Fox News' ratings for primetime slots among key demographics of cable television viewers have declined sharply since the departure of Tucker Carlson, with the latest figures showing rival MSNBC overtaking the conservative juggernaut.
Cable news ratings show that in the two weeks since the host was fired, figures for Carlson's former spot have dropped by around 50 percent, while the network's audience among 25- to 54-year-olds had shrunk by two thirds.
The previously successful news presenter left the network after it settled a defamation case brought against it by Dominion Voting Systems over claims by Trump allies that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, Fox News announced on April 24. In a statement, it said the two parties had "agreed to part ways" and thanked Carlson for "his service to the network."
Carlson has said little about his departure as yet. According to a report by news website Axios on Sunday, his team is "preparing for war." His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the outlet: "The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous."
According to viewing figures produced by Adweek, a trade publication, for the evening of May 5, Carlson's former 8 p.m. ET slot attracted an audience of 90,000, while at the same time MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes was seen by 145,000, among viewers aged 25-54.
In the other primetime slots at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on May 5, Fox News' offering was outpaced in viewership among the key demographic by MSNBC by 44,000 and 31,000 respectively.
By comparison, Carlson's final show on Friday, April 21 attracted more than 2.6 million viewers—270,000 in the 25-54 age bracket—while nearly 1.4 million watched the same slot on MSNBC. His departure was only publicly announced the following Monday.
According to Fortune magazine, his 8 p.m. ET slot averaged just over 3 million viewers across 2022, and was the second most popular program on cable TV.
Viewers aged 25-54 are seen as an important target market for advertisers, making the age group valuable to a network. Representing a wide range of ages, they are seen by marketers as tending to have higher incomes.
Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, a conservative online media outlet, commented on Twitter that Fox News was "suffering a cataclysmic primetime ratings drop following its firing of Tucker Carlson."
Fox News did still outdo its rivals in terms of its total audience when it came to the later primetime slots. While its 8 p.m. slot was seen by 1,284,000 compared to MSNBC's 1,369,000, its 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. programs that night outpaced MSNBC by more than 100,000 viewers.
A Fox News spokesperson, Jessica Ketner, told Newsweek the channel "continues as the highest-rated cable news network in primetime and total day. The network also continues to be the most-watched cable news channel at 8 p.m. ET with Fox News Tonight."
Ketner said that in primetime, between April 24 and May 5, Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers and 153,000 among those aged 25-54, "beating CNN and MSNBC across the board. The network also outpaces them in the younger 18-49 demographic." She said Carlson's former slot was averaging 1.6 million viewers and 152,000 among 18-54s, "outpacing the competition in the hour."
Controversy has surrounded Carlson in recent months, with a text message from Carlson uncovered during Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion lawsuit against the network.
A former producer filed a lawsuit against Fox News and alleged that Carlson fostered a misogynistic workplace.
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
