October Cable Ratings Reveal Growth for MS NOW and CNN as Fox News Losses Continue
October viewership data from Nielsen Big Data + Panel indicates a shifting landscape for cable news networks. According to Adweek, MS NOW and CNN both recorded significant viewership growth following two months of declines, while Fox News experienced its third consecutive month of losses across total day and primetime programming in both total viewers and the key adult demographic.
Context from Industry Pulse
The October 2026 ratings data highlights a critical divergence in cable news trends. While MS NOW and CNN successfully rebounded from a two-month slump with double-digit percentage gains in the demo, Fox News is currently facing a sustained three-month downturn. The year-over-year data is particularly stark, showing that Fox News has lost nearly a third of its audience in just twelve months. Despite this, Fox still controls the majority of the top-performing individual shows, suggesting that while their floor remains high, the overall reach of the network is narrowing as competitors like MS NOW capitalize on weekend live programming shifts.
The October ratings cycle highlighted a reversal of fortunes for major news networks. Reporting from Adweek shows that MS NOW achieved a historic milestone by surpassing CNN in the Adults 25-54 demographic during weekend live programming for the first time since 2012. MS NOW secured 50,000 viewers in that category compared to 48,000 for CNN. Additionally, MS NOW moved ahead of the Skydance-owned CNN in the total day demographic by a margin of 2,000 viewers.
While MS NOW and CNN saw upward trends, Fox News struggled to maintain its historical dominance. As Adweek reports, Fox News was the only cable network to see year-over-year declines in both measured categories. Compared to October 2025, the network saw its primetime audience drop by 28 percent in total viewers and 36 percent in the key demographic. Despite these losses, the network remained the leader in total day viewers and held the top-rated program with The Five, which averaged over 2.7 million viewers.
Individual program performance varied across the networks. The Rachel Maddow Show remained the top performer for MS NOW, drawing 1.72 million total viewers. At CNN, The Source with Kaitlan Collins led in total viewership with 630,000 viewers, while CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip took the top spot for the network in the demographic. Outside of the three largest networks, Newsmax saw its highest viewership with Rob Schmitt Tonight, and NewsNation was led by Cuomo.
Market share shifts were particularly evident in the rankings for the Adults 25-54 demographic. According to Adweek, MS NOW climbed from 11th to eighth place in the total day demographic rankings. CNN also improved its standing, moving up to ninth place in primetime. In contrast, Fox News finished October in fourth place in the demographic during primetime and third place during the total day, reflecting a sustained period of audience erosion for the network.
The Industry Pulse Bottom Line
The ratings surge for MS NOW and CNN signals a competitive shift in weekend and demographic reach, challenging Fox News’ long-standing dominance as it grapples with significant year-over-year audience declines.