As the year draws to a close, Fox News Channel once again dominated its cable news competition—and challenged broadcast networks for ratings supremacy.
Leading the way, Fox News’ popular 5 p.m. show, “The Five,” claimed the top spot for the fourth consecutive year. “The Five” averaged 4.1 million viewers in 2025. This year marked the show’s best performance since its 2011 launch.
The show features hosts Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, Jessica Tarlov, and Harold Ford Jr., along with rotating guests, who discuss the day’s top news stories. Not only did “The Five” trounce other cable news shows, but it also beat broadcast programs like CBS’ “Hollywood Squares” and “The Neighborhood” and ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”
Overall, Fox News delivered its highest ratings in a non-election year in the channel’s history. It marked the network’s second-best year ever with an average of 3.2 million weekday primetime viewers—beating NBC and rivaling ABC and CBS, even though those networks are more widely available.
Throughout the week, average primetime viewership on Fox News reached 2,718,000 viewers, a 14% increase from 2024, according to according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.
MS Now dropped 25% in 2025, reaching an average of 923,000 primetime viewers. CNN finished down 15% and averaged 580,000 viewers.
The decline of its cable news rivals gave Fox News a commanding 64% of the cable news audience in primetime and across the day—its highest audience since since its launch in 1996.
Fox News not only dominated on TV but also expanded its reach on YouTube, garnering 4.3 billion views across the platform. These numbers also outpaced MS Now, CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS, according to Emplifi.
“Delivering another record-breaking year, outpacing broadcast networks, and reaching new highs on YouTube is a testament to the strength of our brand and our ability to meet the audience where they are,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said.
“I am incredibly proud of our unrivaled team on and off camera, whose journalism, global newsgathering skills and powerful voices continue to set the standard in news and connect with Americans nationwide,” Scott added.
The top 1,080 cable news telecasts in 2025 were aired by Fox News. The network also produced the top 12 most-viewed cable news programs:
- “The Five”
- “Jesse Watters Primetime”
- “Hannity”
- “Special Report with Bret Baier”
- “Gutfeld!”
- “The Ingraham Angle”
- “The Will Cain Show”
- “Outnumbered”
- “The Faulkner Focus”
- “America’s Newsroom”
- “The Story with Martha MacCallum”
- “America Reports”
Each of the 12 shows had double-digit year-over-year growth with viewers.
Fox News also has the most politically diverse audience in cable news, serving as the choice for more Democrat and independent viewers than its competition, according to Nielsen/MRI Fusion.
