Fox News Channel Achieves Record February Ratings, Outshines CNN and MSNBC

Fox News Channel has kicked off 2025 on an impressive note, reporting the highest audience figures for February in cable news history. As the competition falters, both CNN and MSNBC struggle to keep pace.

With an average viewership of nearly two million during total day segments, Fox News eclipsed all cable news competitors. Notably, no other network managed to reach the one million mark, while MSNBC lagged significantly with an average of 638,000 viewers. CNN’s numbers were even lower, securing an average of 433,000 total viewers, thus allowing Fox to surpass both networks combined.

This record month establishes February as Fox News’s most-watched in its history. The network concluded with its third-highest share of the cable news audience since its inception in 1996.

Primetime Dominance

During the crucial primetime hours from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, Fox News demonstrated unparalleled strength, overpowering all other cable options. Leading shows such as “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Hannity,” and “Gutfeld!” collectively attracted an average of 3.1 million viewers. In stark contrast, ESPN managed 1.4 million viewers, while MSNBC and CNN brought in only 1.1 million and 553,000 viewers, respectively. Even when combined, the liberal networks could not outstrip Fox’s viewership.

Most-Watched Telecasts

Following a standout month in February, Fox News has now hosted all of the top 838 cable news telecasts since the last election day. An exclusive interview featuring Sean Hannity, Elon Musk, and President Trump on February 18 attracted an impressive 5.4 million viewers, marking it as the second highest-rated telecast of the month.

The program “The Five,” featuring hosts Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro, and rotating co-hosts Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., led the cable news ratings with an average of 4.7 million viewers. February also marked the 14th consecutive month that “The Five” has averaged over four million viewers.

Significant Performers

“The Ingraham Angle” averaged 3.5 million viewers, reinforcing Laura Ingraham’s status as the highest-rated woman in cable news. Similarly, “Jesse Watters Primetime” and “Hannity” averaged 4.2 million and 3.6 million viewers respectively, while “Gutfeld!” reached an impressive 3.4 million, achieving its best month to date. Each of these programs dominated their respective timeslots.

“Special Report with Bret Baier” averaged 3.6 million viewers, marking its third-best month ever. Meanwhile, the newly launched “The Will Cain Show” achieved an 81% increase in viewership for the 4 p.m. hour compared to last year.

Moreover, programs like “America Reports” with John Roberts and Sandra Smith, “The Story” with Martha MacCallum, and “FOX News @ Night” all recorded their finest months since 2020.

Morning Ratings Success

The morning segments also saw impressive ratings. Popular shows like “FOX & Friends FIRST,” “FOX & Friends,” “America’s Newsroom” with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino, “The Faulkner Focus,” and “Outnumbered” all demonstrated strong numbers, maintaining Fox News’s lead. “FOX & Friends” has now been the top-rated cable news program in the mornings for more than three years.

Advertiser Targets

In terms of the coveted demographic of adults aged 25 to 54, Fox News dominated with an average of 252,000 total day viewers. This placed it firmly at No. 1 across all cable networks, leaving ESPN, TNT, TBS, and USA trailing behind. CNN averaged only 82,000 viewers from the key demo, while MSNBC fared worse with just 66,000 viewers.

During primetime, Fox again triumphed, averaging 387,000 demo viewers compared to CNN’s 122,000 and MSNBC’s 111,000.

Weekend Ratings Leadership

Fox News continued its lead into the weekends, outperforming both CNN and MSNBC in viewership across every hour. “The Big Weekend Show” emerged as the top cable news program on Saturdays, while “Sunday Morning Futures” captured the Sunday viewership crown. The debut of “My View with Lara Trump” attracted a record-breaking 2.4 million viewers, becoming the highest-rated weekend program in all of cable, outperforming CNN and MSNBC’s entire weekly lineup.

Overall Audience Share

Fox News secured 65% of the cable news share among total day and primetime viewers. In contrast, both CNN and MSNBC noted declines in their total day and primetime numbers. Additionally, Fox has maintained a solid viewer base, with more Democrats, Independents, and Republicans tuning in compared to other networks.

In terms of total weeknight viewership, Fox averaged 3.9 million viewers in primetime since January, surpassing ABC, CBS, and NBC. Notably, “The Five” even outperformed the ratings of “CBS Evening News.”

A Historic February

February 2025 marked the fifth highest-rated month ever for Fox News, trailing only notable months in April 2003, October 2020, April 2020, and March 2020.

Ratings data sourced from Nielsen Media Research.