Fox News’ viewership is set to hit historic lows ahead of the midterms, suggesting that conservatives may be tuning out ahead of the high-stakes elections — despite the GOP’s best efforts.
This month is on track to be Fox News’ lowest-rated month since December 2023, with the network averaging 1.1 million total viewers throughout October 2026, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings obtained by Status ahead of their official release.
The advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic saw its lowest-rated month in 25 years, averaging just 98,000 viewers, according to the report.
The figures show a 27 percent plunge in total viewers, and a 32 percent decrease in the key 25-54 age demographic compared to last October.
Despite the drop in viewership, Fox News still has more viewers than all other cable networks, including sports broadcast giant ESPN. The network also averages 3.8 million YouTube views per year, as many younger viewers get their news online.
Still, Fox’s decline in viewership comes as President Donald Trump is also facing record-low approval ratings, potentially signaling trouble ahead for Republicans as polls show Democrats will likely gain seats in Congress come Election Day.
It also comes as more liberal-leaning networks are seeing small increases in viewers, potentially indicating a shift in viewership.
MS NOW averages far fewer viewers than Fox, with about 588,000 a day. However, that’s still an increase for the network, up 16 percent from this time last year.
CNN, which also has fewer viewers, saw a small, 3 percent increase over the past year.
The tumble in ratings also comes as Trump has grown sour on the conservative network, slamming Fox on Truth Social for airing interviews with Democratic candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for Senate in Michigan, and Kentucky Senate candidate Charles Booker.
“FoxNews is spending far too much time putting on the OPPONENTS of Republican Party Candidates, people that love our Country, and have Great Policies and Ideas,” Trump posted on Truth Social, later accusing the network of “trying too hard to be Politically Correct.”
Trump has also complained when the network has cut coverage of his campaign rallies, urging supporters to tune in to the far-right network, Right Side Broadcast Network..
The Independent asked Fox News to comment on the Nielsen data.
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