Co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, FNC’s Special Coverage was the Most Watched in all of Television
FNC Also Drew the Largest Audience During the Democratic Response, Topping all Broadcast Networks and Doubling CNN and MSNBC
FOX News Held 74% of the Cable News Audience as CNN Loses More Than Half of its Audience vs. 2017 and MSNBC Loses More Than a Quarter
NEW YORK, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — FOX News Channel’s (FNC) coverage of President Donald Trump’s first second term address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4th was the highest rated joint address to congress in cable news history with an audience of 10.7 million viewers and 1.9 million in A25-54 from 9:17-10:58 PM/ET, according to Nielsen. FNC’s programming surrounding the address, co-anchored by chief political anchor Special Report’s Bret Baier and anchor and executive editor of The Story Martha MacCallum, drew the largest audience in all of television yesterday, topping broadcast networks ABC, NBC, CBS in viewers and all cable networks across the board. FNC’s special coverage was the highest-rated joint address coverage in network history and posted triple digit increases versus President Joe Biden’s joint address in 2021 and grew in viewership versus Trump’s first term joint address in 2017. The network also drew the largest audience for the democratic response, averaging 5.9 million viewers and nearly 1 million in A25-54. During coverage of the speech, FNC held 74% of the cable news audience share in viewers and 70% in the A25-54 demo as MSNBC (1,924,000 P2+; 237,000 25-54) and CNN (1,929,000 P2+; 585,000 A25-54) were down versus President Trump’s 2017 address. FOX News Media delivered an audience of 13.6 million viewers and 2.9 million in A25-54 across FNC, FOX Business Network (FBN) and FOX Network.
FNC’s programming of the address and response from 9-11:30 PM/ET averaged 9.7 million viewers and 1.7 million in A25-54, leading all of television. The special live edition of Hannity following the democratic response delivered 3,924,000 viewers and 687,000 in A25-54. FNC’s primetime lineup from 7-11 PM/ET dominated cable television with 7.6 million viewers and 1.3 million in A25-54.
According to data from Nielsen MRI Fusion, FNC has the most politically diverse audience in cable news with more democrats and independents watching the network than any other in the genre as its anchors and hosts interview newsmakers across the political spectrum. Most recently, FNC’s Bret Baier and Sean Hannity had the first interviews with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (6.4 million viewers) and Vice President JD Vance (4.2 million viewers), respectively, since their controversial meeting in the Oval Office. Since the November 5th election, network now holds 68% of the cable news share and has delivered the top 754 telecasts. In primetime, the FNC’s ratings have risen 14% in viewers compared to 2024 to date as CNN (down 37%) and MSNBC (down 41%) have seen their audiences collapse to record lows in primetime. FNC has increased its total day viewership increase by 26% compared to 2024 to date. While FNC averages 2.7 million viewers and 336,000 in the 25-54 demo in primetime post-election, MSNBC has collapsed to 790,000 viewers and 73,000 in the 25-54 demo and CNN dropped to just 469,000 viewers and 98,000 in the 25-54 demo. Across total day, FNC has garnered 1.8 million viewers and 230,000 in the 25-54 demo compared to CNN with just 380,000 viewers and 68,000 in the 25-54 demo and MSNBC’s 515,000 viewers and only 49,000 in the 25-54 demo.
FOX News Media’s digital properties, according to Adobe Analytics, saw growth with page views, media initiates, unique devices and minutes spent compared to both President Trump’s 2017 Joint Address and President Biden’s 2021 Joint Address. FOX News Digital saw 2.8 million livestream views with an average minute audience of 278,000 from 9-11 PM/ET. On YouTube, FOX News commanded 20 million views yesterday according to Emplifi. On social media, FOX News was number one in total social engagement among the news competitive set. The platforms garnered 5.2 million social interactions on Facebook, X and Instagram and 53.8 million social media video views across Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok according to Emplifi.
Data from Nielsen Media Research
9:15 – 11 PM/ET
FNC – 10,703,000 P2+; 1,933,000 A25-54
ABC – 6,332,000 P2+; 1,708,000 A25-54
CBS – 4,009,000 P2+; 1,065,000 A25-54
NBC – 3,909,000 P2+; 1,085,000 A25-54
FOX – 2,652,000 P2+; 892,000 A25-54
MSNBC – 1,924,000 P2+; 585,000 A25-54
CNN – 1,929,000 P2+; 237,000 A25-54
FBN – 245,000 P2+; 47,000 A25-54
11-11:30 PM/ET
FNC – 6,374,000 P2+; 1,070,000 A25-54
CNN – 1,430,000 P2+; 362,000 A25-54
MSNBC – 2,208,000 P2+; 233,000 A25-54
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 nine years and the most-watched television news channel for 23 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 70% 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 2024 Pew Research Center study found that more Americans named FNC as their main source for political news than any other network while a 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll found FNC as the leading single source of news for voters across the country. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in more than 60 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.
FOX News Media Contact:
Jessica Ketner: 212-301-3976 or jessica.ketner@fox.com
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SOURCE Fox News Network, LLC
