- During primetime, Fox News was down by -7% in total viewers and -18% in the A25-54 demo. During total day, the network posted losses of -4% in total viewers and -21% in the demo—the only network with declines within this yearly comparison.
- MS NOW was up +16% in total viewers and +35% in the demo. During total day, the network was up +10% in total viewers and +24% in the demo.
- In primetime, CNN grew by +55% in total viewers and +64% in the demo. During total day, it rose by +27% in total viewers and +20% 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 3.543 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MS NOW was represented in the chart by The Rachel Maddow Show, which airs only on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and ranked eighth with 1.863 million total viewers. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, was the other MS NOW show in the chart with 1.359 million total viewers at No. 15.
The Five also finished first in the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 324,000 viewers at 9 p.m. ET on weeknights. Fox News held 13 of the 15 top spots in the demo, with MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show landing in 8th place with 163,000 demo viewers. CNN was represented in the chart at No. 14 by CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, with 150,000 demo viewers.
May 18, 2026 (Nielsen Big Data + Panel):
Prime Time
| Fox News | MS NOW | CNN | |
| • Total Viewers: | 2,260,000 | 918,000 | 598,000 |
| • A25-54: | 207,000 | 81,000 | 108,000 |
Total Day
| Fox News | MS NOW | CNN | |
| • Total Viewers: | 1,501,000 | 578,000 | 439,000 |
| • A25-54: | 138,000 | 56,000 | 67,000 |