Fox ratings fall 27% in October as CNN, MS NOW post gains

FNC is on pace to record its lowest monthly total-day audience since December 2023, with viewership declining 27% in October 2026 even as competing cable news networks CNN and MS NOW posted gains that still fell well short of Fox.

According to preliminary Nielsen ratings first reported by Status and subsequently detailed by Variety, Fox averaged approximately 1.1 million total-day viewers during October, a 27% decline from the same period in 2025.

Among adults 25-54, the demographic most closely watched by advertisers, the network averaged 98,000 viewers, down 32% year over year.

Despite the declines, Fox remains the most-watched cable news network, maintaining a substantial audience advantage over CNN and MS NOW.

The ratings losses extended into primetime, where Fox averaged approximately 2 million viewers, a 28% year-over-year decline.

Primetime viewership among adults 25-54 fell 36% to 183,000 viewers.

The network’s morning program, “Fox & Friends,” also experienced a significant decline, averaging fewer than 1 million viewers for the second consecutive month.

The program attracted fewer than 100,000 viewers in the key advertising demographic. Its October performance marked its smallest overall audience since July 2015 and its lowest adults 25-54 audience since June 2001.

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The October results continued a downward trend for Fox that was evident during the third quarter of 2026.

During that period, the network’s total-day audience declined 16%, while viewership among adults 25-54 fell 24%.

CNN and MS NOW, meanwhile, recorded modest overall audience gains during the third quarter.

The trend continued in October, with MS NOW increasing its total-day audience 16% to an average of 588,000 viewers.

CNN averaged 402,000 total-day viewers, representing a 3% increase from October 2025.

The contrasting ratings trends come as traditional television viewership continues to decline across the industry, although has experienced sharper audience losses than its two principal cable news competitors.

Fox has historically maintained a considerable ratings advantage over other cable news networks and frequently attracts larger live audiences than individual broadcast networks during primetime.

The company pointed to its digital performance in response to questions about its television ratings.

According to Emplifi data provided by FNC, the network generated 3.8 billion YouTube views from the beginning of 2026 through Oct. 27, 2026.

MS NOW followed with 3 billion views, while CNN recorded 2.4 billion. ABC News generated 1.4 billion views, NBC News had 1.2 billion and CBS News was listed at 543,000.

While all of these networks likely generate significant advertising and other partner revenue from digital platforms, it’s unclear how the CPM from digital streaming revenue — which it likely has to split with the host platform — works into the network’s business model.

That model still relies heavily on the monthly fees MVPDs pay Fox just to offer the network to subscribers. Pay TV providers typically pay a per-subscriber rate to channel owners whether or not specific subscribers watch the channel at all. 

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This model has proven enormously profitable for successful cable networks, including CNN and MS NOW, but as cord-cutting continues, that major source of recurring revenue could dry up. 

Under the MVPD model, cable networks often treat advertising revenue as secondary. Historically, some high-priced networks, in fact, could actually still be profitable even if ad revenue were to completely dry up. 

Digital advertising can replace at least some of that revenue, though rates typically hover in the range of a few cents per qualified ad roll before any platform split. 

This revenue model is also more directly tied to performance and views than the MVPD model, which guaranteed revenue each month from active subscribers, even if they never engaged with the channel. 

Fox, like other networks, has also invested heavily in direct-to-consumer streaming and digital products that they see as another revenue opportunity that doesn’t require sharing any income with others. 

Fox’s ratings decline comes less than a week before the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections, when Republicans and Democrats will compete for control of Congress.

The figures have prompted questions about whether conservative viewers are disengaging from Fox News at a faster rate than audiences watching competing networks, although the Nielsen data alone does not establish why viewers are leaving.

Donald Trump has also recently criticized Fox over its political coverage.

In an Oct. 19, 2026, post on Truth Social, Trump accused the network of giving too much attention to Democratic perspectives.

“Fox spends more time defending Dumocrats, and putting on their views versus their Republican opponent, than at any time in the History of FoxNews (sic),” Trump wrote.

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“It’s ridiculous! FoxNews is trying too hard to be Politically Correct!”