Primetime cable news average viewership U.S. 2020

In 2020, the average number of TVs tuned into CNN during the primetime news timeslot reached 1.8 million, up from 1.05 million in the previous year. MSNBC's average primetime viewership fared similarly, whereas Fox News outperformed both its competitors by a large margin with an average of 3.08 million televisions tuned in to its primetime slot.

Average number of TVs tuned into cable news programming during the primetime news timeslot in the United States from 2016 to 2020 (in millions)

Characteristic	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
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Release date

July 2021

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Region

United States

Survey time period

2016 to 2020

Supplementary notes

Figures have been rounded.
Numbers represent CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for each full year and include live viewership only. The source explains "average audience" as the average number of televisions tuned to an entity throughout the selected time frame. The number is calculated by dividing the total hours viewed by the length of the time frame (in hours). The prime news time slot includes newscasts that air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

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