FOX News Channel Post-Election Performance Sets New Records and Beats Every Network With Nearly 8 Million Viewers During Harris Concession Speech

November 07, 2024 at 17:32 PM EST

“Special Report” with Bret Baier Sweeps “CBS Evening News” with Viewers and A25-54

“FOX News Democracy 24” and “The Five” Place as Top Two Programs in All of TV

FOX News Channel’s (FNC) special coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech was number one in television yesterday, delivering 7.9 million viewers and 1.4 million in the 25-54 demo, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the FOX News Democracy 24 special coverage from 4:15-4:45 PM/ET set a record for post-election coverage and commanded 64% of the cable news audience. Comparatively CNN averaged 2.2 million viewers and 555,000 in the 25-54 demo and MSNBC saw 2.3 million viewers and 353,000 in the 25-54 demo. According to early Nielsen numbers, ABC nabbed 2.4 million viewers and 544,000 in the 25-54 demo and CBS took 1.8 million viewers and 362,000 in the 25-54 demo during the same timeframe.

Notably, Special Report with Bret Baier (6 PM/ET) averaged 5.1 million viewers and 928,000 in the 25-54 demo, besting CBS Evening News which saw 4.3 million viewers and 750,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Five commanded 7.2 million viewers and 1.2 million in the 25-54 demo, making it the second highest rated show on television yesterday behind FOX News Democracy 24.

FNC also reigned supreme in primetime nabbing 5.1 million viewers crushing CNN (749,000 P2+) and MSNBC (1 million P2+). During total day FNC nabbed 4 million viewers beating CNN (830,000 P2+) and MSNBC (1.1 million P2+) combined.

During the 2024 election cycle, FNC was the most watched cable news network in every swing state, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, per Nielsen MRI Fusion, more Independents and Democrats continued to tune in to FNC over any other network and the network was also number one among Hispanic and Asian viewers. A recent YouGov study found more Independents get their news from FOX News than from any of the competition.

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service and has been the number one network in basic cable for the last eight years and the most-watched television news channel for more than 22 consecutive years, currently attracting nearly 50% of the cable news viewing audience according to Nielsen Media Research. Notably, Nielsen/MRI Fusion has consistently shown FNC to be the network of choice for more Democrat and Independent viewers, with the most politically diverse audience in cable news. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that more Americans named FNC as their main source for political news than any other network while a 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll found FNC as the leading single source of news for voters across the country. Owned by Fox Corporation, FNC is available in nearly 70 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top 10 programs in the genre.