MS NOW & CNN Ratings Take Huge Swings, Plus How’s Fox News Doing?

Martin HolmesFri, August 28, 2026 at 2:43 PM UTC

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Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity - CNN YouTube; MS NOW YouTube; Fox News YouTube

The cable news ratings for the week of August 17 are in, and it was bad news across the board, with MS NOW and CNN falling double digits week over week in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic.

According to AdWeek, citing Nielsen big data + panel for the week of August 17, MS NOW averaged 851,000 total viewers and 66,000 demo viewers in primetime. This was down 8 percent in total viewers and down 22 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

In total day, the network averaged 572,000 total viewers and 48,000 demo viewers. This was down 2 percent in total viewers and down 16 percent in the key demo compared to the week prior.

MS NOW received better news when compared to the same period last year, with a 6 percent increase in total viewers in primetime and a 12 percent increase in total viewers in total day. However, it dropped 15 percent in the primetime demo, though it rose 7 percent in the daytime demo.

CNN averaged 584,000 total primetime viewers and 105,000 demo viewers for the week of August 17. This was down 6 percent in total viewers and down 9 percent in the demo compared to the week before.

Across total day, the network averaged 405,000 total viewers and 60,000 viewers in the demo. This was down 9 percent in total viewers and down 12 percent in the demo compared to last week.

Year-over-year numbers were brighter, with CNN up 32 percent in total viewers and 42 percent in the demo in primetime. The network also rose in total day, increasing by 18 percent in total viewers and 13 percent in the key demo.

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Meanwhile, Fox News continued to dominate its competition, though its numbers were also down week over week. For the week of August 17, the network averaged 2.009 million total viewers and 178,000 demo viewers in primetime. This was down 3 percent in total viewers and down 5 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.

In total day, Fox News averaged 1.287 million total viewers and 113,000 demo viewers. This was down 3 percent in total viewers and down 6 percent in the demo compared to the week prior.

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Compared to the same period last year, Fox News was down in the double digits across the board. The network dropped 17 percent in total viewers and 29 percent in the demo in primetime. During total day, it was down 16 percent in total viewers and down 34 percent in the demo.

Despite the declines, Fox News still held 14 of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week. Once again, The Five claimed the top spot with 3.184 million total viewers at 5 pm ET. The only non-Fox News show in the total viewers Top 15 was MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, with 1.114 million total viewers.

The Five also held the No. 1 spot in the 25-54 demo, averaging 168,000 viewers. The two non-Fox News shows in the Top 15 included CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip (93,000 viewers) and CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (75,000 viewers).

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”