Fox News has closed out 2025 with a performance that has captured the attention of the entire television industry, delivering what it says is the highest-rated non-election year in its history. At a time when many rival networks struggled to maintain viewership and relevance, Fox News not only held its audience but expanded it, outperforming competitors across cable and even surpassing major broadcast networks. The newly released ratings figures paint a picture that runs counter to early expectations for a non-election cycle and highlight a level of dominance that goes far beyond simple ratings wins.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the Fox Corp–owned network averaged 3.2 million viewers in weekday primetime throughout 2025. That figure was enough to edge out NBC’s broadcast primetime average of 3.1 million viewers, a notable achievement for a cable channel competing directly with over-the-air networks. The milestone marked Fox News’ second-best year overall since its launch and extended its streak as the most-watched network in all of cable to ten consecutive years.

Fox News Channel also recorded its highest-rated non-election year ever, further widening the gap between itself and its cable news rivals. In 2025, the network commanded 64% of the total cable news audience in both primetime and total day, the largest share it has held since its founding in 1996. Overall, Fox News averaged 2.7 million viewers in primetime, representing a 14% increase compared with 2024, while its total-day average climbed to 1.7 million viewers, an 18% year-over-year jump.

Perhaps most striking is that Fox News was the fastest-growing major network on television during the year. While Fox News added viewers, every other major cable news outlet experienced declines. In contrast, CNN and MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, recorded some of their weakest performances ever, particularly within the advertiser-coveted 25–54 age demographic.

CNN’s average primetime audience in that demographic fell to just 105,000 viewers, the lowest figure in the network’s history. Its total-day demo viewership dropped even further, averaging only 71,000 viewers. MS NOW fared similarly poorly, posting its worst year ever in the demo with an average of 81,000 viewers in primetime and 49,000 across the total day. Overall, MS NOW averaged 552,000 total-day viewers, marking its weakest performance since 2015.

 

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott described the results as validation of the network’s long-term strategy. She emphasized that Fox News not only outpaced cable rivals but also outperformed broadcast networks, while simultaneously reaching new highs across digital platforms. Scott said the results demonstrated the strength of the Fox News brand and its ability to meet audiences where they are, whether on traditional television or online. She also praised the network’s on-air and off-camera teams, crediting their journalism, global newsgathering, and distinctive voices for continuing to connect with viewers nationwide.

The network’s success extended well beyond linear cable television. In 2025, Fox News posted its best year ever on YouTube, amassing 4.3 billion video views. That represented a 57% increase compared with 2024 and easily outpaced MS NOW, CNN, NBC News, ABC News, and CBS News on the platform. This digital growth further reinforced Fox News’ ability to expand its reach even as traditional television audiences fragment.

On linear television, Fox News dominated programming charts throughout the year. The network delivered the top 1,080 cable news telecasts of 2025 and occupied the top 12 cable news programs in total viewers. Leading the pack was “The Five,” which averaged 4.1 million viewers, marking its best year since launching. It was the fourth consecutive year that “The Five” finished as the most-watched show in cable news, and it even outperformed several broadcast entertainment programs, including CBS’ “The Neighborhood” and ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Other Fox News programs also recorded strong growth. “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Hannity,” “Gutfeld!,” “Special Report with Bret Baier,” “The Ingraham Angle,” and “The Will Cain Show” all posted double-digit year-over-year increases in viewership. Late-night standout “Gutfeld!” continued its reign as the most-watched program in its genre, averaging 3.1 million viewers overall and 362,000 among adults aged 25–54. Notably, it was the only late-night show to grow year over year while broadcast competitors struggled.

In primetime, Laura Ingraham finished 2025 as the highest-rated woman in cable news. Jesse Watters delivered his strongest year yet in the 8 p.m. slot, while Sean Hannity once again dominated the 9 p.m. hour. Fox News’ strength was not confined to primetime, however. Across the entire day, the network consistently outperformed its rivals.

At 6 p.m., “Special Report with Bret Baier” averaged more than 3.1 million viewers and even beat the “CBS Evening News” head-to-head on 11 occasions during the year. In the mornings, “Fox & Friends” maintained its long-standing dominance, finishing as the highest-rated morning cable news show for the 25th consecutive year.

Fox News’ daytime lineup from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. also delivered its best year ever. Programs such as “America’s Newsroom,” “The Faulkner Focus,” “Outnumbered,” and “America Reports” routinely outpaced broadcast competition, underscoring the network’s strength throughout the entire broadcast day.

Rival networks responded by highlighting their own areas of success. A CBS spokesperson pointed to a recent ratings release showing year-over-year growth during premiere week episodes in October. According to CBS, it led the competition in Nielsen live-plus-35-day multiplatform viewing, placing eight of the top ten broadcast series and eleven of the top twenty overall. The network said nine of its shows topped ten million viewers, led by “Tracker” with 17.3 million, representing a 6% year-over-year increase. New series such as “Boston Blue,” “Sheriff Country,” and “DMV” were cited as the top three new launches.

MS NOW also issued a statement noting that its 2025 primetime audience was up 74% compared with 2015 and 218% compared with 2005. The network said it posted double-digit gains following its rebrand and pointed to rare wins over Fox News and CNN on Election Night and in recent demographic head-to-heads. It also emphasized strong digital growth, citing 7.6 billion combined YouTube and TikTok views and 134 million podcast downloads year to date, based on data from Nielsen and Simplecast.

As of publication, CNN, ABC, and NBC had not responded to requests for comment. Even so, the numbers from 2025 make clear that Fox News’ dominance was not limited to a single metric or time slot. Instead, the network delivered a comprehensive performance across cable, broadcast competition, and digital platforms, turning what could have been a quieter non-election year into one of the most successful chapters in its history.