Fox News Channel stays on a ratings roll

Posted Feb 2, 2010 by Walt Belcher

Updated Feb 2, 2010 at 05:19 PM

The Fox News Channel continues its cable news ratings dominance with the best January ratings in the network’s history, according to stats from Nielsen Media Research.

The network had a banner year in 2009. And Fox has started 2010 with a bang.

For the first time in more than five years, Fox News claimed a clean sweep with the top 13 programs among adults ages 25 to 54 while completing its fifth consecutive month with the top 13 programs in total viewers. 

Additionally, Fox News’ signature evening newscast, “The FOX Report with Shepard Smith,” and its political newscast, “Special Report with Bret Baier,” marked 100 consecutive months as the No. 1 program in their respective time slots. Fox News was also the only network to post double-digit gains across the board in January 2009; every other network suffered double-digit losses.

Among basic cable networks in January, Fox News ranked third in prime-time viewership, behind only USA Network and ESPN, leaving CNN and MSNBC trailing behind at 24th and 29th, respectively. 

In prime-time viewership, Fox News averaged 2,413,000 viewers (up 22 percent over January 2009), while CNN logged 842,000 viewers (down 34 percent) and MSNBC followed with 703,000 viewers (down 26 percent). 

Fox News also had a clean sweep with the top 13 programs in all of cable news among both adults 25 to 54 and total viewers. “The O’Reilly Factor” led all cable news programs in both total viewers (3,800,000, up 23 percent) and adults 25 to 54 (983,000, up 58 percent). 

Rounding out the top five programs in the 25-to-54 demographic were: “Hannity” (781,000, up 50 percent); “Glenn Beck” (760,000, up 121 percent); “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” (649,000, up 74 percent); and “FOX Report with Shepard Smith” (552,000, up 29 percent).