Fox News Channel outdraws CNN, MSNBC combined for fifth straight week

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Media top headlines September 21

In media news today, the media peddles a narrative that horseback Border Patrol agents were using whips on Haitian migrants, Jen Psaki gets hammered for citing Biden's history with grief while discussing errant Afghanistan drone strike, and the media frets over too many white Emmy winners

Fox News Channel outdrew CNN and MSNBC combined across multiple categories for the fifth straight week as Americans sought news and analysis related to the crisis along the southern border, COVID pandemic, botched Afghanistan withdrawal, and missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito. 

Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers from September 13-19 to finish No. 1 among all of basic cable while no other networks surpassed one million viewers. MSNBC finished second with 767,000 and ESPN finished third with 747,000. 

"Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 3.4 million viewers to finish the month as the most-watched cable news program. (Fox news)

Fox News also finished No. 1 during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m., averaging 2.7 million viewers. ESPN averaged two million to finish second, followed by MSNBC’s 1.4 million. CNN failed to crack the top five networks during primetime and settled for an average viewership of only 799,000. 

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Fox News has now topped CNN and MSNBC combined in both categories for five consecutive weeks, while also beating the liberal networks' combined viewership among the key news demographic of adults age 25-54 over the same time period. 

"Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 3.4 million viewers to finish as the most-watched show on cable news, followed by "The Five" which averaged 3.1 million viewers to finish ahead of anything CNN or MSNBC had to offer in more coveted timeslots. "Hannity" drew 3.1 million viewers to finish third, and "The Ingraham Angle" averaged 2.5 million viewers to finish fourth. 

"Fox & Friends" averaged 1.3 million viewers to beat MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" and CNN’s "New Day" for the 26th consecutive week, topping the liberal morning shows combined among both total viewers and the demo. 

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Fox News’ dominance was on full display Saturday when it outdrew CNN and MSNBC during every hour of the day, led by strong showings from "Watters World," "Justice with Judge Jeanine" and "Unfiltered with Dan Bongino."

On Sunday, "A Gabby Petito Investigation with Nancy Grace" finished as the most-watched show of the weekend among the key demo, and "Life, Liberty and Levin" finished as the most-watched cable news show of the weekend among total viewers. "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" beat CNN and MSNBC combined in both categories. 

While Americans chose Fox News over CNN and MSNBC during the busy news week, the network topped broadcast options, too. 

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"America’s Newsroom" with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino averaged 1.6 million viewers to beat NBC’s "Today with Hoda and Jenna" and ABC’s "GMA3" for the third straight week, while "Gutfeld!" averaged 1.7 million viewers to top ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and NBC’s "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon."