Fox News Leads Cable’s Weekly Ratings Charts

Fox News Channel was the top choice for cable viewers in primetime last week, according to Nielsen.

Fox News drew 2.6 million viewers during the week of Feb. 5-11, besting MSNBC’s 1.7 million viewers, said Nielsen. ESPN, HGTV and History rounded out the top five most watched cable networks in primetime.

Fox News also topped cable’s ratings charts on a 24-hour basis, followed by Nickelodeon, MSNBC, HGTV and Investigation Discovery.

Fox News was bolstered by the performances of its primetime shows Hannity and Tucker Carlson Tonight, which combined generated eight of the top 10 most watched shows for the week. NBCSN’s Feb. 10 Winter Olympics coverage topped all shows for the week, averaging 4.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.