Fox News Ratings Drop to Historic October Lows

The network saw double-digit declines in total and key demographic viewership throughout October 2026.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Television

Fox News Ratings Drop to Historic October Lows

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Fox News averaged 1.1 million total daily viewers in October 2026, marking a significant downturn compared to performance in October 2025. This performance coincides with the network experiencing its lowest total day viewership levels since December 2023.

Why it matters

Network executives have begun reducing live coverage of Donald Trump's campaign rallies as internal data suggests he no longer consistently drives high ratings. The channel also shifted its programming strategy to include more interviews with Democratic candidates.

Fox News viewership in the 25-54 demographic fell 32 percent year-over-year to 98,000 viewers in October 2026. During the same period, rival networks MS NOW and CNN saw daytime audience increases of 16 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

The players

Fox News

This is a national cable news network that has historically maintained a significant share of the U.S. political media audience.

Donald Trump

As the current President of the United States, his political activities and campaign rallies are significant factors in cable news programming.

MS NOW

This is a cable news network and competitor to Fox News that reported increased daytime viewership during the observation period.

CNN

This is a major American cable news outlet that saw a modest increase in daytime audience figures during October 2026.

The details

Fox & Friends recorded fewer than 1 million total viewers for two consecutive months, reflecting a trend of declining engagement. Primetime programming fared slightly better, averaging 2 million total viewers and 183,000 viewers within the 25-54 demographic.

December 2023: The last time total day viewership figures were this low.
October 2025: The baseline used for year-over-year data comparisons.
October 2026: The month in which Fox News reached these historic viewership lows.
November 3, 2026: The scheduled date for the midterm elections.

Industry Dynamics

This decline reflects broader shifts in the cable news landscape where reliance on established political figures like Donald Trump is increasingly scrutinized. The success of competitor networks signals that audience attention is fragmenting as networks experiment with new content strategies.

Viewers may notice changes in television scheduling and the types of guests featured on programs as networks adjust their strategies to capture lost interest. These shifts directly impact the content variety and perspectives presented to the average cable news consumer.

The takeaway

Cable news networks are actively re-evaluating their reliance on specific political figures to maintain audience share. Viewers should expect continued programming adjustments as networks prioritize ratings recovery ahead of major political events.