How Many People Actually Watch Fox News in America?

[MineralMan]

Fewer than you might think, actually. In fact, all three major networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS have far more viewers, individually for their news programming than Fox News. Far more. Fox has a fixed, conservative audience that often only watches Fox News. Here's an article that might shake up your estimates:

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-many-people-actually-watch-fox-news-in-america.html/

How Many People Actually Watch Fox News in America?

It’s hard to discuss cable-news viewership without Fox News ratings entering the conversation. Before long, you’ll hear how the network is the most watched on cable, about its hold on news audiences, and how influential it is with the president (himself a frequent TV watcher).

In fact, when MSNBC managed to top Fox News in the ratings late in 2018, it became a story in its own right. The network boasted how it posted its best performance against Fox in nearly two decades, with Rachel Maddow leading the charge.

But it can be revealing to learn just how many viewers watch these networks get on a nightly basis — and how they compare to legacy stations like NBC, ABC, and CBS. Once you dig into the numbers, the amount of people actually watching Fox News on a nightly basis might sound small.

{snip}

In the third quarter of 2018, ABC World News Tonight averaged over 8 million viewers, or more than three times the number of viewers taking in Fox News during prime time. NBC Nightly News (7.5 million viewers in Q3) also tripled the audiences measured by Nielsen.

Get the whole story at the link.

[Wounded Bear]

1. I think the bigger problem is probably RW AM radio...

Limbots and such. Ubiquitous and loud, loud, loud.

[murielm99]

4. I agree.

[Va Lefty]

26. Yes, I agree

[lpbk2713]

10. Hatemonger Radio

"Where the hate keeps on comin' "

[at140]

11. Limpballs has more audience in a day

Than Fox news has in a week . Because of one simple reason, when driving to work drivers will tune in to radio, and can not watch TV.

[doc03]

22. No way, I haven't heard anyone even mention Limbaugh's name in years.

Every Republican I talk to repeats everything they hear on Fox News.

[Progressive Jones]

25. It's all right wing rubbish. FOX; Limbaugh. They all say the same crap. nt

[at140]

29. Fox news regurgitates what limbaugh

Says on radio. Listen to Limbaugh one day and Fox & Friends next day.

[Initech]

23. It's a 24/7 nonstop cycle.

Get in your car. Go to work. Listen to AM radio talk show hosts talk about how bad the country is.

Get to work. Listen to your boss(es) drone on about how bad the work environment and corporate profits are bad (though the company made $300 million and your boss got $30 and bought 5 mansions).

Go home and watch Fox News. Listen to how "illegals" are coming to take your jobs and Democrats are coming to take your guns.

Then on Sunday, go to church and listen to your pastor talk trash about "sinful lifestyles" and how liberals are coming to take your religious freedom away. Fellow parishioners repeat what they just heard.

Then Monday comes. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[lagomorph777]

2. Thanks; that's encouraging.

Maybe it is a waste of time for Democrats to appear in that cesspool. The few viewers Fox has are too evil to ever be reached.

[underpants]

3. I read here on DU many years ago

that 21st Century Fox buys flatscreens and pays cable bills for some establishments (mostly restaurants) but they are required to keep it on Fox News. Years ago on DU but I think there were some pretty credible links/sources.

That might have been the really early days of Fox News.

[marlakay]

5. Now they have the Sinclair stations

Which is sly and most people don’t realize how they slightly slant things right.

[maxsolomon]

6. It's on in airports, waiting rooms, restaurants.

Not just private homes.

Everywhere you see it that's public, complain about it. Or, alternately:

https://www.tvbgone.com/

[MineralMan]

15. Not anywhere I go it isn't.

That has changed in the past couple of years. Most places I go have CNN on the TV. My car dealership put the remote out in the service waiting area. Last time I went there, the TV was off. There were the people waiting. Nobody turned it on. It used to have Fox News on. I complained. That's when the out the remote in the room.

[Turbineguy]

7. It seems to me that often Fox News

is on during the day time at car dealers, bars, restaurants and able to work its propaganda. In the evening some of those viewers switch but the damage is done.

[genxlib]

8. I am convinced that this is a bigger problem

Actual viewing may be small but exposure is pretty widespread.

I would go so far as to say the chyrons are the most damaging part. Even if you aren't listening, those text messages screaming at you from the bottom of the screen are pervasive. And they are always more directly evil than the actual discussion.

[Turbineguy]

9. Well they also have a neat way

of connecting one thing to another completely unrelated item. "Market down.... interest rates up!" (switch topic) "Al qaeda committed a bomb attack...."

[LakeArenal]

12. How many just can't watch it. 🤢

I have to wait for DU to disseminate.

[imanamerican63]

13. I get a burning sensation if I watch Fox News!

[kimbutgar]

14. The chain that owns La Quinta inn has a policy that fox should be on in the breakfast rooms

I requested the channel to be changed while staying at a la Quinta and the manager told me it was company policy. I emailed the company who confirmed it and will never stay at that corporate chain again. Wyndham hotels is the corporate owner. When I travel I are sure to never stay at that corporate chain.

[lunasun]

28. Thanks for letting me know that policy

[doc03]

16. I think the numbers are far higher. Are they talking at any

given period? There may be only 3 million tuned in on one show at night. But what about all the people watching one tv in every damn mall, doctors office or gym? Then there are people that have other things to do like work that just watch a few minutes of Fox and Friends? I would guess there are a couple million people just in Ohio that watch some Fox every day.

[MineralMan]

18. Nielsen is pretty good measuring viewership.

Ad rates depend on it. I'll listen to the experts, rather than random people's guesses.

[doc03]

21. I can believe at any given time like Hannity's show it may be

accurate. Take myself I may turn on MSNBC or CNN a few minuets a couple times a day. I go to the gym where there
are at least 100 people there nearly every TV is tuned to Fox do they count them. You go to a mall and there is a TV
how do they know how many people are exposed to Fox? I never hear anyone talk about listening to Rush Limbaugh anymore.
There is no way only like 1% of America is watching Fox when half this country is brainwashed by Fox.

[Captain Stern]

24. I think you're setting the bar a bit low there.

By a 'bit low' I mean so low, that it's silly.

You're essentially saying that anybody that stands in a room for a few minutes where there's a television that is tuned to fox news is 'watching' fox news. That's just not true.

If that's how we're going to define 'watching', I think we could truthfully say, the majority of DU'ers "watch' fox news.

The ratings are more about how many people intentionally view a particular show, or channel. And as far as ratings go.....there really aren't that many folks that watch fox news, cnn, or msnbc. Cable news networks just aren't that popular.

Most people in this country have no idea who Rachel Maddow is. They also have no idea who Sean Hannity is, or Joe Scarborough. Most people wouldn't be able to pick Tucker Carlson or Lawrence O'Donnell out of a police lineup....because they have no idea who those guys are.

Saying that either fox, or cnn, msnbc 'won' the ratings for any particular time period is sort of like saying 'Moe' was the smartest stooge. It's kind of true...but not always..and it doesn't really matter.

[hunter]

17. If you subscribe to cable television you are paying for that shit whether you watch it or not.

Last I recall, it was about a $1.50 a month.

Cut the cord.

We've been cable/satellite/broadcast television free in our house for more than ten years.

We watch DVDs and Netflix.

I find DVDs in thrift stores, sometimes we buy DVDs of movies we really like, and we rent more recent movies from the Redbox in our neighborhood grocery store.

That's plenty of television for us, and best of all, we never see commercials.

Suffering commercials is another way of paying for shit you despise.

[MineralMan]

19. Who cares? I still blocked it.

You can cut the cord if you like. I'll decide for myself, though.

[hunter]

20. Well, all I can do is ask you to think about it.

My own life is much better without "traditional" television of any kind.

And it amuses my cheap-ass self to hear people complaining about their cable bills.

I quit Comcast when I realized they should be paying me to deliver garbage to my house, not the other way around.

[Raine]

27. I've heard it's more then MSNBC & CNN

combined. National network news on any network of the major three would beat all cable "news" I'm sure.