FNC Tops ESPN During NBA Playoffs
‘The Five’ Continues Streak as Number One Show in Cable News with 3.6 Million Viewers, ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ Delivers 3.1 Million Viewers
‘Special Report’ and ‘FOX & Friends’ Lead CBS News in Major Markets Across the Country
FNC Recognized as America’s Leading Single Source of News by New York Times/Siena Poll in May
‘CBS Evening News’ Delivers Back-to-Back Months Dropping Under 4 Million Viewers while ‘CBS Mornings’ Sees Lowest-Rated May in Program History; ABC Posts Lowest-Rated May Primetime This Century
NEW YORK, June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FOX News Channel (FNC) continued to exert its dominance in all of television for the month of May, beating ABC in weekday primetime, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. FNC averaged 2.8 million viewers in weekday primetime making it the third highest-rated network in all of television, leading ABC (2.7 million viewers) and marking the network’s highest rated May during a midterm election year in the network’s history. FNC also surpassed ESPN (2.8 million viewers) in weekday primetime during coverage of the 2026 NBA and NHL Playoffs. In May primetime (8-11 PM/ET), FNC delivered 2.4 million viewers and 210,000 in the 25-54 demographic. In total day, FNC drew over 1.5 million viewers and 143,000 in the 25-54 demo. FNC commanded nearly 60% of the cable news share with viewers across total day and primetime and delivered the top 85 cable news telecasts. FNC was also number one in cable news with Asians, Hispanics and upscale viewers throughout total day during the month. Notably, the latest New York Times/Siena poll of registered voters found that FNC was the leading single source of news in the country, outranking all national television, cable and print/online organizations, reflecting its strong audience ratings performance.
In May, CBS continued its downward trend with CBS Evening News delivering its second consecutive month under 4 million viewers and its 14th straight month under 600,000 viewers aged 25-54. The program saw 3.8 million viewers and 525,000 in the 25-54 demo. CBS Mornings saw its lowest-rated May in program history across the board, with 1.8 million viewers and 296,000 25-54. ABC primetime notched its lowest-rated May of the 21st century across both demos, averaging 2.8 million viewers and 577,000 25-54 demo.
FNC’s number one program The Five secured 3.6 million viewers and 317,000 in the 25-54 demo, leading all of cable news across the board. The Five also surpassed broadcast programs including CBS’ CIA (3.6 million viewers), ABC’s Celebrity Jeopardy (3.3 million viewers) and ESPN’s NBA Playoffs First round (3.3 million viewers). At 8 PM/ET Jesse Watters Primetime led primetime, commanding 3.1 million viewers and 261,000 in the 25-54 demo.
FNC’s Hannity remained dominant with 2.7 million viewers and 242,000 in the 25-54 demo, easily surpassing MS NOW’s 9 PM/ET programming, The Rachel Maddow Show (Monday) and The Briefing with Jen Psaki (Tuesday-Friday), which averaged under 1.2 million viewers and 133,000 in the 25-54 demo. Hannity also led key broadcast shows including CBS’ Face the Nation (2.6 million viewers), ABC’s This Week (2.5 million viewers) and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy (2.4 million viewers). The Ingraham Angle (weeknights, 7 PM/ET) posted 2.5 million viewers and 211,000 in the 25-54 demo, with Laura Ingraham continuing her reign as the highest rated woman in cable news.
FNC’s hit late-night program Gutfeld! continued to dominate late-night television, notching 2.9 million viewers (293,000 A25-54). The program overtook ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2.1 million viewers), NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1.3 million viewers), Late Night with Seth Meyers (832,000 viewers) and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show (538,000 viewers). This month’s debut of CBS’ Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen has failed to average one million viewers, delivering 890,000 viewers and 144,000 in A25-54 (May 22-31).
The network’s nightly newscast Special Report with Bret Baier (weeknights, 6 PM/ET) averaged 2.7 million viewers and 230,000 in the 25-54 demo, continuing to close the gap with the broadcast competition. In May, Special Report led CBS Evening News in 19 top markets across the country including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. The show also beat ABC’s World News Tonight in Jacksonville, New Orleans and Memphis. At 4 PM/ET, The Will Cain Show continued to grow the timeslot with 2.2 million viewers and 185,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher drew 1.5 million viewers and 172,000 A25-54.
FNC’s signature morning show FOX & Friends (6-9 AM/ET) finished the month with 1.3 million viewers and 129,000 in the demo and remained the number one cable news program in the mornings with both categories for 63 consecutive months, beating CNN and MS NOW combined in viewers. FOX & Friends led CBS Mornings in 22 major markets throughout May including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Atlanta. The program also outpaced ABC’s Good Morning America in markets including Washington DC, Tampa, St. Louis, Baltimore and Providence and defeated NBC’s The Today Show in Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte and Tulsa during May.
FNC’s daytime lineup continued to crush the competition, led by its two-hour morning news program America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino (9-11 AM/ET), which saw 1.9 million viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Faulkner Focus at 11 AM/ET notched 1.8 million viewers and 167,000 in the 25-54 demo and at 12 PM/ET, Outnumbered earned 1.9 million viewers and 173,000 in the demo. America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith garnered 1.8 million viewers and 167,000 in the 25-54 demo. Martha MacCallum’s The Story averaged 1.9 million viewers and 166,000 in the 25-54 demo. Every single FNC daytime show between 9 AM–5 PM/ET led NBC News Daily (1.3 million viewers), ABC’s GMA3 (1.3 million viewers) and NBC’s Kelly Clarkson Show (1 million viewers).
FNC also continued to excel against the competition throughout the weekend for the month, winning every hour with total viewers and 25-54 demo, defeating CNN and MS NOW by double to triple-digits among both categories on both days. On Saturdays, Kayleigh McEnany’s Saturday in America (10 AM-12 PM/ET) was the most watched show on cable news for the weekend, drawing over 1.7 million viewers. FOX News Live anchored by Aishah Hasnie (12-2 PM/ET) delivered 1.4 million viewers. FOX & Friends Weekend (6-10 AM/ET) was most-watched in the 25-54 demo on Saturdays with 138,000 25-54 aged viewers (1.4 million viewers). My View with Lara Trump (Saturday, 9 PM/ET) and FOX News Saturday Night (Saturday, 10 PM/ET) each nabbed 1.4 million viewers, while Life, Liberty & Levin (8 PM/ET) and The Big Weekend Show (5-8 PM/ET) secured 1.3 million viewers.
On Sundays, FNC’s Sunday Morning Futures at 10 AM/ET earned the spot as top-rated show of the day, garnering 1.7 million viewers and 142,000 with 25-54 demo. Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy (9 PM/ET) was the top show in primetime with over 1.5 million viewers (113,000 A25-54). The Sunday Briefing (11 AM/ET), with rotating co-anchors Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich, the Sunday edition of The Big Weekend Show, One Nation with Brian Kilmeade (10 PM/ET) and Life, Liberty & Levin drew 1.4 million viewers.
MAY 2026 VIEWERSHIP & 25-54 DEMO (Live + Same Day):
WEEKDAY PRIMETIME
NBC: 4,159,000 viewers
CBS: 3,630,000 viewers
FNC: 2,776,000 viewers
ABC: 2,747,000 viewers
MONDAY – SUNDAY TOTAL DAY
FNC: 1,529,000 total viewers and 142,000 A25-54 (down 13% with viewers and down 18% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
CNN: 460,000 total viewers and 72,000 A25-54 (down 23% with viewers and down 22% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
MS NOW: 595,000 total viewers and 61,000 A25-54 (down 21% with viewers and down 24% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
MONDAY – SUNDAY PRIMETIME (8-11P)
FNC: 2,381,000 total viewers and 210,000 A25-54 (down 17% with viewers and down 27% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
CNN: 633,000 total viewers and 110,000 A25-54 (down 30% with viewers and down 29% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
MS NOW: 942,000 total viewers and 93,000 A25-54 (down 25% and down 32% with A25-54 vs. April 2026)
MAY RATINGS FOR THE TOP FIVE PROGRAMS IN CABLE NEWS:
Total Viewers: The Five (3,560,000), Jesse Watters Primetime (3,135,000), Gutfeld! (2,854,000), Hannity (2,724,000), Special Report (2,659,000)
Adults 25-54: The Five (317,000), Gutfeld! (293,000), Jesse Watters Primetime (261,000), Hannity (244,000), Special Report (230,000)
Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Month of May 2026 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service and has been the number one network in basic cable for the last 10 years and the most-watched television news channel for 24 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 60% of the cable news viewing audience according to Nielsen Media Research. Notably, Nielsen/MRI Fusion has consistently shown FNC to be the network of choice for more Democrat and Independent viewers, with the most politically diverse audience in cable news. A 2026 Brand Keys survey ranked FOX News at the top of its loyalty rankings for morning and evening cable news, while a 2024 Pew Research Center study found that more Americans named FNC as their main source for political news than any other network. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in more than 60 million homes including streaming on FOX One and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.
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FOX News Media Contact:
Sofie Watson: 212.301.3818 or Sofie.Watson@FOX.com
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