Fox News rode its record-setting coverage of the Republican Presidential Debate to an easy first place primetime ratings finish among all cable networks last week.
Fox News averaged 4.4 million viewers for the week of Aug. 3 to Aug. 9, easily besting Disney’s 1.7 million second-place finish, according to Nielsen. Fox News’ performance was paced by live coverage of the Aug. 6 Republican Presidential Debate, which drew 24 million viewers -- the biggest audience for a non-sports cable show in history, according to Nielsen.
In addition, Fox was the most-watched network among nearly all major audience demos, including adults 18-49. The network also garnered seven of the top 10 most watched shows for the week.
TNT and USA Network tied for third place with 1.5 million viewers each, followed by HGTV’s 1.4 million viewers.
History (1.3 million viewers) Discovery Channel (1.2 million); Adult Swim (1.1 million); FX (1.0 million) and Food Network (996,000) rounded out the top 10.
Fox News was also the dominant network on a 24-hour basis, averaging 1.6 million viewers, outdistancing Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network.
Most Watched Shows During The Week Of Aug. 3 to Aug. 9
DateProgramNetworkTotal Viewers
8/6 Republican Presidential Debate Fox News 23.9 million
8/6 The Kelly File Fox News 10.9 million
8/6 The O’Reilly Factor Fox News 6.5 million
8/6 Republican Presidential Debate (5.p.m.) Fox News 6.0 million
8/6 Special Report With Brett Baier Fox News 4.5 million
8/3 Major Crimes TNT 4.5 million
8/4 Rizzoli & Isles TNT 4.2 million
8/6 Hannity Fox News 4.1 million
8/6 On The Record W/Greta Fox News 3.9 million
8/9 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race NBCSN 3.9 million
Source: Nielsen
