Cable News Ratings See Dramatic Swings in January 2026

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The start of 2026 has seen major shifts in cable news viewership, with MS NOW and CNN experiencing substantial year-over-year increases in both primetime and total day ratings, while Fox News saw notable declines in both total viewers and the key 25-54 demographic compared to January 2025. The news-heavy month, which included events like the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and fatal shootings by ICE agents, boosted MS NOW and CNN but Fox News remained the most-watched cable news network overall.

Why it matters

The dramatic swings in cable news ratings reflect the impact of major news events on viewer engagement and the ongoing competition between the top cable news networks. These ratings shifts could influence advertising revenue, programming decisions, and the broader landscape of cable news.

The details

In primetime, MS NOW averaged 887,000 total viewers, up 20% from the same period last year, and 76,000 viewers in the key 25-54 demo, up 21%. CNN saw similar gains, averaging 660,000 total primetime viewers, up 26%, and 135,000 demo viewers, up 14%. However, Fox News remained the ratings leader, averaging 2.05 million primetime viewers and 197,000 in the demo, though it was down 26% and 14% respectively compared to 2025. The trends were similar in total day, with MS NOW up 16% in total viewers and 22% in the demo, and CNN up 21% and 20%, while Fox News declined 24% in total viewers and 43% in the demo.

• January 2026 saw several major news events, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Trump's ongoing pursuit of Greenland, and the fatal shootings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
• In January 2025, the Trump inauguration gave Fox News a big ratings boost while its rivals fell.