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Fox News' Sean Hannity. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon
Fox News averaged 2.5 million viewers per night in 2019, a 23-year high that made it the most viewed channel on basic cable, The Hill reports.
Our thought bubble, via Axios’ Sara Fischer: The network's record viewership comes as Americans' news consumption has become increasingly polarized — and as the left-leaning cable news audience likely split its time between rivals CNN and MSNBC.
The big picture, according to Nielsen Media Research data: ESPN was the second-most popular prime time cable channel with 1.78 million viewers. MSNBC came in third with an average of 1.75 million viewers, while CNN was 22nd, averaging 972,000 viewers.
By the numbers ... The top five most viewed cable news shows:
- Fox News' "Hannity": 3.3 million
- Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight": 3.1 million
- MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show": 2.78 million
- Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle": 2.57 million
- Fox News' "The Five": 2.55 million
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