ADWEEK; Fox, MS NOW, CNN By Mark Mwachiro --> This is TVNewser’s basic cable network ranker and cable news report for the week of Aug. 24, 2026.
MS NOW reported week-to-week gains in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo during prime time and total day. The network should be especially pleased with its primetime performance, as it was up by double digits in both measured categories.
Meanwhile, Fox News, which led all networks, was down in the primetime demo and in total viewers and the demo during total day. As for CNN, it shed total viewers during total day.
According to Nielsen big data + panel for the week of Aug. 24, Fox News averaged 2.027 million total viewers and 169,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up by +1% in total viewers but had a -5% slide in the demo compared to the week prior ( the week beginning August 17 ).
During total day viewing, Fox News averaged 1.257 million total viewers and 104,000 A25-54 viewers. Based on its average from the previous week’s measurements, the network declined by -2% in total viewers and -8% in the demo.
Fox News continued to rank first in total primetime viewership and dropped from third to fourth place in demo viewership among all basic cable networks. During total day, it also finished first in total viewers and was No. 2 in the total day demo.
MS NOW averaged 937,000 total viewers and 80,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for the week that just concluded. The network grew by +10% in total viewers and +21% in the demo compared to its primetime average the prior week.
During total day, MS NOW averaged 596,000 total viewers and 56,000 demo viewers. It was up +4% in total viewers and +17% in the demo compared to the network’s average the week prior.
Among all basic cable networks, MS NOW moved from third to second place in total primetime viewers and was 15th in the demo. It also ranked third in total viewers and climbed one spot to 11th in the total day demo.
CNN averaged 611,000 total primetime viewers and 113,000 demo viewers. It gained +5% in total viewers and +8% in the demo compared to the previous week.
During total day, the network had 400,000 total viewers and 61,000 viewers in the demo. CNN was down by -1% in total viewers but grew by +2% in the demo during this daypart.
Among all cable networks, CNN finished sixth in total viewers and dropped to 11th from 10th in the demo during primetime. It remained at No. 4 in total day among total viewers and was No. 9 in the demo.
When looking at these networks’ performance during the same period a year ago :
Fox News had 13 out of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week, with The Five leading the way with 3.262 million total viewers at 5 p.m. ET. MS NOW was represented in the chart by The Rachel Maddow Show, airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET, with 1.868 million total viewers at No. 7, and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell , airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, with 1.235 million total viewers at No. 14.
The Five was No. 1 in the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 295,000 viewers. Fox News held 12 of the 15 top spots in the demo, with CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip , airing five nights a week at 10 p.m. ET, finishing with 171,000 viewers for the No. 6 position, and The Source with Kaitlan Collins , airing weeknights at 9 p.m. ET, with 123,000 demo viewers in ninth place. The Rachel Maddow Show represented for MS NOW, coming in 15th place with 114,000 demo viewers.
August 24…