July Cable News Ratings: Fox News Takes the Lead, CNN and MS NOW Gain Momentum

In the latest cable news ratings, Fox News has emerged as the top network for the month of July. However, a closer look at the numbers reveals that CNN and MS NOW have made significant gains compared to the same period in 2025.

According to Nielsen ratings, Fox News averaged 2.33 million viewers in primetime, down 3% from the same month in 2025. In contrast, MS NOW saw a notable increase of 18% to reach 1.02 million viewers, while CNN posted 658,000, a 32% jump from the previous year.

In the 25-54 demographic, Fox News averaged 204,000 viewers, down 21% from the same period in 2025. CNN, on the other hand, posted 102,000 viewers, an 11% increase, while MS NOW averaged 89,000 viewers, up 10%.

When it comes to total day ratings, Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers, down 2% from the previous year. MS NOW saw a 20% increase to reach 636,000 viewers, while CNN posted 465,000 viewers, a 26% jump.

In the 25-54 demographic, Fox News averaged 137,000 viewers, down 26% from the previous year. CNN posted 62,000 viewers, flat from the previous year, while MS NOW averaged 57,000 viewers, up 10%.

The most-watched show on Fox News was ‘The Five’, averaging 3.31 million viewers, followed by ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ with 2.98 million viewers. Other top shows on the network included ‘Gutfeld!’ with 2.63 million viewers, ‘Hannity’ with 2.55 million viewers, and ‘Special Report with Bret Baier’ with 2.52 million viewers.

In the 25-54 demographic, the top shows on Fox News were ‘The Five’ with 300,000 viewers, followed by ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ with 267,000 viewers, ‘Gutfeld!’ with 249,000 viewers, ‘Hannity’ with 238,000 viewers, and ‘Special Report with Bret Baier’ with 224,000 viewers.

MS NOW’s top show was ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’, averaging 2 million viewers, while CNN’s most-watched program was ‘Anderson Cooper 360’, posting 739,000 viewers.

Among other news networks, NewsNation averaged 141,000 viewers in primetime and 15,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic. The network reported a 32% increase in primetime viewers compared to the previous year, as well as a 25% increase in the 25-54 demographic.

Newsmax averaged 202,000 viewers in primetime and 9,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic. The network’s top show was ‘Rob Schmitt Tonight’, averaging 306,000 viewers, while the top show on NewsNation was ‘Cuomo’, averaging 230,000 viewers.

The figures are based on Nielsen ratings and reflect the performance of the major cable news networks in July 2025.