MSNBC host Rachel Maddow had the most-watched show in cable news in August, making it the second month in a row as No. 1. Maddow ended the month with 2.783 million total viewers, according to data released by Nielsen Media research and reported by Forbes.
Fox News‘ Sean Hannity was a close second, with 2.679 million total viewers. Forbes reports the remaining shows in the top five for the month were Fox News’ Tucker Carlson (2.483 million), MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell (2.352 million) and Fox News’ The Five (2.351 million).
Maddow was also first among adults 25-54, which is the critical demographic to advertisers.
However, MSNBC still trailed behind Fox News Channel. FNC averaged 2.2 million viewers in prime time, reports Forbes, putting Fox in first place among all cable networks in prime for the month. Fox has a 14-month streak as the top-rated cable network based on total day ratings and 188 straight months as No. 1 in cable news, writes Forbes.
However, MSNBC is still No. 1 in prime for the month among slightly younger viewers, adults 18-49.
In the key advertiser demo, the race is tight. FNC came in first in prime time, CNN in second and MSNBC in third. All the networks saw their audiences rise in the demo compared to a year ago.
Forbes writes that the month was dominated by coverage of President Trump. He frequently mentions ratings as an indicator of how what he calls “fake news” media is doing.
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