Fox News to end 2017 as most-watched network on cable

Fox News was the most-watched cable television network in 2017, its second consecutive year leading total viewership among cable networks.

Fox News averaged 2.4 million prime-time viewers and 1.5 million viewers during the day, Deadline reported, using Nielsen ratings information. The network beat out Nickelodeon and MSNBC, which rounded out the top three in total viewership.

Fox News’s prime-time viewership was on par with its 2016 numbers, but its daytime audience grew slightly.

{mosads}The network’s 2017 ratings come even as prime-time hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly departed earlier in the year. Kelly left for a new role with NBC News, while O’Reilly left the network in April amid sexual harassment complaints against him.

The network’s prime-time hosts now include Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

“Hannity” averaged 3.2 million viewers each night, making it the highest-rated cable news show of the year.

While President Trump has frequently labeled mainstream media outlets as “fake news,” he has often praised Fox News. In November, he tweeted that the network is “MUCH more important in the United States than CNN.”

CNN ranked No. 5 among basic cable networks in terms of daytime viewership with about 783,000 viewers on average, and ranked No. 10 in prime time, with an average viewership of just over 1 million. CNN is a frequent target of the president’s criticism.