Fox News launched in the U.S. 30 years ago, on October 7, 1996. The channel founded by Rupert Murdoch is considered a prime example of the rise of explicitly partisan news outlets in American television.
Statista Consumer Insights data shows that the channel, now and then, appeals primarily to a right-wing conservative audience. This editorial stance has made it the most successful cable news channel in the US, according to Nielsen figures published by Adweek, but some of that shine is now fading.
As of 2026, Fox News still reaches an average of just over two million viewers during prime time (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.). This puts the channel well ahead of competitors MSNBC and CNN. However, Fox News saw its reach dwindle continuously from reaching more than 2.7 million prime time viewers just two years ago. While competitors also lost viewers as linear TV is losing importance in general, both MSNBC and CNN could recover some of their audiences between 2025 and 2026.
While both have still lost more audience in total than Fox News (-37 percent prime time viewership and -34 percent prime time viewership, respectively, vs -24 percent for Fox), a continued downward trend could soon cost Fox even more viewers.
