Cable News Ratings Revealed for July 2025
In a surprising turn of events, cable news networks have been experiencing declines in viewership, with Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN seeing significant drops in July 2025 compared to previous months.
Fox News, the long-standing leader in cable news ratings, faced a major drop of 30% in total viewers and 48% in the key Adults 25-54 demographic in primetime compared to July 2024. Total day viewership also fell 19% overall and 31% in the demo. Despite these declines, Fox News remains dominant but faces erosion in its younger demographic.
MSNBC, the No. 2 cable news network in primetime and total day in total viewers in July 2024, with 865,000 and 530,000 viewers, respectively, experienced a 27% drop in primetime total viewers and 40% in the key demo versus July 2024, with total day viewers down 26% and 37% in the demo. Its primetime demo viewership was even lower than several non-news cable channels, reflecting weak appeal to the key advertiser demographic.
CNN hit its lowest July ever in the 25-54 demo with dramatic declines: 42% down in primetime viewers and 55% in the demo compared to the prior year, contributing to some of the worst ratings in network history.
The causes for these declines are attributed primarily to larger industry trends involving audience fragmentation, shifts in news consumption habits, and competitive pressures from digital platforms. Cable news viewers are shifting away from traditional TV to digital platforms and alternative sources, with many top news websites also experiencing declining traffic, such as CNN and Fox News’s online sites noting sharp year-over-year drops in visits.
Declining referral traffic from Google and Facebook, exacerbated by AI-generated summaries in search results reducing clicks to news sites, is reducing audience reach for traditional news outlets online, likely impacting overall brand engagement. Strong competition within cable and other entertainment options, demographic challenges, and the impact of tech platforms are also contributing factors.
Despite these declines, all three networks continue to hold significant influence in the media landscape. Fox News still leads cable news ratings by a wide margin overall, implying the declines are industry-wide rather than network-specific failures.
Elsewhere in the news, J.D. Vance was announced as the GOP vice-presidential candidate, and the 2024 Republican National Convention took place in Milwaukee, WI, in July 2024.
In the world of business news, Fox Business finished ahead of CNBC during business day and market hours for the third straight month in June 2025, while NewsNation continued to be the fastest-growing cable network for the second consecutive month.
Meanwhile, CNN finished as the No. 6 network during primetime and was in fourth place in total day in total viewers in July 2025, despite a -23% decline in total viewers and a -31% decline in the A25-54 demo during primetime in July 2025, compared to June 2025.
It's clear that the media landscape is undergoing significant changes, with cable news networks facing challenges from both traditional and digital media, as well as technology platforms influencing audience behaviour. These trends are likely to continue shaping the industry in the coming months and years.
[1] Nielsen Media Research [2] Pew Research Center [3] Variety [4] The Hollywood Reporter [5] Deadline
- The erosion in viewership seen by Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN in July 2025 indicates a broader shift in news consumption habits, with audiences moving away from traditional cable news to digital platforms and alternative sources.
- In the business sector, Fox Business surpassed CNBC for the third consecutive month during business day and market hours in June 2025, while NewsNation continued its growth streak as the fastest-growing cable network.
- The media landscape is experiencing significant changes, as evidenced by the declining traffic to top news websites, such as CNN and Fox News’s online sites, which have reported sharp year-over-year drops in visits.
- Meanwhile, the entertainment industry is keeping pace with coverage of events like the 2024 Republican National Convention and general news involving political happenings, wars and conflicts, crime and justice, accidents, and sports.
