Television news networks saw some cooling off in the second quarter of 2025 following unusually strong viewing levels in the year’s opening months. Even so, ABC News and Fox News continued to dominate their respective segments, holding on to significant leads in both network and cable ratings.
On the broadcast side, ABC’s World News Tonight maintained its position as the most-watched evening newscast. Anchored by David Muir, the program pulled in an average of 7.37 million viewers per night from April through June. Its margin over second-place NBC Nightly News — which averaged 5.79 million viewers — was the largest second-quarter lead ABC has held in three decades.
CBS trailed the two leaders, with CBS Evening News drawing 3.85 million nightly viewers. Although all three networks posted declines compared to their strong first-quarter numbers, ABC kept its commanding lead in both total viewership and demographics.
World News Tonight Tops Every Major Demo
World News Tonight not only led overall viewership but also secured the top position in crucial advertising demographics. The broadcast averaged 1.01 million adults aged 25–54 — the most valuable demo for advertisers — and 700,000 adults aged 18–49. ABC has now led the 25–54 demo every quarter since early 2020 and has held the top spot in total viewers since mid-2017.
NBC, meanwhile, experienced a transitional quarter. With anchor Tom Llamas taking over after Lester Holt’s departure, the network narrowed its demographic gap with ABC slightly. NBC Nightly News also grew year-over-year in adults 18–49 and 25–54, signaling that its audience shift may be stabilizing.
All three programs, however, saw notable declines compared to Q1, when ABC averaged more than 8 million viewers and NBC and CBS also posted higher numbers. The drop was expected after unusually high interest in the early months of 2025.
Fox News Leads Cable Ratings Despite Post-Q1 Dip
In the cable news arena, Fox News continued its long-running streak as the most-watched network in both primetime and total-day ratings. However, its numbers cooled after a record-setting first quarter driven by heightened political news coverage.
Fox News averaged 1.63 million viewers for the full broadcast day and 2.63 million in primetime across Q2. Those figures were down from the network’s massive first-quarter averages of 1.92 million (total-day) and 3.01 million (primetime), but they remained far ahead of rivals MSNBC and CNN.
MSNBC held steady in total-day viewership, averaging 596,000 viewers compared to 593,000 in Q1. Primetime dipped slightly to 1.01 million from 1.02 million in the prior quarter. CNN experienced small declines as well, averaging 406,000 viewers for the full day and 538,000 in primetime.
Adults 25–54 Demo Paints a Clearer Picture
In the key 25–54 demographic, Fox News again led, averaging 202,000 viewers for the day and 304,000 in primetime. Both figures were down from the highs of Q1 but remained comfortably ahead of MSNBC and CNN.
MSNBC maintained an average of 57,000 viewers in the demo for the full day — the same as Q1 — but slipped in primetime from 96,000 to 91,000. CNN averaged 71,000 viewers for the day and 105,000 at night, declining from 79,000 and 121,000 in the previous quarter.
Cable news viewership tends to fluctuate more dramatically than broadcast, often responding directly to major political events. The softer numbers in Q2 reflect a return to more typical levels after unusually intense national interest earlier in 2025.
What the Trends Mean for the Rest of the Year
Analysts expect news ratings to ebb and flow throughout the remainder of 2025, particularly as political, economic, and global news cycles shift. ABC appears likely to continue its long-running dominance in broadcast evening news unless a major shake-up occurs within the industry.
On the cable side, Fox News remains the clear frontrunner, though the narrowing margins suggest that MSNBC and CNN may gain ground if major national events drive more diverse viewer interest.
For deeper insights into television ratings and media trends, visit Nielsen Media Insights, explore industry analysis at The Hollywood Reporter, or follow TV ratings updates on Variety TV News.
