How do 2025 cable news ratings compare to 2024 for CNN Fox News and MSNBC?
Executive summary
Fox News remained the clear ratings leader through most of 2025, often drawing multiple millions in primetime and outperforming MSNBC and CNN in both total viewers and the advertiser-coveted Adults 25–54 demo (for example, Fox averaged roughly 2.48–3.01 million primetime viewers in Q1–Q3 reporting and large demo figures like 243k–299k in Q3) while CNN and MSNBC trended downward year‑over‑year from strong 2024 levels (CNN primetime totals often in the 500–600k range in 2025; MSNBC primetime varied around 800k–1.02M but with steep demo declines) [1] [2] [3].
1. Fox News: dominance sustained, but not uniformly immune to declines
Fox News was the ratings leader across 2025 quarters cited: it produced the top single programs (The Five regularly 3.5–4+ million viewers) and the biggest primetime averages, and the network’s PR and trade reporting pointed to quarter-to-quarter strength including a 3Q weekday primetime average of about 2.934 million viewers and strong demo totals cited by the network [4] [5]. Independent trade pieces also show Fox often beat broadcast network peers in primetime and held the lion’s share of top-rated shows [2] [5]. Still, trade stories note Fox experienced month-to-month and week-to-week dips at times in 2025, and some metrics showed year‑over‑year softness versus the very high 2024 political-news environment [6] [7].
2. CNN: mid‑six‑hundreds to mid‑five‑hundreds in primetime; steeper demo erosion
CNN’s primetime averages for 2025 clustered in the high‑400k to mid‑600k range across quarters and months cited (e.g., Q2 primetime ≈538k; April ≈519k; Q3 ≈538k), placing it clearly behind Fox and often behind MSNBC in total viewers for particular windows; its Adults 25–54 demo numbers were smaller and showed notable year‑over‑year losses in many reports [1] [6] [2]. Trade reports repeatedly flag CNN’s demo weakness in 2025 compared with 2024, and Adweek/TVNewser pieces show CNN slipping in demo rank even when total viewers were relatively stable quarter‑to‑quarter [2].
3. MSNBC: mixed total‑viewer resilience, dramatic demo drops
MSNBC’s total primetime viewers in 2025 often sat between roughly 800k–1.02M in quarter snapshots, and some months showed gains versus immediate prior months; but the network’s performance in the A25–54 demo dropped sharply—examples include demo figures down 26–40% in some periods versus the prior year, with demo averages sometimes under 100k in primetime [1] [8]. Trade analyses attribute at least part of the shift to lineup changes (e.g., Rachel Maddow moving back to a once‑a‑week schedule) and broader post‑election audience retraction after 2024 [9] [10].
4. Year‑over‑year context: 2024’s elevated baseline and 2025’s normalization
Multiple sources emphasize that 2024 was an election year with elevated cable‑news consumption; 2025 shows a general post‑election decline across the three big networks, but Fox’s declines were often smaller or offset by continued audience concentration, while CNN and MSNBC posted larger percentage drops—especially in the A25–54 demo [10] [8]. Adweek and TV trade stories cite double‑digit year‑over‑year declines for CNN and MSNBC in many months/quarters, whereas Fox frequently retained or grew demo share in some 2025 snapshots [10] [1].
5. What the demo tells us: advertisers’ preferred metric favors Fox in 2025
Advertisers prize Adults 25–54; across 2025 reporting Fox posted much larger demo averages (examples: Fox demo totals in Q3 near 243k–299k; monthly demo leadership cited repeatedly), while CNN and MSNBC’s demo numbers were often a fraction of Fox’s and saw steeper percentage declines compared to 2024 [4] [10] [8]. That divergence matters for revenue and perceived “health” beyond raw total‑viewer bragging rights.
6. Competing narratives and what each source wants you to see
Trade outlets (Adweek/TVNewser, TVInsider) present Nielsen data and emphasize comparative quarter/month movements and the context of post‑election normalization [1] [8]. Fox News’ own press release frames Q3 2025 as a triumph — third‑highest Q3 and strong demo/total‑viewer wins — and highlights historical streaks [4]. Independent trade reporting, while acknowledging Fox’s lead, stresses that all three networks experienced declines versus 2024 in many metrics and flags record‑low demos for CNN and MSNBC in some quarters [2] [3].
7. Limitations and unanswered items
Available sources concentrate on quarterly and monthly Nielsen snapshots and select weeklies; they do not provide a single, consistent year‑to‑date 2025 v. 2024 table for all dayparts and demos, so precise aggregate percentage changes across the whole year can’t be computed from the provided excerpts alone—trade stories must be read together to assemble a fuller picture [1] [2]. Sources also do not detail streaming/CTV viewership that could offset linear declines; available sources do not mention comprehensive digital or platform metrics in this dataset [8].
Bottom line: 2025 is a normalization year after 2024’s big news cycle. Fox held and often expanded its lead in total viewers and the key demo; CNN and MSNBC show substantial year‑over‑year erosion in the 25–54 demo and mixed total‑viewer results, driven by schedule shifts and the post‑election audience drop described in multiple trade reports [10] [1] [8].