ABC Hits Historic Ratings Collapse as Fox News Surges Past Broadcast Rivals
ABC endured a devastating ratings blow in May, falling to its weakest primetime performance of the 21st century and underscoring the growing disconnect between legacy broadcast television and American viewers.
According to Nielsen Media Research, ABC was overtaken by Fox News Channel in weekday primetime, a remarkable shift that shows conservative media continuing to command the attention of millions while traditional networks struggle to hold their audience.
ABC Falls to 21st-Century Low
ABC posted its lowest-rated May primetime numbers of the 21st century, both in total viewers and in the key 25-54 demographic prized by advertisers.
Fox News averaged 2.8 million weekday primetime viewers, edging out ABC’s 2.7 million. The cable news powerhouse also matched ESPN, despite the sports network benefiting from heavy NBA and NHL playoff coverage.
The ratings slide was so severe that ABC’s “Celebrity Jeopardy!” was beaten by Fox News’ top-rated programming, further highlighting the network’s weakening grip on primetime viewers.
CBS Also Struggles as Broadcast News Loses Ground
ABC was not alone in its decline.
CBS also saw troubling results, with “CBS Evening News” remaining below 4 million viewers for the second consecutive month.
“CBS Mornings” delivered the lowest-rated May in the show’s history, attracting only 1.8 million viewers and 296,000 in the 25-54 demographic.
Meanwhile, Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” outperformed “CBS Evening News” in 19 major markets, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
The numbers reflect a broader problem for legacy broadcast outlets that have long enjoyed institutional dominance but are now facing a public that is increasingly turning elsewhere for news and political coverage.
Fox News Wins in Late Night and Local Markets
The Fox News surge extended well beyond primetime.
“Gutfeld!” averaged 2.9 million viewers, surpassing ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and also outperforming NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
Fox also saw strong local-market wins. “Special Report” beat ABC’s “World News Tonight” in Jacksonville, New Orleans and Memphis.
“Fox & Friends” also led both CBS and ABC in several major markets, strengthening its position as the dominant morning news brand in cable.
Fox News Delivers Record May Performance
While ABC and CBS stumbled, Fox News delivered its highest-rated May ever in a midterm election year.
The network finished as the third highest-rated network in all of television during weekday primetime, a major achievement for a cable news channel competing against traditional broadcast giants.
Fox News commanded nearly 60% of the cable news audience in both total day and primetime and accounted for the top 85 cable news telecasts of the month.
The network also drew 210,000 viewers in the key 25-54 demographic and ranked number one in cable news among Asian, Hispanic and upscale viewers in total day.
Fox News Hosts Dominate Cable News Rankings
“The Five” once again finished as the top-rated show in cable news, averaging 3.6 million viewers and 317,000 in the 25-54 demographic.
"Jesse Watters Primetime” led the 8 p.m. hour with 3.1 million viewers.
“Hannity” averaged 2.7 million viewers, easily beating MS NOW’s 9 p.m. lineup.
Laura Ingraham also continued her strong performance, remaining the highest-rated woman in cable news with 2.5 million viewers.
Fox Wins Mornings, Daytime and Weekends
“Fox & Friends” remained the number-one cable news morning show for the 63rd consecutive month.
Daytime programming also performed strongly, with “America’s Newsroom,” “Outnumbered” and “The Story” each drawing close to 1.9 million viewers.
Fox News also won every hour of weekend cable news against CNN and MS NOW.
Kayleigh McEnany’s “Saturday in America” led weekend programming with more than 1.7 million viewers.
The network’s continued strength comes as voters increasingly identify Fox as a central news source. A recent New York Times/Siena poll found that Fox News was the leading single news source among registered voters nationwide.
For years, establishment broadcast networks operated as though they had a permanent hold on American households. But the latest ratings collapse shows a very different reality. Viewers are rejecting stale legacy programming and turning toward outlets that better reflect their concerns, values and skepticism toward the political and media class.