By Charles Switzer
1:02pm PST, Feb 26, 2025
Fox News Achieves Record-Breaking Ratings in 2025
Fox News kicked off 2025 with record-breaking viewership, delivering its highest-rated start to the year ever. Propelled by powerhouse programs like
Jesse Watters Primetime and
The Five, the network has seen a surge in ratings, averaging 2.8 million viewers in prime time for the first two months of the year — a staggering 40 percent increase year-over-year.
Notably, Fox's dominance extends across all key metrics, leaving competitors
CNN and
MSNBC far behind.
Here are four reasons why the conservative network is dominating cable TV.
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Massive Growth in the Key Demographic
In the 25-54 age demographic, which is highly valued by advertisers, Fox News experienced an explosive 61 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
In February, the network led cable news with 387,000 viewers in this category, crushing CNN (118,000 viewers) and MSNBC (63,000 viewers). Fox's growth in the demo highlights the network's strong appeal among younger, engaged viewers —"a crucial factor in sustaining its dominance in the industry," a TV ratings analyst shared on X.
Fox News Sweeps the Top Five Cable News Shows
Fox News continued to dominate the cable news landscape by holding the five most-watched programs in February.
The Five topped the charts with 4.699 million viewers, followed by
Jesse Watters Primetime (4.186 million),
Hannity (3.597 million),
Special Report with Bret Baier (3.585 million) and
The Ingraham Angle (3.485 million).
When it comes to the key demographic,
Jesse Watters Primetime led the way with 518,000 viewers, closely followed by
The Five (517,000) and
Hannity (467,000).
Breakout Success for 'Gutfeld!' and 'The Will Cain Show'
Several Fox News programs reached all-time high ratings in February.
Gutfeld! delivered 3.4 million total viewers, making it one of the most-watched late-night shows in cable news history. Meanwhile, the recently launched The Will Cain Show made an immediate impact, averaging 2.8 million total viewers and 337,000 in the key demo.
The show has also marked an 81 percent increase from the network's ratings in the same hour one year ago, cementing its place as a strong performer in the 4 p.m. ET time slot.
Fox News Leaves CNN and MSNBC in the Dust
With an average prime-time audience of 3.091 million in February, Fox News far outpaced MSNBC (734,000 viewers) and CNN (522,000 viewers).
The total day ratings tell a similar story, with Fox leading at 1.999 million total viewers, compared to MSNBC's 506,000 and CNN's 421,000. Fox News has reportedly already solidified its position as the dominant force in cable news for the foreseeable future, according to
Forbes.
