MSNBC, CNN & Fox News Ratings: Dramatic Drops & Most-Watched Shows

Fox News continues to reign supreme across all of cable news, but every major network was down significantly in July 2025 compared to the same period last year.

According to Deadline, citing Nielsen ratings, in primetime, Fox News averaged 2.41 million viewers and 257,000 in the key Adults 25-54 demo for the month of July. Compared to July 2024, Fox News was down 30% in total viewers and 48% in the key demo.

It was the same story in total day, with Fox News averaging 1.53 million total viewers (down 19% on the same period last year) and 184,000 in the key demo (down 31% on last year).

Fox News touted its success over broadcast networks, stating that since June 20, it has led in primetime with 2.6 million viewers, compared to ABC’s 2.3 million viewers, NBC’s 2.1 million viewers, and CBS’ 2 million viewers.

In comparison, MSNBC averaged 865,000 total viewers in primetime for July, down 27% on the same month last year. In the 25-54 demo, MSNBC posted 81,000, down 40% on the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, across total day, MSNBC averaged 530,000 (down 26%) and 52,000 in the demo (down 37%).

CNN averaged 497,000 total viewers in primetime for July (down 42% on last year) and 92,000 in the key demo (down 55%). In total day, CNN posted 370,000 viewers (down 29%) and 62,000 in the key (down 44%).

The drop from July 2024 is expected, given that the month was significant for headline-grabbing news stories. Last year, it was the month of the Donald Trump assassination attempt, the Republican National Convention, and Joe Biden‘s decision to pull out of the presidential race.

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As for programming, Fox News’ The Five landed in the top spot across all cable news shows, averaging 3.53 million viewers. Jesse Watters Primetime (3.14 million), Gutfeld! (2.91 million), and Hannity (2.67 million) also posted strong numbers for the network.

The now once-a-week Rachel Maddow Show continued to be the best-performing show for MSNBC, averaging 2.02 million viewers for July. There was also good news for MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki and The Weeknight, though, as both shows have grown in the key demo since their launches in May.

Meanwhile, Anderson Cooper 360 remains the top show for CNN, averaging 573,000 viewers for July. CNN also had success with the premiere of Live Aid: When Rock ‘n’ Roll Took on the World, which drew 795,000 viewers, the best performance for an original series since February 2024.