MS NOW Gains Weekly Viewership While Fox News and CNN See Declines

MS NOW stood alone as the only cable news network to post weekly audience gains across both total viewers and the key demographic during the week of October 26, 2026, adweek.com reported.

The week leading up to the midterm elections brought diverging fortunes across the major cable news channels. According to Nielsen Big Data and Panel figures published by adweek.com, Fox News averaged 1.628 million total viewers in primetime. That total represented a 7% drop from the previous week, though the network managed a 10% increase in the Adults 25-54 demographic to reach 154,000 demo viewers during the same hours.

During total day viewing, Fox News averaged 1.088 million total viewers and 101,000 demo viewers, marking declines of 6% and 2% respectively. Despite these weekly dips, Fox News retained second place in total primetime viewership and first place in total day among all basic cable networks. NewsBreak reported that October brought Fox News its third consecutive month of viewership losses in both measured categories during both dayparts.

MS NOW moved in the opposite direction. The network averaged 998,000 total viewers and 116,000 demo viewers in primetime, representing a 5% bump in both metrics compared to the prior week, adweek.com reported. In total day, MS NOW averaged 622,000 total viewers and 70,000 demo viewers, climbing 2% in total viewers and 4% in the demo.

NewsBreak noted that MS NOW also surpassed CNN in the total day demo by 2,000 viewers and beat CNN in weekend live programming for the first time in 14 years, dating back to November 2012.

CNN experienced a softer week. adweek.com reported that the network averaged 618,000 total primetime viewers, down 2% week-over-week, alongside 111,000 demo viewers, a 5% decrease. CNN’s total day numbers held flat at 424,000 total viewers while the demo slipped 2% to 64,000 viewers. Even so, CNN secured victories in specific weekend dayparts, taking first place in the primetime demo on Saturday, October 31, and leading the demo between noon and 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 1.

Programming dominance remained heavily concentrated. Fox News captured 12 of the top 15 spots for individual cable news broadcasts during the week, with The Five taking first place at 5 p.m. ET with 2.74 million total viewers and 248,000 demo viewers, according to adweek.com.

MS NOW placed three programs on the total viewer chart: The Briefing with Jen Psaki at No. 13 with 1.242 million viewers, Deadline: White House at No. 14 with 1.217 million, and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell at No. 15 with 1.204 million.

Year-over-year comparisons highlighted deeper shifts across the industry. When measured against the same week in 2025, Fox News saw primetime total viewers fall 23% and demo viewers drop 20%, with total day declines reaching 24% and 25%. Conversely, MS NOW posted a 30% jump in primetime total viewers and a 100% surge in the demo compared to the same period a year prior, while CNN grew 40% in primetime total viewers and 85% in the demo.