TV News Ratings on YouTube Revealed: Who’s Top & Who’s Lagging Behind?
TV networks not only fight for viewership on the small screen, but also on the internet.
Several news channels have expanded their YouTube audience over the years, with some achieving greater online success than others. According to Emplifi metrics published by The Wrap on Tuesday, June 24, Fox News leads the pack in terms of news channel viewership on the video platform in 2025.
Fox News’ 2.3 billion YouTube views so far in 2025 mark a 109% increase from last year, enabling the channel to surpass MSNBC, which was the top performer in 2024. However, MSNBC still performs strongly compared to its competition, ranking second behind Fox News with 1.9 billion YouTube views so far this year.
“We continue to invest in YouTube with original content, and we’re seeing a community that’s building — allowing us to grow our audience and meet them on the platforms native to them,” MSNBC’s executive producer of content strategy and development, Brad Gold, said in a statement to The Wrap.
Gold went on to note that MSNBC has “real excitement” after launching “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” podcast earlier this month.
As for Fox News’ YouTube success, The Wrap credits the channel’s viewership increase primarily to President Donald Trump‘s return to the Oval Office back in January. Trump’s reelection reportedly helped the network to score its biggest TV ratings quarter ever.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
Interviews with prominent figures have also boosted Fox News’ YouTube presence. Sean Hannity‘s February 18 interview with Trump and Elon Musk has garnered over 7.4 million views, while Bret Baier‘s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the same month has surpassed 11.7 million views.
Following behind Fox News and MSNBC in third place is CNN, with 1.1 billion year-to-date YouTube views. NBC News and ABC News rank in fourth and fifth place with 639 million and 604 million views, respectively, while CBS News places last with 300 million views. While NBC and ABC’s numbers dropped from last year, CBS has increased by nine percent.
An ABC News spokesperson refuted Emplifi’s metric tracking, telling The Wrap that the network’s own metrics show it has had 745 million year-to-date YouTube views so far this year. A spokesperson for NBC News, meanwhile, highlighted that the network has established a successful TikTok presence, garnering 2.5 billion views during the first quarter of the year.
With YouTube, TV news networks can reach broader audiences and generate more revenue from advertising. Per The Wrap, videos that surpass 1 million views can earn between $2,000 and $6,000 from ads.
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