Fox News tops July cable news ratings; MS NOW the lone network to decline

August 1, 2026 · Adweek

Fox News finished July 2026 in first place among cable news networks, drawing 2.332 million total viewers and 204,000 Adults 25-54 viewers in primetime, and 1.492 million total viewers with 136,000 in the demo during total day, per Nielsen big data plus panel figures reported by Adweek. MS NOW ranked second with 1.017 million primetime viewers and 633,000 total day viewers, but it was the only network among the three to register month-over-month declines in either measured category, dropping 7% in the A25-54 demo during both primetime and total day while total viewers stayed flat. CNN posted the largest month-over-month gains, up 8% in primetime total viewers and 5% in the demo, and 6% in total day viewers, with 658,000 primetime viewers and 102,000 in the demo. Fox News grew 3% in primetime total viewers and 4% in the demo compared to June, helped along with CNN by coverage of America's 250th Independence Day celebrations earlier in the month, while the later rounds of the FIFA World Cup were the only major live sports event competing for attention.

For agencies planning around news dayparts, July shows the three networks moving in different directions depending on the time frame. Fox News fell 21% in the primetime demo and 26% in the total day demo compared to July 2025, the only network to decline in that comparison, while MS NOW grew 10% in the demo across both dayparts and CNN rose 11% in the primetime demo. Buyers building fourth-quarter cable news plans should weigh the July trend against the full-year comparison, since the network gaining share month to month is often a different one than the network holding share year over year.