More Americans Tuned in to Watch Trump’s Historic Inauguration on Fox News
Fox News Channel dominated ratings for President Donald Trump’s inauguration, drawing more viewers than any other network. According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News averaged 10.3 million total viewers and 2 million in the coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54 during the 12:30pm-1pm ET time period.
Fox Business also saw a significant audience, with 282,000 total viewers. Together, Fox News and Fox Business peaked at nearly 11 million viewers combined, making up a whopping 80% of the cable news audience share.
Trailing behind were ABC, NBC, and CBS, with ABC drawing 4.7 million total viewers, NBC with 4.4 million, and CBS with 4.1 million. CNN and MSNBC fell far behind, with CNN drawing 1.7 million viewers and MSNBC reaching 848,000.
Fox News’ anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum led the network’s coverage, and the network’s dominance continued into primetime. Fox News averaged over 6 million total viewers and 1 million in the key demo between 8-11pm ET.
MSNBC trailed in second place with an average of 1.1 million total viewers and 93,000 viewers in the key demo, while CNN drew one million total viewers and 269,000 viewers in the key demo.
In addition to strong TV ratings, Fox News saw significant growth on its digital platforms, with its digital properties having their best day in media initiatives and minutes spent since the 2024 presidential election. FOX News Go saw an 83% increase in total view time, a 72% surge in media initiatives, and a 35% increase in unique viewing devices.
