More Democrats watch Fox News than CNN or MSNBC, data shows as advertisers flock to network

More Democrats are watching Fox News than liberal outlets like CNN or MSNBC, as execs at the company have boasted of big-name advertisers flocking to the network.

According to Nielsen MRI Fusion data seen by DailyMail.com, Fox News is the number one cable news network for both Democrats and independents.

The statistics, taken from January of this year, show the outlet performs better than CNN and MSNBC in the 18 and over demographic.

Total primetime viewers for the network totaled 427,000 for Democratic voters, CNN reached only 174,000 Dems, while MSNBC hit 255,000.

In the same data bracket for independents, or those with no party affiliation, the network again was way out in front, raking in 709,000 viewers.

CNN managed to rake in only 117,000 independent viewers, while MSNBC took in 155,000, according to the data.

In the highly sought after 25 to 54 demographic, Fox again is out in front before the two, bringing in 54,000 Democratic voters during primetime hours.

CNN managed only 34,000 of those in the same Demographic, while MSNBC managed a meager 18,000.

According to Nielsen MRI Fusion data seen by DailyMail.com, Fox News is the number one cable news network for both Democrats and independents

Chairperson of News Corp Lachlan Murdoch, seen here in 2019, said the company had made a record $781 million in EBITDA

The new data comes after Jeff Collins, President of Advertising Sales at the company, told Puck that advertisers are now swarming the brand due to their record audience share.

Collins told the outlet of their new reach amongst Democrats and independents, saying: ‘There’s a narrative that Fox News does a great job reaching Middle America, but the data shows that it’s actually the entire country.’

Collins said that the Fox audience has always been more diverse, whether that be politically or demographically than their critics want to admit.

His comments were echoed by chairperson of News Corp Lachlan Murdoch, who spoke at a recent earnings call with investors.

The 53-year-old, who took over the reign’s of his father Rupert’s empire in 2023, said the company had made a record $781 million in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) which was fueled by a growth of 20 percent in ads.

He also told investors that Fox News had welcomed over 100 new advertising clients to their platform.

Collins would later tell Puck that the total number of new clients was over 120, and declined to name them.

The outlet added that while he stepped away from naming any of their high profile clients, some ads broadcasted on Friday included Amazon and General Motors.

Collins added that the majority of new clients had not approached the company as part of Super Bowl related deals.

This dominant position, coupled with the influx of new advertising clients, was deemed a ‘big f****** deal’, by media analyst Rich Greenfield.

Greenfield told Puck that Fox News was historically linked with low level advertising partners, and not the likes of Amazon and General Motors.

He added: ‘Now, blue chip advertisers like Unilever have come back onto the platform’.

Seemingly unaffected by trends affecting its contemporaries , the network is gaining ground as the most-watched overall. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins left, and MSNBC’s Joy Reid, right, are seen here

With its best ever January under its belt, Fox News continued its 23-year stretch as cable news’s top dog.

Seemingly unaffected by trends affecting its contemporaries, the network is gaining ground as the most-watched overall.

The distinction was once held by CNN, which recently had layoffs to raise its bottom line. The station also aired plans to shift toward a more digital-based model.

Fox News averaged 1.9 million total day viewers in January – nearly double that of MSNBC and CNN put together.

The left-leaning networks, by contrast, collected 506,000 total day viewers and 421,000, respectively – with the difference in primetime even more drastic.

During the hours of 8-11 pm ET, MSNBC barely managed an audience of 734,000, with CNN securing just 522,000.

This all occurred during a hectic news cycle that featured coverage of Justin Trudeau’s resignation, Trump’s inauguration and the controversy surrounding the president’s parade of appointments and pardons.

Fox enjoyed its best January ever – continuing a 23-year stretch as cable news’s top dog. Pictured, panelists on one of the Murdoch-owned channels top shows

Talking heads ranging from Jake Tapper to Joy Reid failed to stop the bleeding – as did a move from MSNBC that brought back Rachel Maddow to TV sets five times a week, at least for the first 100 days of the new administration.

Fox News, during primetime, raked in an average of 2.8 million viewers – a 40 percent spike when compared to last year, while both MSNBC and CNN experienced double-digit declines.

But the real damage was done in the 25 to 54 demographic.

In primetime, Fox managed to grow its audience by an astounding 61 percent in the demo – as CNN and MSNBC both saw double-digit drops that brought them to their knees, while widening the gap between them and their rival.

Within the all-important demo, CNN slumped to 80,000 viewers during the day and 118,000 in primetime, amid exits from stalwarts such as Jim Acosta and Chris Wallace.

MSNBC, meanwhile, lagged to just 45,000 viewers during the day and just 63,000 during the peak hours of night – with the Maddow experiment seemingly failing.

In terms of percentages, though, the figures were even more alarming; MSNBC essentially lost nearly half of its 25 to 54 audience since this time last year, continuing a 65 percent slide seen since the election.

In primetime, the network’s numbers are down 41 percent from 2024. When it came to programming delivered during the day, the percentage dip was the same.

A view of the signage outside the News Corporation building in New York

Lachlan Murdoch, left, and Rupert Murdoch attend the TIME 100 Gala in New York on April 21, 2015

For CNN, the drop was more slight, though it served as a continuation of a similar ratings fall seen since the election where it lost more than half its audience in a matter of weeks.

In the 25 to 54 demographic during primetime, the Warner-Discovery-owned network was down five percent year-over-year, as well as seven percent during daytime.

At the end of December, the network reported losing 56 percent of its audience during primetime following the usual spikes seen during the election – and 49 percent during the day.

The move by advertisers comes amid a more open acceptance of the new Trump administration for businesses.

In his first term those involved with the president kept their dealings with him behind closed doors.

A more open embrace of Trump has been evident since his inauguration, with the likes of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk all present.

There are also clear direct links between Trump and Fox News, with his daughter-in-law Lara now taking on a job as a host for the network.

Outside of close family, former Fox Hosts Pete Hegseth and Sean Duffy are now serving as his secretaries of Defense and Transportation respectively.