FOX News Media’s 2024 Election Night Coverage Leads All Broadcast and Cable Networks With Over 13 Million Viewers

Rhea-AI Summary

FOX News Media led all broadcast and cable networks in 2024 election night coverage with 13.6 million total viewers and 4.4 million in the 25-54 demographic. FOX News Channel's Democracy 2024 primetime coverage averaged 10.3 million viewers, outperforming ABC, NBC, CBS, and all cable news networks. The network's coverage peaked at 10.8 million viewers during the 10 PM/ET hour. FOX was first to call the race for Trump at 1:47 AM/ET. FOX Business Network achieved its highest-rated primetime in network history for the 25-54 demo. FOX News Digital recorded its best day since 2020 in page views and media initiations.

Positive

• Led all networks with 13.6M viewers and 4.4M in 25-54 demo
• Dominated 48% of cable news share in primetime
• FOX Business Network achieved record primetime viewership in 25-54 demo
• Most watched network in all swing states
• Digital properties achieved best performance since 2020
• Leading among Independents and Democrats viewership
• Number one in Hispanic and Asian viewers

Negative

• None.

Insights

Media Industry Analyst

FOX News Media's dominant performance in election coverage demonstrates significant competitive advantages in the news media landscape. With 13.6 million total viewers across platforms and 48% share of cable news primetime viewership, these results validate FOX's market leadership position. The expansion in digital engagement is particularly noteworthy, with record-breaking performance across digital properties and a 1,768% increase in unique viewing devices compared to average weekdays.

The strong performance across demographic segments, including Independents, Democrats, Hispanic and Asian viewers, suggests successful audience diversification beyond the traditional conservative base. This broader appeal strengthens FOX's advertising proposition and potential revenue growth. Digital metrics, including the FOX News app reaching #3 in the App Store, indicate successful digital transformation efforts that position the company well for future media consumption trends.

Co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, Democracy 2024 Coverage on FOX News Channel is Once Again Number One in All of Television with Viewers and A25-54 for Second Straight Election

FOX News was the First Major Network to Call the Election for Former President Donald Trump at 1:47 AM/ET, Finishing the 1 AM Hour as the Most Watched

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FOX News Media’s primetime coverage of election night across FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Network, FOX Business Network (FBN) and FOX News Digital topped all television networks with nearly 13.6 million viewers and 4.4 million in the 25-54 demo, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. FNC’s Democracy 2024 primetime coverage averaged nearly 10.3 million in total viewers and 3.1 million in the 25-54 younger demographic, dominating the competition in both categories and beating ABC, NBC, CBS and all cable news networks for the second election in a row.

Co-anchored by Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story’s Martha MacCallum, the network’s marathon coverage from 6 PM - 3 AM/ET averaged 8.6 million viewers and 2.6 million in the 25-54 demo, leading all of television. FNC’s coverage peaked during the 10 PM/ET hour with 10.8 million viewers and 3.3 million in the 25-54 demo. Across total day (3 AM - 3 AM/ET), FNC also reigned supreme, averaging 4.7 million viewers and 1.2 million in the younger 25-54 demo for the duration of Election Day coverage. In the 1 AM/ET hour, FNC’s Decision Desk was the first major network to call the race for former President Donald Trump and the channel commanded over 7.4 million viewers and 2.4 million in the 25-54 demo, leading CNN and MSNBC combined. In terms of cable news share, FNC occupied 48% of viewers in primetime and 50% across total day.

In commenting on the ratings performance, FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said, “FOX News dominated every aspect of this historic election cycle from primary debates to town halls to being the only network to conduct interviews with all four candidates in both parties in a one-week span as Bret Baier helmed the most buzzed about interview of the race. I am extremely proud of our team’s commitment to delivering the top reporting and analysis to the largest and most politically diverse audience in news and once again beating every broadcast and cable network across the board.”

FOX Business Network’s simulcast in primetime secured 897,000 viewers and 418,000 in the 25-54 demo marking the business network’s most-watched primetime in network history in the younger demo. Comparatively, CNBC’s primetime coverage averaged just 112,000 viewers and 51,000 in the 25-54 demo.

According to Nielsen Media Research, FNC was the most watched cable news network in every swing state, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Additionally, more Independents and Democrats continued to tune in to FNC over any other network, according to data from Nielsen MRI Fusion, and the network was also number one among Hispanic and Asian viewers. According to a recent YouGov study, more Independents get their news from FOX News than from any of the competition.

FOX News Media’s digital properties, according to Adobe Analytics, YouTube Analytics and Meta, delivered a record day of engagement across key performance indicators. This marked FOX News Digital’s best day since 2020 in terms of page views, media initiations, and total minutes spent. Additionally, it was the best day since 2021 for unique devices. FOX News Digital secured 47.2 million livestream views between 6 PM - 3 AM/ET. During this timeframe, including FOX Nation, FOX News Digital saw an average minute audience of 386,000. Additionally, FOX News Go’s unique viewing devices were up 1768% compared to the average weekday this year and its media initiates were up 1800% vs. the average weekday in 2024.

On social media, FOX News Media properties were number one in total social engagement among the news competitive set. The platforms garnered 2.9 million social interactions across Facebook, X and Instagram, according to Emplifi. Notably, the FOX News mobile app is currently the number three free app in the App Store.

6 PM - 3 AM/ET
FNC: 8.6 million P2+; 2.6 million A25-54
CNN: 3.8 million P2+; 1.6 million A25-54
MSNBC: 4.3 million P2+; 1.2 million A25-54

8 PM - 11 PM/ET
FOX Properties (FNC, FBN, FOX Network and FOX News Digital): 13.6 million P2+; 4.4 million A25-54
FNC: 10.3 million P2+; 3.1 million A25-54
FOX (8-10P/ET): 2 million P2+, 872,000 A25-54
FBN: 897,000 P2+; 418,000 A25-54
CNN: 5.1 million P2+; 2.2 million A25-54
MSNBC: 6 million P2+; 1.8 million A25-54
ABC: 5.9 million P2+; 2.3 million A25-54
NBC: 5.5 million P2+; 2.2 million A25-54
CBS: 3.6 million P2+; 1.3 million A25-54
NewsNation: 265,000 P2+; 68,000 A25-54

3 AM - 3 AM/ET
FNC: 4.7 million P2+; 1.2 million A25-54
CNN: 2.1 million P2+; 808,000 A25-54
MSNBC: 2.6 million P2+; 633,000 A25-54

FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio, FOX News Books, the direct-to-consumer streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International and the free ad-supported television service FOX Weather. Currently the number one network in all of cable, FNC has also been the most watched television news channel for more than 22 consecutive years, while FBN is the top business channel on cable. Owned by Fox Corporation, FOX News Media reaches nearly 200 million people each month.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241106061072/en/

FOX News Media Contact:

Connor Smith: 212-301-3879 or Connor.Smith@FOX.com

Source: FOX News Media

FAQ

How many viewers did FOX News get for the 2024 election night coverage?

FOX News Media's election night coverage attracted 13.6 million total viewers and 4.4 million viewers in the 25-54 demographic across all its platforms.

What time did FOX News call Trump's victory in the 2024 primary?

FOX News was the first major network to call the race for Trump at 1:47 AM/ET.

What was FOX News' viewer share during primetime election coverage?

FOX News Channel occupied 48% of cable news viewership share during primetime coverage.

How did FOX Business Network perform during the 2024 election coverage?

FOX Business Network achieved its highest-rated primetime in network history in the 25-54 demographic with 418,000 viewers.