Fact check: What are the current Nielsen ratings for CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC in the 2025 season?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the most recent Nielsen ratings data for 2025, Fox News maintains its dominant position in cable news viewership across all measured periods. The network consistently leads in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic.

Most Recent Data (Week of August 4, 2025):

• Fox News: 2.290 million total viewers, 217,000 A25-54 viewers ^[1]
• MSNBC: 821,000 total viewers, 73,000 A25-54 viewers ^[1]
• CNN: 450,000 total viewers, 78,000 A25-54 viewers ^[1]

July 2025 Monthly Averages:

• Fox News: 2.406-2.41 million total viewers, 257,000 A25-54 viewers ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• MSNBC: 865,000 total viewers, 81,000 A25-54 viewers ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• CNN: 497,000 total viewers, 92,000 A25-54 viewers ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Q2 2025 Quarterly Performance:

• Fox News: 2.633 million total viewers, 304,000 A25-54 viewers ^[5]
• MSNBC: 1.008 million total viewers, 91,000 A25-54 viewers ^[5]
• CNN: 538,000 total viewers, 105,000 A25-54 viewers ^[5]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the dramatic year-over-year decline affecting all three networks. All major cable news networks experienced significant viewership drops in July 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 ^{[3] [4]}.

Specific Year-over-Year Declines:

• Fox News: Down 30% in total viewers and 48% in the key demographic ^{[3] [4]}
• MSNBC: Down 27% in total viewers and 40% in the demographic ^{[3] [4]}
• CNN: Down 42% in total viewers and 55% in the demographic ^{[3] [4]}

This decline context is critical for understanding that while Fox News maintains its leadership position, the entire cable news industry is experiencing substantial audience erosion. The ratings should be viewed within this broader trend of declining traditional television viewership.

Alternative viewpoint considerations:

• Cable news executives would benefit from emphasizing their relative market position rather than absolute viewership declines
• Streaming services and digital news platforms benefit from the narrative that traditional cable news is losing relevance
• Advertisers need to understand both current audience size and the trajectory of decline when making media buying decisions

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains no inherent misinformation or bias - it simply requests factual Nielsen ratings data for the three major cable news networks. However, the question's framing could be considered incomplete as it doesn't acknowledge the broader context of industry-wide viewership decline.

The question treats the 2025 ratings as standalone data points without recognizing that these numbers represent a significant contraction from previous years. This omission could lead to misinterpretation of the networks' actual performance trajectory, as the raw numbers alone don't reveal the substantial year-over-year losses all three networks are experiencing ^{[3] [4]}.