We’re living in a new era of news, which sees many viewers opting for content from sources that aren’t necessarily cable news networks. One of the side effects of this is that ratings for cable TV news have seen a decline compared to those of the election year. However, some entertainment entities are managing to remain afloat. Fox News, for instance, is not only surviving but seemingly thriving, as the network has as few things to celebrate as it heads into September.
In the midst of dwindling cable television viewership numbers, Fox News managed to become the top-rated cable network during August of 2021. Deadline reports that the network garnered 2.47 million viewers in the primetime arena while, in the total day category, it averaged a total of 1.42 million viewers. The network is also edging out competitors CNN and MSNBC in the 25-54 demographic, holding an average of 394,000 viewers.
Additionally, Fox News currently houses the top five cable news shows in Tucker Carlson Tonight (3.3 million), The Five (3.11 million), Hannity (3 million), The Ingraham Angle (2.39 million) and Special Report with Bret Baier (2.19 million). New show Gutfeld! has also averaged 1.7 million viewers, with 312,000 of those views coming from the 25-54 demographic. With this, the show managed to maintain its dominance in the 11 p.m. hour.
It should be noted that many of Fox News’ viewership numbers do stil represent declines compared to the numbers from August 2020. But as the trade points out, this was to be expected, considering the network’s immense coverage of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election at the time. And of course, the political conventions should also be taken into account.
As a whole, 2021 has been relatively fruitful for Fox News. Shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight have managed to bring in significant ratings at other points within the past year. Interestingly enough, the network has had a few talent changes behind the scenes. Fox & Friends said goodbye to Jedediah Bila, while The Five also lost a TV vet. Nevertheless, it would appear that viewers haven’t been deterred by any creative changes.
These recent numbers mark a bit of good news for the cable news network, which recently experienced a scare. Last month, an entire floor at Fox News’ New York office had to be evacuated after one of the hosts apparently received a small package containing a white powdery substance. Thankfully, it was found to be non-hazardous, and employees were eventually given the green light to return to the building.
As the year goes on, it’ll be interesting to see how Fox News continues to fare in the ratings. We’ll also be checking to see if cable news in general manages to rebound.
