May was not kind to Fox News. Its first full month without the now-departed Tucker Carlson saw primetime ratings tank by a whopping 32% as conservatives tuned in elsewhere or tuned out altogether.
Though technically still employed by the network, Carlson’s primetime juggernaut “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was taken off the air in late April. The lineup that enjoyed a rating bonanza for years instead limped through May and barely edged the laughable MSNBC in nightly viewership.
Ratings come courtesy of Nielsen through Fox News and MSNBC.
The numbers don’t lie.
Fox News drew in an average of 2.072 million primetime viewers in April, but that number plummeted to only 1.417 million last month.
Even more dire is the word that the primary demographic, viewers in the 25-54 age range, shrank by a startling 44%. April saw 240,000 in this group that sets advertising rates glued to the tube, but May only drew 135,000.
An analysis of primetime ratings shows that @FoxNews has seen an approximate decline of 1 million total viewers on average for its primetime lineup after @TuckerCarlson's April departure. https://t.co/5ilKVSVBgf
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) May 29, 2023
According to Breitbart News, Fox’s year-over-year ratings momentum is deep in negative territory. The network lost 25% in total day viewers, 45% of the total day demo, 38% in total primetime viewers, and 62% in the primetime demo compared to May 2022.
Trailing just behind Fox’s 1.42 million primetime viewers was the far-left programming of MSNBC with 1.14 million. The network enjoyed a 14% increase from last May.
CNN’s plunge into ratings depths continued with a 25% loss to just 494,000.
Fox News attempted to fill the prime slot vacated by Carlson’s departure with several hosts, but none have gained traction. The beloved conservative mouthpiece averaged 3.25 million viewers in March, his last full month on the job.
Meanwhile, his replacements have pulled in only about half of that haul.
Network executives would point to the fact that it is still winning the 8 p.m. time slot, but much of the viewership has trickled away. Of note are the ratings for Newsmax’s Eric Bolling, which have seen a surge since Carlson’s show was pulled.
MSNBC crowed about the Rachel Maddow Show, which only appears on Monday nights. It won its one-night time slot in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.
