Fox News’ Declining Ratings, Explained

Fox News saw its October audience levels drop 28% compared to a year ago, according to Nielsen, the Los Angeles Times reported. Its total day audience among viewers ages 25 to 54 fell to 98,000, the lowest monthly level in 25 years. The network’s total day average was 1.1 million viewers in October, down from 1.5 million a year earlier.

Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman and chief executive of Fox Corporation, attributed the decline to viewer fatigue during an earnings call. He said viewers had gone through incredible news cycles over the last few years and were watching slightly less television rather than switching to MS NOW or CNN. He also noted that last year’s October comparison included President Trump’s inauguration and the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, which spiked ratings.

Both CNN and MS NOW gained viewers in October, suggesting the fatigue is not being felt across all of cable news. Fox News still holds slightly more than a 50% share of the combined audience for the three major cable news channels and remains the dominant leader over CNN and MS NOW.

Fox News says it is on pace for its highest-rated midterm year in total day viewers despite the decline. The parent company’s earnings were strong in its fiscal first quarter, helped by record-setting FIFA World Cup audience levels and robust political ad sales on its TV stations, though the company reported lower digital news advertising revenue.

Murdoch pointed to a similar ratings dip during the 2006 midterm campaign under President George W. Bush. Fox News ratings rebounded in early 2021 after a late 2020 drop, and the network bounced back from a dip following Tucker Carlson’s ousting in April 2023. Fox has tried to recoup cord-cutters through its Fox One streaming service, but the company has not revealed subscription numbers.