From Adweek · Mark Mwachiro · · 1m 40s
Cable News Ratings for October 2026
MS NOW and CNN lead cable news ratings as Fox News declines.
In brief
MS NOW and CNN lead cable news ratings as Fox News declines. MS NOW topped CNN in Adults 25-54 viewers for the first time in 14 years during October 2026, while Fox News saw year-over-year declines in both total viewers and the demo. Originally reported by Adweek.
MS NOW Tops CNN in Adults 25-54
MS NOW made history by surpassing CNN in the Adults 25-54 demo during weekend live programming for the first time in 14 years since November 2012.
“MS NOW had 50,000 vs. CNN’s 48,000 demo viewers”
MS NOW Gains Viewership
MS NOW increased total viewers by 10% and Adults 25-54 demo viewers by 20% in primetime compared to September 2026.
Fox News Declines
Fox News reported a 2% drop in total viewers and 7% decline in Adults 25-54 demo viewers during primetime compared to September 2026.
Year-Over-Year Decline
Fox News saw a 28% drop in total viewers and 36% decline in Adults 25-54 demo viewers year-over-year in October 2026.
CNN Gains Viewership
CNN grew by 11% in total viewers and 19% in Adults 25-54 demo viewers during primetime compared to September 2026.
Fox News Performance
Fox News finished October in second place among total viewers and fourth in the Adults 25-54 demo during primetime, while leading in total viewers during total day.
MS NOW Performance
MS NOW ranked second among news networks in total viewers with 925,000 and 588,000 viewers during total day in October 2026.
CNN Performance
CNN finished sixth in primetime and fifth in total day among all cable networks in total viewers with 598,000 and 402,000 viewers in October 2026.
What to remember
MS NOW topped CNN in Adults 25-54 viewers for the first time in 14 years during October 2026, while Fox News saw year-over-year declines in both total viewers and the demo.
