WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: Jesse Watters hosts “Jesse Watters Primetime” at FOX News D.C. Bureau on November 03, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images)
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Fox News Channel will end the month of January as–once again–the most-watched cable news channel, marking a staggering milestone of its 24th straight year as the top-rated network in cable news. “I am incredibly proud of our entire team for driving Fox News Channel to 24 consecutive years at number one,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott in a message to employees Wednesday.
“This milestone reflects the dedication and hard work that has defined the network since its launch 30 years ago,” Scott said. “We are not only leading cable, but rivaling the broadcast networks, while remaining steadfast in our commitment to meet viewers where they are and deliver the most important stories from around the world.”
In January, Fox News had all five of the highest-rated shows in cable news, with The Five once again taking top honors with an average total audience of 3.372 million viewers, according to ratings data compiled by Nielsen. Jesse Watters Primetime was second overall (3.011 million viewers), followed by Gutfeld! (2.759 million viewers), Special Report with Bret Baier (2.706 million viewers), and The Ingraham Angle (2.540 million viewers).
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 08: Erika Kirk and Sean Hannity discuss the newly released book “Stop, In The Name of God: Why Honoring The Sabbath Will Transform Your Life” on “Hannity” at Fox News Channel Studios on December 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
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Fox News swept the top 5 highest-rated shows in cable news
Among viewers 25-54, the key demographic group valued by national advertisers, Fox News again swept the top 5, with The Five on top (328,000 viewers), followed by Gutfeld! (314,000 viewers), Jesse Watters Primetime (275,000 viewers), Special Report (257,000 viewers) and Hannity (240,000 viewers).
Overall, Fox News led cable news in prime time, delivering an average audience of 2.046 million viewers, and 143,00 viewers in the key demo. That viewership was up 15 percent from December among total viewers, and up 30 percent in the key demo. MS NOW was second overall with 589,000 viewers (up 4% from December) and 55,000 viewers in the key demo (up 17 percent).
CNN trailed among total viewers in January, with an average total audience in prime of 660,000 viewers, but that was up 35 percent from December. In the key demo, CNN jumped ahead of MS NOW with 96,000 viewers (up a dramatic 81 percent month over month). Still, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, a fixture of the network’s prime time lineup, saw its second-lowest rated January ever, delivering just 133,000 viewers in the key demo.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 23: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Bret Baier during an interview on Special Report With Bret Baier at Fox News Channel Studios on September 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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Fox News challenges the broadcast networks
Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier had another strong month in January, with an average audience of 2.7 million viewers–putting Special Report ahead of the CBS Evening News with new anchor Tony Dokoupil in fifteen major markets across the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Tampa Bay, Florida. Compared to one year ago, the CBS flagship broadcast fell 13 percent among all viewers and dropped 18 percent in the key demo.
Fox News Channel continued to make significant gains in prime compared to the legacy broadcast networks, with ABC delivering the largest audience in January (3.990 million viewers), followed by NBC (2.614 million viewers), Fox News Channel (2.404 million viewers), and CBS (2.203 million viewers).
Fox News Channel’s performance compared to the broadcast networks is significant, as shows like Hannity and The Ingraham Angle reach far fewer American homes than the broadcast networks do, and yet FNC spent the summer outperforming reliably high-rated fare like ABC’s The Bachelor, Discovery’s “Shark Week” and NBC’s American Ninja Warrior.
“It’s very satisfying to see that we’ve worked all these years to build something like this, and now it’s right up there beating the other networks,” Fox News President Jay Wallace told me in an interview last July. “It’s not just politics, it’s not just hard news, it’s not just opinion, it’s everything.”