Key facts
- Fox News averaged 3.882 million total viewers from 8 to 11pm, per preliminary Nielsen Fast Nationals ratings.
- NBC drew 6.519 million viewers and ABC 4.906 million, while CNN had 3.927 million and MS Now 3.922 million.
- Fox News beat CBS News, which attracted 2.629 million viewers.
- The big six networks averaged 25.784 million total viewers in prime-time election coverage, up from 22.215 million in 2022.
- Fox News averaged 7.422 million viewers during the 2022 elections.
- Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch acknowledged viewer fatigue on an earnings call on Monday.
Fox News Channel averaged 3.882 million total viewers between 8 and 11pm on midterm election night, November 3, 2026, according to preliminary Nielsen Fast Nationals ratings. That put it behind broadcast networks NBC with 6.519 million and ABC with 4.906 million, and behind cable rivals CNN with 3.927 million and MS Now with 3.922 million. Fox News did beat CBS News, which drew 2.629 million viewers.
The preliminary numbers are likely to be revised upwards when final audience data is released on Thursday. Across the big six television networks, prime-time election coverage averaged 25.784 million total viewers, up from 22.215 million in 2022. In the 2022 elections, Fox News averaged 7.422 million viewers.
Fox News has seen viewers tune out in recent months. Last month, its total day viewership was down 27% compared with the same month last year, though it still beat CNN and MS Now. Lachlan Murdoch, chief executive of parent company Fox Corp, acknowledged viewer fatigue on an earnings call on Monday.
Trump criticized Fox throughout election night and blamed the network for his party's losses. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening, he mocked the network's October figures and attributed the decline to its practice of booking Democratic candidates for interviews. He wrote: "FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they're spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!" He added: "All of those people who used to watch Fox, and no longer do, get it. It's them, not me – My numbers are better than they have ever been."