Fox News top rated cable network in second quarter of 2022

Fox News was the most-watched cable news network during the second quarter of 2022, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Fox, which typically pulls an audience that dwarfs its competition, outpaced CNN and MSNBC combined in total day and prime time total viewers, including those within the 25-54 and 18-49 age demographic for the month of June.

Netting an average of 1.5 million viewers in total day, Fox earned 2.3 million viewers in prime time, on average. CNN averaged 670,000 total viewers in prime time, down 27 percent from second quarter of last year. MSNBC earned 1.1 million in total viewers, down 23 percent from the same period last year.

Fox’s “The Five” was the top-rated program across cable news during the second quarter of this year, earning 3.1 million viewers on average, with Tucker Carlson’s weeknight prime-time program coming in second place with just over 3 million.

Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox’s straight newscast, earned only 2.3 million viewers on average.

Fox took heat from critics this week for not airing live continuous coverage of the first hearing of the House select committee investigating the attack on U.S. Capitol on its main cable channel.

The network did air the proceeding on Fox Business Network that night and on its various streaming platforms and has aired each of the subsequent hearings, which have all taken place during the day, on Fox News Channel.