42 million tune into election night coverage

• News networks had warned viewers for weeks that results may be delayed like they were in 2020. But it became clear shortly after 11pm ET on Tuesday, when the Associated Press called North Carolina for Trump, that the former president had significant momentum.

By the numbers: Fox News Channel, which typically dominates viewership for political events, drew 9.8 million viewers between 8pm ET and 11am ET, followed by ABC (5.7 million), NBC (5.3 million), CNN (4.7 million), CBS (3.5 million), Fox (2.1 million), Fox Business Network (710,000) and NewsNation (257,000).

• For the first time in cable news history, MSNBC topped CNN in election night viewership. CNN's programming has shifted more towards the center over the last four years, becoming less of a respite for liberal voters.
• NewsNation, an upstart cable network that launched in 2021, was the first cable news network to call the election at 1:21am Wednesday, followed by Fox News shortly thereafter at 1:46am.
• The rest of the major cable and broadcast news networks called the race for Trump a few hours later early Wednesday, alongside the Associated Press.

Between the lines: For most political news events, such as debates and town halls, the vast majority of live television viewers are over the age of 55. But a whopping 43% of Tuesday night's contest was watched live by people under 55, demonstrating the power of elections in bringing Americans together.

The big picture: Television viewership for most major political and news events has fallen significantly over the past few years, thanks to cord-cutting and the rise of social media as a news source.

• Nielsen ratings don't capture viewership on streaming services or social media, where eyeballs likely shifted.