Fox News Channel Dominates Weekly Cable Ratings Charts

Fox News Channel was the most watched cable network last week as its Impeachment coverage helped the network generate strong ratings both in primetime and total day.

Fox News -- bolstered by record performances by series Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle, averaged 3.3 million viewers in primetime during the week of Jan. 27 through Feb. 2, according to Nielsen. MSNBC was a distant second with 1.5 million, followed by ESPN with 1.2 million viewers.

HGTV finished fourth with 1.1 million viewers and CNN rounded out the top five with 1 million viewers.

On the total day front, Fox News --bolstered by its coverage of Donald Trump's Impeachment trial -- generated its best week since January 2017, averaging 2 million viewers and easily outdistancing MSNBC, CNN, HGTV and ESPN, 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.