Top 15 Most Watched Shows on Cable News Revealed
Fox News continues to lead the way across cable news for the second quarter of 2025, with The Five and Jesse Watters Primetime being the network’s big winners.
According to AdWeek, citing Nielsen ratings, Fox News averaged 2.633 million total primetime viewers and 1.632 million total day viewers for the period from April to June. This was down 13% in total viewers during primetime compared to Q1 and down 15% in total day. However, compared to the same quarter last year, it was up 25% in both primetime and total day.
The Five, led by Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, and alternating hosts Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., was Fox News’ most-watched program for the second quarter, averaging 3.851 million total viewers in its 5 pm ET slot. Watters’ own primetime show was the network’s second-highest-rated program, averaging 3.431 million viewers for the second quarter.
Fox News dominated the Top 15 rated programs among total viewers for the second quarter, with Gutfeld! and Hannity also averaging more than 3 million viewers. The only non-Fox News show to make it into the Top 15 was MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, which averaged 2.039 million total viewers; Maddow returned to hosting Mondays only on May 5.
MSNBC was also the only news network not to lose viewers in total day compared to the first quarter. However, with Maddow no longer hosting five nights a week, the network’s primetime numbers dipped.
Over on CNN, Erin Burnett OutFront averaged 610,000 total viewers, making it the network’s most-watched program for the second quarter. Meanwhile, Cuomo was NewsNation’s top-rated show with 170,000 total viewers; NewsNation also recorded a 24% gain in primetime viewership compared to the same quarter last year.
Rob Schmitt Tonight was the highest-rated show for Newsmax with 412,000 total viewers, while CNBC’s Squawk on the Street brought in 220,000 total viewers, making it the network’s top show.
Check out the Top 15 highest-rated cable news shows below.
- The Five – Fox News ( 3,851,000)
- Jesse Watters Primetime – Fox News -( 3,431,000)
- Gutfeld! – Fox News – (3,009,000)
- Hannity – Fox News – (3,006,000)
- Special Report with Bret Baier – Fox News – (2,888,000)
- The Ingraham Angle – Fox News – (2,749,000)
- The Will Cain Show – Fox News – (2,168,000)
- Outnumbered – Fox News – (2,045,000)
- The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC – (2,039,000)
- The Faulkner Focus – Fox News – ( 1,945,000)
- America’s Newsroom – Fox News – (1,941,000)
- America Reports – Fox News – (1,938,000)
- The Story with Martha MacCallum – Fox News – (1,913,00)
- Fox News at Night – Fox News – (1,682,000)
- Fox and Friends – Fox – (1,411,000)
Conversation59 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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The main reason msnbc and CNN do so bad is their constant lying and editing what people say to fit their agenda. JUST REPORT THE TRUTH.
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How does MSMBC even survive??????
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It doesn’t, because it doesn’t exist. MSNBC survives because of those last 3 letters, NBC which is Universal/Comcast so it has a major support system. And because people like my 92yo Grandma stream it live all day on YouTubeTV.
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The only answer and/or plan that the Liberal Left Democrats have is go out and burn and destroy Both public and private property. Assault our Law Enforcement while fighting on behalf of Criminals. Many times Violent Criminals at that. Not only through Fox and NewsMax but numerous podcasts and other media Americans SEE what a train wreck the Democrat Party is and the vast majority want No part of it. We See how truly AntiAmerican and ProCommunist the Dem Party has become. The GOP will win the midterm elections Huge and the Presidency in 2028. Americans as a majority will stand against the Communism that the Dem Party is trying hard to push on our country. USA !! USA !! USA !!
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I see you keep changing your username every month or so...
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Quit looking
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He keeps getting banned! 😂
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If you’re speaking of Me I haven’t been banned any time. How about you ?
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Other “REAL” polls have Rachel no where in the polls. No heterosexual watches it’s show
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Are you suggesting that gay/queer people don’t count as “REAL” viewers in these alleged polls? I think the information shared is based on Neilson viewing data, not polls. Are you homophobic?
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Sadly, this is no surprise these days.
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Love The Five and Gutfeld.
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@Derek Dugger If your gonna Try ( and you Failed) to bash on something in this case Fox you might wanna do a little of your own research first, instead of just parroting something a Lib cronie Said. Check out the responses from a Google Search to YOU saying that Fox is not a news network like MSNBC and CNN. Note how you Tried ( and Failed) to elevate MSNBC and CNN as being more authentic for news than Fox. In summary Fox, MSNBC, and CNN are on the SAME level concerning regulation. So you either Lied or spoke in Ignorance. Either way You Lose.
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Silent majority.
Imagine still thinking russian collusion was real? Hunter's laptop was fake? Covid didn't come from a chinese lab(that was connected to Fauci), Autopen legitimately won the 2020 election, etc.
These are all things most present-day liberals still believe. It's freaking weird.
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That rock you are under is too big to move - apparently - and we can throw in a little sand
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Since there is so many of these so called studies why don't you give us just two of them Sir Brilliance.
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Allot of Americans turn to Fox to get information that’s not either just constant bashing on President Trump or feeding a leftists narrative at any cost. The MSM takes truth and facts and stretches them to the limit. Yes Fox was sued and they learned a very costly lesson from it. I think the MSM for the first time ever is starting to see ( or maybe not) that They can be sued to. All those Americans that watch Fox watch it because they Trust it and many of the Fox segments are Fun and Entertaining. Not the sour grapes bitter attitude of MSM. Secretly ( they’d Never admit it) I think even some of the liberal left get tired of the 24/7 Trump bashing. It’s very stale and it’s pretty much the same ole political bashing points. The majority of people are tired of hearing it. Fox offers allot of info not even in the political spectrum that you’d never see on MSM. And Fox has segments that are purely News with opinions left out. There are more liberal left folks out there watching Fox that would never admit it !!
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Dude. Fox News is Republican Party propaganda. They learned nothing from their lawsuit as no meaningful changes have been made to its content. And don't forget Tucker Carlson's suit where his defense was that no reasonable person would view his show as news but rather just entertainment. Study after study show Fox News watchers are less informed about what is happening in the world than people who watch no news. Fox's birth in 1996 has marked the beginning of the end for this nation.
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Your an idiot
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“You’re”
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BULLSHITTEN!!!
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Fox News has never LIED.
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I think Tucker Carlson proved to be an $800 million fact that they are LIARS. 🤣
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But on Another page you are Refuting the 60 Minutes Lawsuit. Hypocrite Much ?? 🤣🤣
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Oh right, like that’s the same. Lying to Americans about voter and election fraud…and a big orange baby whining about how an interview is edited, and still not letting it go. Whahhh!
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He said “real polls,” not “real people.” no one is saying homosexual/gay/queer individuals aren’t real people. The POLLS and how they’re taken? That’s another matter. A poll’s authenticity is determined by how it’s taken and the integrity of the polling group. Those factors can be all over the map.
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Likely because a fire hose of Leftist cash is required to keep it alive. Audience members abandoned it years ago. It’s on life-support..
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Spot on.
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It really is a good program
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Lose money by the millions
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😂😂😂
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Well Dylan, since you are saying that study after study show that Fox viewers are uninformed, why don't you give us all some examples of the studies you are talking about.? What's that? You don't have any actual examples of any studies and you're just a lying PROPAGANDA PUSHING leftist? What a surprise!!!
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You're 💯 % right!
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Why do you have a picture of Rachel Maddow at the top of your article? I thought she had a top rated show not number 9.
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Happy 250th Birthday of the Greatest Nation On Earth !! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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Fox News at night is really good. Sums up all news of the day. Keep up the good work.
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Idiot!
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You need to take a look in the mirror! I can tell you're lefty because you resort to name calling instead of having a respectful debate.
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I miss 'THE FOUR' !!! I know 5 are still on, BUT I had to leave!!! Someone's needs to tell 'The Mouth Monopolizer',Gutfeld that His show is on later! He controls it all, from interrupting, to laughing at his own jokes, to One Last Thing
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You are spot on. The trouble I have is that Fox is so entertaining that
I forget to watch Newsnight.
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Yes, the folks at Fox are entertaining; obviously it hasn't affected their ratings. Look at the list of the top 15 cable shows...how many are CNN and MSNOW?
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You didn't write that with a straight face did you?
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14 of the top 15 shows.. And that's only because #9 appears once a week!!
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You are wrong…and just believing what you heard without fact checking.
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What a ridiculous, laughable reaction to a fully accurate assessment of the situation. You’re hilarious . Also classically predictable. Did somebody get his hackles up because the truth offends him? Grab a lollipop. Have. a seat in the corner till you get to feeling better.😂😂😂
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You keep believing that
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Fox seems to make its news entertaining and fun to watch without spilling too much into slapstick. When I watch CNN it's like everyone waiting for the Battle of Armageddon. I usually watch The Five and Brett Bair Special Report and feel I get a wide understanding of the current events. My complaint about ALL news programing, is that they tend to think that all news is Politics, and politics is the only news.
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Fox "news" is FULL of garbage. You BEST get that. They are one of the MOST anti-American, lying, worthless "news" channels that has EVER existed.
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And that’s exactly……..your opinion. Nothing more. You best get that !! Seems 3,851,000 people don’t agree with you. 😀
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Majority of Fox News viewers are older Americans. That network is not news its commentary and lies. Tucker Carlson even admitted recently that Fox News deliberately twists the truth.
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And You just posted opinion Not fact. Tucker can speak for Only himself. And he’s probably speaking from a bitter viewpoint as he was canned by Fox. Just because You try. ( and fail) to imply that all the Millions of people who watch Fox don’t have a mind of their own doesn’t make it so.
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They aren’t even legally considered to be a ‘news’ network with the FCC like MSNBC & CNN are. Fox News is regulated as an ‘entertainment’ network. This was all admitted in court and the lawyers for Fox confirmed that they are mainly an opinion based network and not legally required to report factual news.
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From Google:No, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not officially classify Fox News as a "news network" in the same way it might classify traditional broadcast networks. The FCC does not have a specific regulatory category for "news networks." However, Fox News is widely recognized and functions as a news and commentary channel.
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Also from Google: Fox is cable news just like CNN and MSNBC, etc….. cable news is not licensed by the FCC, so there is literally no regulatory body that can label them as entertainment.Mar 30, 2025
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People should really check out CNN Newsnight with Abby Phillip.. it has a few conservatives and a few liberals and they just basically debate stuff.. mostly liberal talking points, but still the best show I've watched on any of the networks... you wont get that on fox or msnbc.
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I think the Republican Party has corrupted most religious Americans with their willingness to lie about anything that strikes a nerve with them. Their ability to seduce the weak willed has greatly profited them and allowed them to continue to stuff their pockets at the lowest income American’s expense!
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Everyone should watch the documentary Bad Faith. Also see God Forbid about Falwell Jr. 🙏🤥🫣
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Everyone ?? Or just you and the Lib cronies ? Isn’t Falwell dead ? I’m not sure but IF he is you enjoy bashing on dead folks ? OK I looked up Falwell Jr. seems he was involved in some sort of sex scandal. I don’t know the man or much about him. But apparently You believe your garments are as white as fresh snow with no stains. Don’t We all wish we could be as perfect as you ? 🙄
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Falwell Jr. recruited Trump to run for POTUS with the backing of the Evangelical leaders to push their agenda into politics. It started with his father in the late 70’s when they thought they could use Reagan as their political pawn, but it didn’t work out as they hoped.
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