Out of all the news channels such as CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Fox News, CBS, and NBC, Fox News is the most-watched TV news network in the US. However, it’s not because Fox is very popular among all Americans; rather, it’s the demographics that Fox serves.
Fox Serves the Entire Conservative Viewers
For conservative viewers, Fox is the only cable TV channel. There’s no other conservative cable network out there. However, for liberal-leaning viewers, there are dozens of news channels.
In the recent national election, it has been proven that the entire country is split by 50-50. Almost 50% are democrats, and the other half are Republicans. No political party gained a significant win. There are dozens of Democrat-leaning cable news networks such as CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, etc. However, there’s only one republican leaning news channel which is Fox.
Therefore, numerous news organizations serve half of the US population, whereas Fox News alone serves the other half. It’s why every program on Fox would get more viewers than other networks on average.
No Competition from Conservative Print Media
Liberal news media have tremendous competition from liberal print media. New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and other print outlets also disseminate news and opinions for liberals. However, there are only a handful of less powerful print outlets for conservatives. Therefore, Fox doesn’t face any competition from conservative news networks.
Entertainment
No news outlet is unbiased. Every network is trying to sell a product to its audience. Every news outlet, such as Fox, CNN, MSNBC, is biased. But some are less biased than others.
Entertainment spreads more than hard-hitting news. News is boring, whereas commentary is exciting. All the programs that pull significant ratings on news networks are opinion shows. Tucker Carlson Show, Ingraham Angle, The Five, etc., are commentary.
In contrast, PBS broadcasts moderately objective news, but it doesn’t pull many viewers. Because real news isn’t entertaining, but criticisms are.
Nowadays, sensation and fear-based news are spreading more. The good news doesn’t get views, but anger and fear get ratings. Fox News found a perfect formula surrounding this ideology.
Conservative Followers
Republicans religiously follow and watch Fox News.
Immigration, national debt, drawbacks of national health care, crimes, etc., are the primary focus of Fox. When liberal news networks focus on defunding the police, Fox focuses on the rise of crime; when liberals urge national health care, Fox focuses on the national debt. Fox News has a strong opinion on every issue. Thus they get fervent followings from conservatives.
Popular Hosts
Fox News has an array of famous hosts. Sean Hannity, Ingraham, Gutfeld, and Tucker Carlson are widely popular among conservatives. Liberal news outlets routinely criticize them for their hawkish commentary, but conservatives love them. Each day viewers turn up to listen to their opinions.
On the contrary, liberal news outlets have a handful of popular news hosts across several networks. Thus they don’t have any avid followers.
If any liberal needs to hear the news, they can tune in to CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NPR, or other TV channels. In contrast, a conservative will only tune into Fox.
Liberals Get Their News on the Internet
The cable news business has been declining in the US for over a decade. Other than the old generation, no one tunes in to sit down and watch cable TV anymore.
Nowadays, most people get their news from Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit. Furthermore, thousands of YouTube channels and independent websites serve niche news.
There was a time when getting authentic and fast news was impossible without a TV. However, these TV channels have evolved into partisan politics in modern times. Even though the young generation is more involved in politics, these days, they organize and spread their activities through Facebook, Reddit, or other social networks.
There are tens of thousands of successful YouTubers whose videos get millions of views daily. In contrast, cable news struggles to get even a hundred thousand views.
Here are the top 10 TV shows in America with their respective viewers count.
[Table] Top 10 Cable Shows.
| Rank | Network | Program | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fox News | Tucker Carlson Tonight | 3.21 million |
| 2 | Fox News | The Five | 2.93 million |
| 3 | Fox News | Hannity | 2.87 million |
| 4 | MSNBC | Rachel Maddow Show | 2.59 million |
| 5 | Fox News | The Ingraham Angle | 2.26 million |
| 6 | Fox News | Bret Baier | 2.13 million |
| 7 | Fox News | Fox Primetime | 1.86 million |
| 8 | MSNBC | Last Word | 1.77 million |
| 9 | Fox News | Gutfeld | 1.70 million |
| 10 | MSNBC | Deadline | 1.58 million |
In the US, there are more than 330 million people. However, the most popular TV show, Fox’s Tucker Carlson Tonight show, averages 3.2 million views. From the chart above, it’s clear that only 1-2% of the US population watches cable news. In this 2% cable viewers, Fox news dominates.
The older generation heavily relies on cable for news. They generally avoid technology. Fox bites a significant share in that aging demographic because dozens of liberal news networks share the rest.
Bottom Line
Fox News is the most-watched news channel because it’s the only conservative TV outlet, whereas liberals have many options. Moreover, neo-liberals get their news from online media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit, but the old conservative generation gets their information from Fox. It skews the rating in favor of Fox News.