Fox News continues to be the giant of cable news, but MSNBC is now the fastest-growing cable network and closing the gap, while CNN slips further behind.
According to data released today by Nielsen, Fox News Channel delivered a total prime-time audience of 2.5 million viewers, up 3% from 2017.
But MSNBC, which finished the year in second place with 1.8 million viewers in prime, led cable news in terms of growth: up 12% from last year.
That makes 2018 MSNBC’s best-ever also, with a trend that may have executives at NBC dreaming of a day when Fox News is knocked from its perch as the dominant force in cable news.
This becomes MSNBC’s fourth consecutive year of growth, closing the prime-time gap on Fox News by 23%—the closest the two networks have been in 18 years.
MSNBC’s ratings put it on track to be the fastest-growing network among the top 20 cable networks, and The 11th Hour with Brian Williams is on track to finish 2018 in first place at 11 p.m., which would be the first MSNBC show to finish No. 1 in a prime-time slot since 1999.
Republicans and conservatives have rallied behind Fox News for years, while Democrats and liberals have split their viewing choices.
CNN, meanwhile, will be glad to close the door on 2018, finishing in third place overall, with an average prime-time audience of 990,000—down 6% from 2017.
CNN did have one show in the top 10 for the year, Cuomo Prime Time, hosted by Chris Cuomo, which finished in ninth place among viewers 25-54, the demographic group most coveted by leading national advertisers.
The rest of the top 10 cable news shows were split between Fox News and MSNBC, with Fox News claiming six of the top ten programs in the demo.
Hannity was the highest-rated cable news show for the second year, with an average audience of 643,000 (viewers 25-54) and a total audience of 3.275 million.
On the business news channels, the Fox Business Network topped CNBC for the second straight year in the category of “business day” viewers, according to Nielsen Media.
Overall, Fox Business registered four of the top five rated business network programs in 2018, with “Lou Dobbs Tonight” leading the way with an average of 345,000 viewers per night.
MSNBC’s took second place overall among total viewers (2.881 million) and in the demo (582,000).
What might the new year bring?
There are intriguing morsels in some of the final weeks of 2018.
Since the midterm elections in November, MSNBC averaged 2.039 million total viewers (+11% vs. 2017), compared with Fox News’ 2.136 million (-22% vs. 2017).
In that period, MSNBC’s gap on Fox News closed from 900,000 to just 100,000, according to Nielsen data.