Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Fox News lost more than a quarter of its overall audience in October, new data shows. However, the network remains the most-watched news source on cable, well ahead of rivals CNN and MS NOW.
Fox News is on track to post the lowest-rated month in total day viewers since December 2023 for October 2026, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen first reported by Status. FNC averaged 1.1 million viewers for the month, a 27% drop, and 98,000 viewers, a 32% drop, in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic.
The drop in ratings comes at a time when TV viewership overall continues to decline; but Fox News is losing viewers by double digits, with CNN and MS NOW showing slight gains in recent months. Like Diversity Fox News reportedly attracts a larger live audience on many nights than one or more broadcast TV networks. But viewership has been steadily declining: Fox News saw a 16% decline in total daily viewers in the third quarter of 2026, and a 24% decline in the 25-54 demo. Both CNN and MS NOW saw small increases in overall audience in the third quarter.
Fox News averaged 2 million total viewers in prime time in October (down 28% year over year), while viewers in the 25-54 demo fell 36% to 183,000, according to Nielsen data. “Fox & Friends” had its second straight month below 1 million overall and under 100,000 in the key demo; October represented the lowest overall viewership since July 2015 (and the lowest among the 25-54 demographic since June 2001).
Meanwhile, progressive rival MS NOW’s daytime audience in October rose 16% to 588,000 viewers, and CNN’s audience rose 3% to 402,000 viewers in the same time period, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen.
Diversity He has reached out to Fox News for comment.
Some observers detect a worrying sign in Fox News’ ratings decline that conservatives are losing interest at faster rates than CNN or MS NOW, as the battle for control of the Senate and House of Representatives is up for grabs next week, on Election Day on November 3.
President Donald Trump, whose feelings about Fox News have historically been both hot and cold, recently complained that the network did not support Republicans strongly enough.
“Fox spends more time defending Dumocrats and pitching their views against their Republican opponents than at any other time in FoxNews History,” Trump wrote in an Oct. 19 post on Truth Social. “This is ridiculous! FoxNews is trying too hard to be Politically Correct!”