MS NOW Ratings Have Huge Swing in Battle With CNN & Fox News

The cable news ratings for the week of September 7 are in, and it was a troubling week across the board for CNN, Fox News, and MS NOW, with the latter suffering the largest drop in viewership.

According to Adweek, citing Nielsen big data + panel for the week of September 7, MS NOW averaged 689,000 total viewers and 55,000 viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic in primetime. This was down 16 percent in total viewers and down 38 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

It was a similar story across total day, with MS NOW averaging 489,000 total viewers and 43,000 demo viewers. This was down 8 percent in total viewers and down 20 percent in the demo compared to the week prior.

While MS NOW remained third in primetime among all basic cable networks, its demo ranking continued to plummet. In primetime, the network ranked 22nd, tied with GSN and the NFL Network. Meanwhile, in total day, it tied with GSN at 14th.

Compared to the same period in 2025, MS NOW was down 21 percent in total viewers and down 27 percent in the demo across primetime. In total day, the network was down 9 percent in total viewers and 12 percent in the demo.

Fox News remained at the top, averaging 1.883 million total viewers and 163,000 demo viewers during primetime for the week of September 7. This was down 1 percent in total viewers and down 2 percent in the demo compared to the week before.

In total day, Fox News averaged 1.115 million total viewers and 105,000 demo viewers. Compared to the week prior, the network was down 7 percent in total viewers and down 10 percent in the demo.

Only ESPN ranked higher than Fox News in primetime viewership and demo across all basic cable networks. In total day, Fox led in total viewers and ranked second in the demo.

Year over year, Fox News was down 42 percent in total viewers and down 61 percent in the demo across primetime. In total day, it was down 39 percent in total viewers and down 55 percent in the demo.

Meanwhile, CNN averaged 490,000 total viewers and 77,000 demo viewers in primetime for the week of September 7. This was down 5 percent in total viewers and down 21 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

Across total day, CNN averaged 349,000 total viewers and 49,000 demo viewers. This was down 5 percent in total viewers and down 11 percent in the demo compared to the week prior.

CNN landed at the No. 5 spot in total viewers and 14th in the demo during primetime. In total day, it ranked No. 4 in total viewers and No. 9 in the demo, tied with FX.

Compared to last year, CNN dropped 20 percent in total viewers and 31 percent in the demo in primetime. During total day, it was down 20 percent in total viewers and down 35 percent in the demo.

As for the most-watched shows, Fox News held 14 of the top 15 spots in total viewers, with The Five leading with 2.796 million total viewers. The only non-Fox show in the Top 15 was MS NOW’s Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, which averaged 992,000 total viewers.

The Five also came out on top in the demo rankings, averaging 279,000 viewers. The only non-Fox show in the Top 15 in the demo was CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, averaging 123,000 viewers.