Week of September 8 Cable News Ratings: All Cable News Networks Record Big Gains

Coverage from the week included the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. Follow-up coverage of the incident led to Fox News recording triple-digit gains in the primetime demo for the week. In addition, all three cable news networks increased viewership during primetime and total day.

Fox’s special on the tragedy, Charlie Kirk: An American Original, which was hosted by Jesse Watters and aired on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, was seen by 2 million total viewers, 216,000 in the demo, and was the top program of the day.

The same Saturday also saw the burgeoning cable news network NewsNation surpass CNN and MSNBC in the demo during multiple hours in the evening. 

At 7 p.m. ET, NewsNation Prime had 34,000 demo viewers, finishing ahead of CNN’s CNN Newsroom, which had 29,000 demo viewers. 

The network’s Special Report at 8 p.m. ET, hosted by Brian Entin, was ahead of MSNBC’s The Weekend Primetime and CNN’s Real Time with Bill Maher. It had 44,000 vs. MSNBC’s 32,000 and CNN’s 38,000 demo viewers. 

Additionally, NewsNation performed better than CNN’s CNN Newsroom at 10 p.m. ET, having 32,000 vs. 22,000 demo viewers. At 11 p.m. ET, its Special Report had 29,000 demo viewers, while MSNBC’s 11^th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle had 18,000 demo viewers.

NETWORKS:

According to Nielsen’s panel + big data ratings for the week of September 8, Fox News averaged 3.061 million total viewers and 418,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up +55% in total viewers and +155% in the demo compared to the week prior (the week beginning September 1). 

Fox News averaged 1.814 million total viewers and 235,000 A25-54 viewers in total day viewing. Based on its average in those measurements from the previous week, it was up by +41% in total viewers and +99% in the demo.

Fox News was the No. 1 network in total primetime viewers and landed in second place in the demo among all basic cable networks. In total day, it remained in first place in total viewers and was No. 2 in the total day demo.

MSNBC, in primetime, averaged 867,000 total viewers and 75,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for the week that just concluded. The network grew by +30% in total viewers and +29% in the demo compared to its average the week prior during primetime. 

During total day, MSNBC averaged 538,000 total viewers and 49,000 demo viewers. This represented a +15% gain in total viewers and a +32% climb in the demo compared to the network’s average the week prior.

Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC finished in third place in total primetime viewers and moved to No. 11 from No. 20 in the demo. It was also in third place in total viewers and jumped to ninth from 15th place, tied with ESPN2, in the total day demo. 

CNN averaged 615,000 total primetime viewers and 112,000 A25-54 viewers in the demo during primetime for the week of September 8. It was up +36% in total viewers and +81% in the demo compared to the previous week. 

In total day, the network had 435,000 total viewers and 75,000 viewers in the demo. This resulted in a +19% increase in total viewers and a +39% increase in the demo during this daypart.

Among all cable networks, CNN finished in fourth, jumping from sixth, in total viewers, and it was in the No. 5 position, rising from the No. 18 position, in the demo during primetime. It finished in fourth place during total day and moved up six places to third in the demo. 

When looking at these networks’ performance during the same period a year ago, which featured the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris:

• During primetime, Fox News was down by -3% in total viewers and -11% in the A25-54 demo. During total day, the network grew by +15% in total viewers and +3% in the demo.
• MSNBC was down -58% in total viewers and -74% in the demo. During total day, the network was down -54% in total viewers and -64% in the demo.
• In primetime, CNN declined by -48% in total viewers and -63% in the demo. During total day, it saw losses of -33% in total viewers and -44% in the demo.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News had 14 out of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week, with The Five continuing to lead the way with 4.431 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MSNBC was represented in the chart by The Rachel Maddow Show at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, taking the No. 13 position with 1.853 million total viewers. 

Hannity took the top spot in the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 601,000 viewers at 10 p.m. ET. Fox News took all 15 slots for the week of September 8.

Prime Time

	Fox News	MSNBC	CNN
• Total Viewers:	3,061,000	867,000	615,000
• A25-54:	418,000	75,000	112,000

Total Day

	Fox News	MSNBC	CNN
• Total Viewers:	1,814,000	538,000	435,000
• A25-54:	235,000	49,000	75,000

Week of Sept 8 2025 Cable Ranker by Adweek