 viewers.
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