Fox News Channel’s "The Five" was the most-watched program in cable news during the second quarter of 2023, continuing unprecedented success for the ensemble program featuring co-hosts Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino and Jeanine Pirro.
"The Five" averaged 2.8 million total viewers to finish as the most-watched show for the seventh-straight quarter despite airing at 5 p.m. ET, which is well before the primetime hours that have historically dominated cable news. "The Five" is now the first non-primetime program to finish No. 1 among cable news for seven consecutive quarters in history.
"The Five" also finished atop the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, averaging 299,000 demo viewers to outdraw everything CNN or MSNBC had to offer regardless of timeslot.
While "The Five" averaged 2.8 million total viewers, CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper" managed an average audience of only 676,000 during the quarter despite airing in the same timeslot.
Fox News Channel beat CNN and MSNBC among both total day and primetime viewers in all categories for the ninth-consecutive quarter. Fox News has dominated among primetime cable news viewers for a staggering 86-straight quarters.
Along the way, Fox News was home to the top seven programs in cable news among total viewers and the top eight among the demo.
"Jesse Watters Primetime" finished as the second highest-rated cable news program with 2.3 million average total viewers. "Hannity," "Special Report with Bret Baier" and "The Ingraham Angle" joined "The Five" and "Watters" among the top five as Laura Ingraham remained the most-watched female cable news host.
"FOX & Friends," "America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino," "The Faulkner Focus," "Outnumbered," "America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith," Martha MacCallum’s "The Story" and "Your World with Neil Cavuto" were among the other popular programs that helped Fox News dominate the quarter.
FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced Monday that a new primetime lineup will begin on July 17. "The Ingraham Angle" will kick things off at 7 p.m. ET, followed by "Jesse Watters Primetime" shifting to 8 p.m. ET. "Hannity" will remain at 9 p.m. ET and "Gutfeld!" will begin at 10 p.m. ET.
"FOX News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years and we are thrilled to debut a new lineup. The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class team for years to come," Scott announced.
Watters and Gutfeld will continue to co-host the record-shattering "The Five" in addition to their primetime roles.
All data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
