Topline
A reshuffled Fox News line-up helped the network’s primetime ratings jump 26% last week, Nielsen data shows, buoyed by an interview with former President Donald Trump and Jesse Watters’ shift into the 8 p.m. spot once held by Tucker Carlson.
Host Jesse Watters as “Jesse Watters Primetime” debuts on Fox News on July 17, 2023 in New York … [+]
Key Facts
Fox News averaged 1.8 million primetime viewers for the week of July 17, up from 1.4 million in the previous week and in line with the channel’s year-to-date average of around 1.8 million—by comparison, MSNBC averaged almost 1.2 million in primetime last week (up 2% from a week earlier) and CNN averaged 653,000 (up 3%).
Fox News launched a new primetime lineup on July 17 following the the ouster of Carlson back in April: Watters moved from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Laura Ingraham shifted from 10 p.m. to 7 p.m., Hannity kept his 9 p.m. slot and Greg Gutfeld moved from late night into the 10 p.m. hour.
The Tuesday episode of Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, which included the interview with Trump, was the No. 1 cable show in the week of July 17 with an average of 2.84 million viewers, followed by the NASCAR race at Pocono on the USA Network with 2.8 million.
Episodes of Fox News’ panel show The Five took the next four slots, followed by Jesse Watters’ first 8 p.m. show last Monday, which drew 2.5 million viewers.
Monday’s episode of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show drew 2.35 million viewers, beating Fox News competitor Hannity by 100,000 viewers, one of only four MSNBC hours to break into the top 40 most-viewed cable shows last week; The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell, Deadline: White House and The Beat with Ari Melber were in spots 37, 38 and 39, respectively.
Key Background
Fox News saw a 50% drop in ratings at the 8 p.m. hour in the immediate aftermath of Carlson’s ouster in April. On his last night on the network, Carlson drew 2.65 million viewers in primetime, which dropped to 2.59 million and then 1.3 million in the following days. Watter’s premiere in the 8 p.m. slot last week was on-par with Carlson’s: His Monday show drew 2.5 million viewers, Tuesday 2.4 million, Wednesday and Thursday 2.3 and Friday 2.1 million.
Surprising Fact
The Tuesday episode of America’s Got Talent on NBC, a two-hour audition showcase, was the No. 1 primetime show on broadcast television with 5.6 million viewers, followed by the July 21 Women’s World Cup game on FOX—5.3 million people tuned in to watch the United States defeat Vietnam by a score of 3 to 0. The match was the second-most viewed Group Stage game in the Women’s World Cup, according to FOX Sports, falling only to the 2019 U.S. game against Chile, which the United States also won 3-0.
Alex Morgan, #13 of the United States, plays the ball during the first half of the FIFA Women’s … [+]
What To Watch For
The U.S. Women’s World Cup team will play again Wednesday night. At 9 p.m., the team will play the Netherlands and, if they win, will advance to the Round of 16 if Vietnam wins or ties with Portugal in Thursday’s match.
Tangent
Fox News has made headlines in recent months for legal challenges and controversial on-air remarks. The network settled a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. And earlier this month, Ray Epps, a Trump supporter who went to D.C. on January 6, 2021, sued Carlson and Fox News after the host baselessly called him an instigator of the deadly riots and an FBI agent. Meanwhile on Tuesday, a White House spokesperson issued a statement condemning Gutfeld for claiming Holocaust survivors needed “useful” skills in order to survive the Nazis. The claim was part of a segment on The Five discussing a new set of history curriculum standards in Florida that imply slaves benefited from their servitude by learning skills that could “be applied for their personal benefit.”
Further Reading
Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld Defended Florida’s Slavery Curriculum By Saying Holocaust Survivors Needed Skills, Too (Forbes)
Trump Supporter Ray Epps Sues Fox News After Tucker Carlson Baselessly Called Him A Jan. 6 Instigator (Forbes)
Jesse Watters Takes Tucker Carlson’s Spot In Revamped Fox News Lineup (Forbes)