Fox News tops July cable ratings

Fox News carried several of the most-watched cable news programs in July after revamping its prime-time lineup of opinion hosts ahead of the 2024 GOP primary and general elections.

The network was home to the top five programs in total viewers during the month, according to Nielsen Media Research data, with popular table talk program “The Five” earning the top spot across all of cable with an average of 2.5 million viewers.

Pundit Jesse Watters, who took over for former host Tucker Carlson at 8 p.m. on July 17, saw his new solo show rank as the second most-watched program on cable news, delivering an average of 2.4 million viewers, including 197,000 in the key age advertising demographic.

MSNBC notched July victories in prime time over CNN in the key age demographic and total viewers, averaging 1.1 million to CNN’s 534,000.

NewsNation, a cable news network launched in 2021 by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill, celebrated a win of its own over CNN over the weekend, with its prime-time special on UFOs that aired Sunday out-rating a CNN film about the history of Black television in the key age demographic, earning 39,000 viewers to CNN’s 32,000.

Each of the cable networks spent July covering former President Trump’s ongoing legal fights, a spate of intense summer weather across the country and an intensifying 2024 GOP primary.