Week of March 23 Cable News Ratings: Fox News Only Network to Grow Across the Board

This is TVNewser’s basic cable network ranker and cable news report for the week of March 23, 2026.

Fox News closed out the final full week of March as the only big three cable news network to grow in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo, during primetime and total day.

Fox News survived Thursday and Friday competition from the March Madness men’s and women’s tournaments on CBS and Turner networks, achieving week-to-week gains.

NETWORKS:

According to Nielsen big data + panel for the week of March 23, Fox News averaged 2.662 million total viewers and 259,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up +8% in total viewers and +14% in the demo compared to the week prior (the week beginning March 16).

During total day viewing, Fox News averaged 1.707 million total viewers and 169,000 A25-54 viewers. Based on its average from the previous week’s measurements, the network was up by +2% in total viewers and +8% in the demo.

Fox News ranked first in total primetime viewership and remained in third, tied with TruTV, in demo viewership among all basic cable networks. In total day, it finished in first place in total viewers and climbed back to the No. 3 position from No. 5 in the total day demo.

MS NOW averaged 1.171 million total viewers and 101,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for the week that just concluded. The network was down -2% in total viewers but up +1% in the demo compared to its primetime average the week prior.

During total day, MS NOW averaged 709,000 total viewers and 70,000 demo viewers. It slid by -1% in total viewers and in the demo compared to the network’s average the week prior.

Among all basic cable networks, MS NOW moved back to third from fifth place in total primetime viewers and finished 17th in the demo, a one-place dip from the previous week. It moved up from third to second in total viewers and rose one place to No. 9 in the total day demo.

CNN averaged 751,000 total primetime viewers and 133,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime for the week of March 23. The network was down by -4% and -1% in the demo compared to the previous week.

During total day, the network had 556,000 total viewers and 91,000 viewers in the demo. CNN fell by -2% in total viewers but grew by +2% in the demo during this daypart.

Among all cable networks, CNN moved back from sixth to fifth in total viewers and from eighth to seventh, tied with Comedy Central in the demo during primetime. It remained at No. 5 in total day among total viewers and finished in fifth in the demo.

When looking at these networks’ performance during the same period a year ago:

During primetime, Fox News was down by -5% in total viewers and -20% in the A25-54 demo. During total day, the network posted declines of -2% in total viewers and -23% in the demo.
MS NOW was up by +1% in total viewers but down -10% in the demo. During total day, the network was up +13% in total viewers and +19% in the demo.
In primetime, CNN grew by +36% in total viewers and +24% in the demo. During total day, it rose by +31% in total viewers and +18% in the demo.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News had 13 out of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week, with The Five on top with 3.989 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MS NOW was represented in the chart by two shows, The Rachel Maddow Show, airing only on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, which ranked seventh with 2.35 million total viewers, and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, with 1.496 million total viewers in 15th place.

Gutfeld!, which airs weeknights at 10 p.m. ET on Fox News, moved back to first place in the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 382,000 viewers. Once again, Fox News held 13 of the 15 top spots in the demo, with MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show, airing only on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, finishing in seventh place with 235,000 demo viewers. CNN had one show in the chart with Anderson Cooper 360, airing weeknights at 8 p.m. ET, finishing in the No. 15 position with 151,000 demo viewers.

March 23, 2026

Prime Time

	Fox News	MS NOW	CNN
• Total Viewers:	2,662,000	1,171,000	751,000
• A25-54:	259,000	101,000	133,000

Total Day

	Fox News	MS NOW	CNN
• Total Viewers:	1,707,000	709,000	556,000
• A25-54:	169,000	70,000	91,000

Week 3-23-26 Cable Ranker P25-54 BDP by Adweek