The cable news ratings for April showed gains across the board, with CNN delivering its best primetime performance in two years and MS NOW’s Morning Joe amassing its largest audience since fall 2024.
According to Mediaite, citing Nielsen data, CNN averaged just under 1 million total viewers in primetime, up significantly from just under 600,000 in the same period in 2025. The network also averaged 181,000 viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic, up 48 percent on last year.
CNN’s weekend numbers were also strong across primetime, with an average of 910,000 total viewers and 157,000 demo viewers.
MS NOW also saw gains, averaging 1.5 million total viewers and 160,000 key demo viewers in weekday primetime. This was up 20 percent in total viewers and up 40 percent in the demo compared to the same period last year.
The Rachel Maddow Show continued to be MS NOW’s big winner, averaging 2.4 million total viewers and 278,000 demo viewers for the month of April. This marked the show’s largest audience since the fall of 2024.
Morning Joe also delivered its biggest numbers since the 2024 presidential election. The Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski-hosted morning program averaged 852,000 total viewers and 94,000 demo viewers for the month.
Meanwhile, NewsNation posted its strongest primetime numbers in the network’s history, averaging 192,000 total viewers and 27,000 demo viewers, up 170% year-over-year.
However, Fox News continued to dominate its competition, delivering its third-most-watched April in history. In primetime, the network averaged 2.9 million total viewers and 284,000 demo viewers across Monday through Sunday.
The Five maintained its top spot as the most-watched show, averaging 3.8 million total viewers. Jesse Watters Primetime averaged 3.6 million, Hannity averaged 3.2 million, Gutfeld! brought in 3 million, and Special Report with Bret Baier amassed around 3 million. All five shows took up the top five spots for most-watched on cable news in April.
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