A fierce battle for viewership unfolded across television networks during one of America's most significant political events.
According to Fox News, the news channel emerged as the undisputed leader in television ratings during the week of November 4-10, securing an impressive average of 2.6 million total day viewers and outperforming all other networks in coverage of Donald Trump's historic second election victory.
The network's dominance extended across multiple viewing categories, with Fox News more than doubling the audience of its nearest competitor MSNBC, which drew 967,000 total day viewers.
CNN struggled to maintain pace, finishing fourth with 720,000 viewers, trailing behind ESPN in third place.
Fox News Channel's primetime performance proved particularly remarkable, drawing 4.3 million viewers during the crucial 8-11 p.m. time slot. This viewership more than doubled ESPN's second-place showing of 2.1 million viewers, while MSNBC and CNN secured 1.5 million and 1.2 million viewers, respectively.
The network's election night coverage, branded as "Democracy 2024" and co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, captured nearly 10.3 million total viewers. This included an impressive 3.1 million viewers in the coveted 25-54 demographic, surpassing all major broadcast networks and cable news competitors.
FOX News Media's combined coverage across multiple platforms, including Fox News Channel, FOX Network, FOX Business Network, and Fox News Digital, achieved a remarkable total of 13.6 million viewers on election night.
The network's Decision Desk made history by being the first major outlet to project Donald Trump's victory, marking only the second time in American history that a president has won non-consecutive terms.
Several Fox News programs achieved milestone ratings during the historic week. Popular shows including "Gutfeld!," "The Faulkner Focus," and "America Reports" all recorded their highest viewership numbers since their respective launches.
The network's success was particularly evident in "The Five," which emerged as television's most-watched program during election week. The show averaged 5.3 million total viewers and attracted 726,000 viewers in the key demographic of adults aged 25-54.
Fox News maintained its strong performance in the aftermath of the election, with special coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris's concession speech drawing 7.9 million viewers and 1.4 million viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographic. This continued dominance helped secure Fox News's position as the leading cable news network, commanding 61% of the cable news audience share during election week.
The historic second election of Donald Trump as president brought unprecedented viewership to Fox News Channel, marking its strongest ratings performance since November 2020. The network's comprehensive coverage across multiple platforms and time slots demonstrated its continuing ability to attract and maintain large audiences during major political events.
The network's success during election week extended beyond cable news, as Fox News outperformed major broadcast networks in weekday primetime viewership. With an average of 5.4 million viewers, it surpassed ABC's 4.9 million viewers, along with CBS and NBC, solidifying its position as America's most-watched television network during this crucial period of political coverage.
