The latest cable news ratings reveal a familiar leader, but the deeper story is far more nuanced. Fox News remained comfortably ahead in September and across the third quarter of 2026, even as year-over-year declines opened the door for rivals MS NOW and CNN to highlight meaningful gains in select categories.
For anyone tracking the TV and video landscape, these numbers show how audience habits are shifting across primetime, total day, and the key adults 25-54 demographic. While Fox News still dominates the overall scoreboard, the newest cable news ratings suggest momentum is becoming a more important part of the conversation than raw scale alone.
Cable News Ratings: The Big Picture for September and Q3 2026
In September primetime, Fox News averaged 1.72 million viewers, well ahead of its main competitors. MS NOW posted 839,000 viewers, while CNN drew 539,000. But compared with September 2025, Fox News saw a significant drop, while MS NOW managed modest growth and CNN was nearly flat.
Across total day in September, the pattern was similar:
- Fox News: 1.11 million viewers
- MS NOW: 544,000 viewers
- CNN: 373,000 viewers
For the full third quarter, Fox News also led by a wide margin in both primetime and total day. Still, competitors had reason to celebrate. MS NOW delivered some of the strongest percentage growth among the major cable news networks, while CNN showed improvement in several quarter-long measurements, especially in primetime.
That makes this round of cable news ratings particularly interesting: market leadership stayed the same, but competitive positioning beneath the top spot continued to evolve.
How Fox News Performed Despite Year-Over-Year Declines
Fox News once again finished first, but the network’s ratings were down from the same periods in 2025. In September primetime, it averaged 1.72 million viewers, a decline of 32% year over year. In the adults 25-54 demo, Fox News posted 156,000 viewers, down more sharply than its total audience.
During the third quarter, Fox News averaged 2.06 million viewers in primetime and 1.32 million across total day. Those are still commanding numbers by cable standards, but they also represent declines from a year earlier.
Even with softer comparisons, the network still controlled the rankings and continued to produce the biggest individual programs in the genre. Fox News also emphasized that it remains on pace for its highest-rated midterm election year ever, underscoring how dominant its base remains despite the slippage seen in these cable news ratings.
Fox News’ top-performing shows
The highest-rated cable news programs in September were overwhelmingly from Fox News:
- The Five — 2.79 million viewers
- Jesse Watters Primetime — 2.4 million
- Gutfeld! — 2.12 million
- Hannity — 2.06 million
- Special Report with Bret Baier — 2.04 million
In the 25-54 demo, The Five also led the field with 273,000 viewers.
MS NOW and CNN Find Bright Spots in the Cable News Ratings
If Fox News owned the headline, MS NOW and CNN arguably owned the momentum story. MS NOW saw gains in both September and the full quarter, particularly in the younger demo. In September primetime, the network averaged 839,000 viewers, up 3.6% from last year, and it grew 16.2% in adults 25-54.
Its third-quarter results were even stronger:
- Primetime viewers: 930,000, up 16%
- Primetime 25-54: 84,000, up 27.3%
- Total day viewers: 592,000, up 20.3%
- Total day 25-54: 56,000, up 36.6%
CNN also posted selective gains that matter. In third-quarter primetime, the network averaged 607,000 viewers, up 12.8% year over year, while its adults 25-54 audience climbed 16.1% to 101,000. September itself was more mixed, but CNN still improved in primetime demo performance.
These cable news ratings reinforce a key takeaway: while neither network is close to overtaking Fox News overall, both can point to audience resilience and growth in strategically important segments.
Top shows outside Fox News
Among rival networks, the leading September programs were:
- MS NOW: The Rachel Maddow Show with 1.79 million viewers
- CNN: NewsNight with 610,000 viewers
- NewsNation: Cuomo with 167,000 viewers
- Newsmax: Rob Schmitt Tonight with 305,000 viewers
Notably, The Rachel Maddow Show also cracked the top five in the 25-54 demo across cable news, a strong sign for MS NOW’s audience engagement.
What the Numbers Mean for the TV News Industry
The latest cable news ratings paint a picture of a mature but still highly competitive market. Several trends stand out:
- Brand loyalty remains powerful: Fox News continues to command the largest overall audience.
- Demo performance matters: Growth in adults 25-54 remains a critical talking point for advertisers and network executives.
- Momentum can shape perception: Even without winning total viewers, MS NOW and CNN can frame their results as progress.
- Flagship shows still drive networks: A handful of marquee personalities continue to account for much of the attention and buzz.
Elsewhere in the space, NewsNation reported third-quarter primetime growth, averaging 120,000 viewers and 13,000 in the demo. Newsmax averaged 185,000 in primetime and 9,000 in adults 25-54. These are much smaller totals, but they show how the broader news ecosystem remains fragmented and competitive.
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Conclusion: A Familiar Winner, but a More Competitive Race
The third-quarter and September cable news ratings confirm that Fox News is still the clear leader in the category, even with notable year-over-year declines. At the same time, MS NOW and CNN found enough growth in key dayparts and demographics to keep the competitive narrative alive.
The clearest takeaway from these cable news ratings is that scale still belongs to Fox, but momentum is being fought over everywhere else. For viewers, advertisers, and industry watchers, that makes the months ahead especially worth watching.
