Fox News has been in a downward spiral since the network’s boss Rupert Murdoch fired star anchor Tucker Carlson.
Fox has seen its viewer numbers plummet while Carlson’s new show on Twitter has been an unprecedented smash hit, dwarfing the audience numbers of his former network.
And Fox has just got more bad news as MSNBC just dethroned the network atop the ratings charts for the first time in forever.
A.J. Katz, a reporter specializing in the cable news business, said: “Fox News has been the most-watched cable news network in primetime for 120 straight weeks.
“Interestingly, MSNBC averaged more weekday primetime viewers this past week than Fox (1.83M vs. 1.73M).
“That said, FNC usually dominates weekends.
“Final weekly data arrives tomorrow.
“New: According to Nielsen data, Fox News averaged 1,504,429 primetime viewers last week, while MSNBC averaged 1,520,857 primetime viewers.
“Barring a last-second data reporting change, Fox’s 120-week-long winning streak in primetime appears to be over.”
Fox News has been the most-watched cable news network in primetime for 120 straight weeks.
Interestingly, MSNBC averaged more weekday primetime viewers this past week than Fox (1.83M vs. 1.73M).
That said, FNC usually dominates weekends.
Final weekly data arrives tomorrow.
— A.J. Katz (@ajkatztv) June 12, 2023
New: According to Nielsen data, Fox News averaged 1,504,429 primetime viewers last week, while MSNBC averaged 1,520,857 primetime viewers.
Barring a last-second data reporting change, Fox’s 120 week-long winning streak in primetime appears to be over. https://t.co/Q48BSYuFE7
— A.J. Katz (@ajkatztv) June 13, 2023
According to Newsweek:
The 120-week streak for Fox News is just shy of two years and four months, which puts the last time that the network came up short in average weekly primetime viewership sometime in mid-February 2021.
In a piece from around that time, Adweek reported that MSNBC had seen a surge in viewership over the course of that month, surpassing CNN in average daily viewers.
However, while the month might have marked the last time Fox came second in weekly average viewers, the network still surpassed MSNBC in average monthly primetime viewership.
In its report, Adweek noted that the network’s viewership in February 2021 was lifted by coverage of the second impeachment of Donald Trump, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the first weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency.
It also noted, conversely, that its February viewership was down from the prior month, which saw coverage of the January 6, 2021, Capital riots and their political aftermath.
