Dec 30, 2019 - Economy & Business

Fox News hits record 2.5 million nightly viewers in 2019

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:

  1. Fox News' "Hannity": 3.3 million
  2. Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight": 3.1 million
  3. MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show": 2.78 million
  4. Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle": 2.57 million
  5. Fox News' "The Five": 2.55 million

Go deeper:

Go deeper

Ashley Gold, Kyle Daly
1 hour ago - Technology

Justice Department sues Google over alleged search monopoly

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The Justice Department and 11 states Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of using anticompetitive tactics to illegally monopolize the online search and search advertising markets.

Why it matters: The long-awaited suit is Washington's first major blow against the tech giants that many on both the right and left argue have grown too large and powerful. Still, this is just step one in what could be a lengthy and messy court battle.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Americans feel Trump's sickness makes him harder to trust — Florida breaks record for in-person early voting.
  2. Health: The next wave is gaining steam.
  3. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots.
  4. World: Ireland moving back into lockdown — Argentina becomes 5th country to report 5 million infections.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Florida breaks record for in-person early voting

Voters wait in line at John F. Kennedy Public Library in Hialeah, Florida on Oct. 19. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

More Floridians cast early ballots for the 2020 election on Monday than in the first day of in-person early voting in 2016, shattering the previous record by over 50,000 votes, Politico reports.

The big picture: Voters have already cast over 31 million ballots in early voting states as of Tuesday, per the U.S. Elections Project database by Michael McDonald, an elections expert at the University of Florida.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow