Fox News Ratings Remain Strong, #2 Cable Channel In Primetime

[a kennedy]

Huffington Post | Danny Shea

Fox News is continuing its ratings dominance as America settles into the Obama era.

After a strong month of February, in which the network ranked #3 in primetime among all cable channels, Fox News posted even stronger ratings for the week ending March 1. It placed #2 in primetime among all cable channels — behind only USA — and averaged 2.6 million viewers for the week, which included President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress.

This marks the seventh consecutive week that Fox News has placed in the top three cable channels in primetime — meaning that is has sustained interest for the duration of the Obama administration, emphatically ending any debate whether the network would succeed under a Democratic administration.

As a comparison, CNN ranked 14th in primetime (averaging 1.2 million total viewers) and MSNBC ranked 19th in primetime (averaging 1.1 million total viewers).

In total day ratings, where Nickelodeon is a perennial first-place winner, Fox News placed 4th (averaging 1.3 million total viewers), CNN ranked 17th (averaging 685,000 total viewers), and MSNBC placed 26th (averaging 483,000 total viewers).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/03/fox-news-ratings-remain-s_n_171455.html

[KharmaTrain]

1. 2.6 Million Out of 100 Million Voters...

Actually let's break those numbers down in a better perspective. That's 2.6 million per week...that's not 2.6 million tuning in at any particular time. But still for cable, that's not bad, considering more than double that audience is watching ESPN.

Give Faux viewers their due...they are loyal. They have nothing else to watch. That's not the case with Democrats. Personally, I've totally sworn off Chicken Noodle Nuze...I used to watch that channel 24/7, but now it's so corporate and stupid, it hurts to watch. I avoid the cables until late afternoon...MSNBC...but then I also find far better news coverage on BBC America.

Faux has its captive audience just like the Golf Channel and Home Shopping...it's an acquired taste (for those who like eating glue)


Typical Faux News Viewer...

[B Calm]

2. Ever wonder why Dish and Direct offer FOX on their cheapest plans

and MSNBC is only offered on their higher cost plans?

[onenote]

5. Fox is not on DirecTV's cheapest plan.

DirecTV's cheapest plan ("Family") doesn't have CNN, Fox, or MSNBC. Its next plan, "Choice" has all three.

[burythehatchet]

6. yeah. My direct tv only offers Faux on its basic plan

[onenote]

7. which plan do you have?

Here is a side by side comparison of DirecTV's plans.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/compare/compareChannels.jsp?packageType=ENGLISH
Fox is not on the most basic plan and there is no plan that offers Fox, but not MSNBC.

[burythehatchet]

8. I have DIsh Network (I mistakenly said Direct TV above) Dish Network

offers a "Family" Plan that only has Fox. (Family, my ass)

[onenote]

10. right. Dish does have a cheap plan with CNN/Fox News, but not MSNBC

[burythehatchet]

11. Apparently it does not include CNN either (not that I care), only Fox.

and this pisses me off to no end.

[onenote]

12. Dish has the oddest packages. Fox News is on the cheapest package, but not intermediate

packages.

Fox News is on Dish's cheap "Family" package; CNN and MSNBC are not.

CNN is on Dish's "Classic Bronze 100" package, but Fox News and MSNBC are not.

CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are all on the Silver 200 and Gold 250 Packages.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/packages/comparisonguide/default.aspx

I suspect the motivation for their decisions is not political but business and marketing. They want people to take the higher packages.

[Enthusiast]

3. How can people

be so fucking stupid? I don't get it.

[itsrobert]

4. Of course it's also an audience that skews to older Americans

and not really the demographic coveted by most advertisers.

[treestar]

9. I've seen Democrats/liberals watching Faux

And not end up affected by their spin. Not every one of those viewers is a looney right winger. Some of them are DUers keeping tabs on the enemy!

[Dukkha]

13. no surprise, why read when you can have it spoon fed to you

one moran at a McCain rally said on camera "I get all my facts from Sean Hannity!"

unbelievable.

[Sewsojm]

14. 2nd behind USA network?

I can't even think of one show on the USA network, sounds like this was paid for by Faux Noise!!