A Deeper Dive Into Election Night 2024 Ratings: Fox News Leads All Networks

Election Night ratings are in and Fox News was viewers' network of choice on Tuesday. FNC attracted 10.3 million total viewers and 3.1 million viewers in the advertiser-rich Adults 25-54 demo during the 8-11 p.m. hours (All times Eastern). But it's worth noting that the 2024 presidential election wasn't a particularly big ratings driver overall. The major broadcast and cable networks all suffered viewership declines compared to the 2020 and 2016 elections. According to Nielsen Media Research, 42.3 million total viewers tuned in between 7-11 p.m. on Tuesday. That's a 25% decline from 2020's 56.9 million total viewers, and a steep -41% decline from 2016's 71.43 million total viewers. The big three cable networks also saw viewership declines during the 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. window compared to previous elections. Calls from the battleground states that tilted the presidency in Donald Trump’s favor over Kamala Harris started coming in after 11 p.m., culminating with Fox News calling the presidency for Trump during the 1 a.m. hour. FNC averaged 7.4 million total viewers and 2.4 million demo viewers at that time. Peak viewership for Fox News came during the 10 p.m. hour when it hit 10.8 million total viewers and 3.3 million A25-54 viewers. Compared to 2020, Fox News was down -24% in total viewers and -37% in the demo between 8-11 p.m. Between 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. period, the network was down a respective -18% and -33% in those measured categories. Placed alongside 2016, FNC saw declines of -15% in total viewers and -33% in A25-54 viewers from 8-11 p.m. Election Night's biggest loser was CNN, which attracted 5.1 million total viewers and 2.2 million A25-54 viewers during that primetime period. That's a steep -44% decline in total viewers and a -50% fall in the demo compared to 2020. From 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., the network saw 3.8 million total viewers and 1.6 million demo viewers for respective drops of -44% and -52% compared to 2020. Compared to 2016, CNN saw respective drops of -62% and -67% in those measured categories between 8-11 p.m. MSNBC also suffered a viewership drop on Election Night, but made network history by bringing in more viewers than CNN. It was also the second most-watched network during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m., surpassing the broadcast nets. Overall, Election Night was MSNBC's most-watched night of 2024 in the A25-54 demo, and second most-watched in total viewers. Between 8-11 p.m., MSNBC saw 6 million total viewers and 1.8 million demo viewers for respective declines of -18% and -24% versus 2020. Between the 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. window, the network averaged 4.3 million viewers and 1.2 million A25-54 viewers for respective declines of -20% and -31% compared to 2020. Compared to 2016, the network was up +1% in total viewers, but fell by -24% in the demo between 8-11 p.m. Among the broadcast nets, ABC News was the most-watched network on Election Night with 5.9 million total viewers and 2.3 million A25-54 viewers from 8-11 p.m. Compared to 2020, the network was down -3% in total viewers, but saw a modest gain of +1% in the demo—the only broadcast or cable network to see an uptick from four years ago in either category. As for the results of the remaining broadcast networks between 8-11 p.m., NBC News finished the night with 5.5 million total viewers and 2.2 million viewers for respective declines of -5% and -14% compared to 2020. CBS News averaged 3.6 million total viewers and 1.3 million A25-54 viewers for declines of -17% and -22%, respectively. And Fox (8-10 p.m.) saw 2 million total viewers and 872,000 A25-54 viewers for declines of -39% and -46%, respectively. Turning to the Election Night performances of other cable networks during the 8-11 p.m. period: Fox Business Network saw 897,000 total viewers and 418,000 A25-54 viewers between 8-11 p.m. for gains of +39% in total viewers and +117% in the demo versus 2020. Those were the biggest demo numbers in the network's history. CNBC averaged 112,000 total viewers and 51,000 A25-54 viewers, for a decline of -4% in the former category but a +16% gain in the latter compared to 2020. NewsNation averaged 265,000 total viewers and 68,000 demo viewers in its first year as a 24/7 news network. It was also the first network to call the election in favor of Trump. Here is the full Election Night ratings breakdown: 8-11 p.m. Fox News: 10.3 million total viewers; 3.1 million A25-54 CNN: 5.1 million total viewers; 2.2 million A25-54 MSNBC: 6 million total viewers; 1.8 million A25-54 ABC: 5.9 million total viewers; 2.3 million A25-54 NBC: 5.5 million total viewers; 2.2 million A25-54 CBS: 3.6 million total viewers; 1.3 million A25-54 Fox (8-10 p.m.): 2 million total viewers, 872,000 A25-54 FBN: 897,000 total viewers; 418,000 A25-54 Newsmax: 950,000 total viewers; 153,000 A25-54 NewsNation: 265,000 total viewers; 68,000 A25-54 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. FNC: 8.6 million total viewers; 2.6 million A25-54 CNN: 3.8 million total viewers; 1.6 million A25-54 MSNBC: 4.3 million total viewers; 1.2 million A25-54

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A Deeper Dive Into Election Night 2024 Ratings: Fox News Leads All Networks

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