Week of January 6 Cable News Ratings: Fox News, MSNBC Big Winners in Busy News Cycle

These are TVNewser’s basic cable network rankings and cable news reporting for the week of January 6, 2025.

So far, January has proven to be a busy month when it comes to news, especially outside of the political arena. The first full week of 2025 inclusive former president Jimmy Carterstate funeral and the Tragic wildfires in Los Angeles. Both news events captivated the country and drove viewers to news networks including Fox News and MSNBC, which saw double-digit growth last week.

As for CNN, despite the network’s extensive coverage of wildfires, including the presence of star anchors, Anderson Cooper And Erin Burnett in the Southern California region, saw only all-day growth among total viewers.

The network, known primarily for its reliability during current events, saw its total viewership decline during prime time, both in terms of viewers and demo. But on the positive side, CNN finished in second place ahead of MSNBC among A25-54 viewers in both time slots.

NETWORKS:

Nielsen live and same-day data for the week of January 6 saw FNC average 2.546 million total viewers and 303,000 A25-54 viewers in primetime. The network is up +47% in the first category and +53% in the second compared to the previous week.

Fox News averaged 1.797 million total viewers and 227,000 A25-54 viewers during a total viewing day. This translates to gains of +34% and +33%, respectively.

Among all basic cable networks, Fox News finished in second place in total prime-time viewers and moved up one spot from third to second place in the demo. During the total day, it reclaimed its top position among total viewers and finished in second place in the demo.

MSNBC’s primetime lineup averaged 721,000 total viewers and 55,000 A25-54 viewers for respective gains of +62% and +45% in the demo from the previous week.

During the total day, MSNBC averaged 540,000 total viewers and 41,000 A25-54 viewers. This translates into weekly gains of +38% in the first category and +11% in the second compared to the previous week.

Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC fell from eighth to third place in total primetime viewers and moved from No. 37 to No. 31 in the primetime demo. During the total day, the network fell from fifth to third in total viewers and moved from No. 30 to No. 27 in the total day demo.

CNN averaged 501,000 total viewers and 110,000 A25-54 viewers in prime time, for respective declines of -3% and -13% compared to the previous week.

During the total day, the network saw 455,000 total viewers and 80,000 A25-54 viewers. It’s a mixed bag in terms of performance, as CNN grew +15% in the first category, but fell -1% in the second.

In the basic cable ratings, CNN is tied with TLC for seventh place among total primetime viewers and fell from eighth to 12th place in the primetime demo. Throughout the day, CNN remained the No. 4 network in total viewers and finished sixth in the demo.

When we look at the performance of these networks at the same time a year ago (the week of January 8):

In prime time, Fox News grew +27% in total viewership and +40% in the A25-54 demo. During the total day, the channel saw gains of +43% in total viewers and +51% in the demo. MSNBC was down -39% in total viewers and -51% in the demo. During the total day, the network saw a -35% decline in total viewers and a -49% decline in the demo. In prime time, CNN fell -31% in total viewership and -23% in demo. During the total day, CNN saw a -11% decline in total viewership and a -14% decline in the demo.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News won 14 of the week’s 15 most-watched cable news shows, with The Five (4.261 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET) remaining in the lead. MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow The show (1.621 million viewers at 9 p.m. ET) finished in 14th place.

The Five (437,000 viewers at 5 p.m. ET) was also the top show in the Adults 25-54 demo, with Fox News taking 14 of the top 15 spots. Anderson Cooper 360 (142,000 viewers at 8 p.m. ET) won last place.

Prime time

Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total number of viewers: 2,546,000 721,000 501,000 • A25-54: 303,000 55,000 110,000

Total day

Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total number of viewers: 1,797,000 540,000 455,000 • A25-54: 227,000 41,000 80,000

Cable rankings of the week 1-6-25 by Advertising week on Scribd