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Viewers stayed away from Fox News on a disappointing election night for Republicans

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Cite

Washington, J. B. i. (2026, November 4). Viewers stayed away from Fox News on a disappointing election night for Republicans. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/nov/04/fox-news-midterm-ratings

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-11-04 · by Jeremy Barr in Washington

Quick Summary

On a disappointing election night for Republicans, Fox News Channel experienced lower viewership compared to competitors like NBC, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Preliminary Nielsen ratings show Fox News had 3.882 million viewers from 8 to 11 pm, while competitors like NBC had 6.519 million viewers. The network's CEO acknowledged viewer fatigue due to Trump's unpopularity, and Trump himself criticized the ratings decline on social media, blaming it on biased coverage.
Written by AI on 2026-11-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On a disappointing midterm election night for Republicans, where Democrats took control of both the US House and Senate, Fox News saw its lowest viewership on election night since at least 2022. According to preliminary Nielsen ratings released on November 4, 2026, Fox News averaged only 3.882 million total viewers between 8 PM and 11 PM, falling behind broadcast networks NBC (6.519 million) and ABC (4.906 million), as well as cable rivals CNN (3.927 million) and MS Now (3.922 million). Despite this decline, Fox News still outperformed CBS News, which had 2.629 million viewers. While the numbers are preliminary and likely to be revised upward when final data is released on Thursday, they highlight a significant shift in viewer behavior reflecting disillusionment with Donald Trump's party.

Written for “Fox News Low Ratings Election Night” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Fox News Low Ratings Election Night
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
15%
2 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Jeremy Barr in Washington
12 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s midterm elections, Donald Trump made clear that he would place some blame on his favorite cable channel, Fox News, if his party did poorly.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Trump blamed Fox News for Republican losses even as network’s hosts went easy on him
🔮 On Tuesday, for the first time in more than 20 years, Jim Acosta, a former CNN stalwart, will not be working for a mainstream television network on election night.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · ‘The content creator election’: digital streamers and TV networks face off for midterms coverage
🔮 Vega was among several correspondents and producers fired in May as part of a revamp of the show by CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, who hired the tech journalist Nick Bilton as executive producer.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega on overhaul at CBS News: ‘It hurts to watch’
🔮 CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has spoken publicly for the first time about the ratings challenges the network has experienced under her year-long tenure, sidestepping concerns about diminished viewership at the Sunday show 60 Minutes by saying it was not her top priority. “I could never build anything if I were focused on the precise number of people that happen to tune in to the second feature on 60 Minutes on a given Sunday,” she said at an industry conference on Wednesday organized by the tech publication the Information.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Embattled CBS leader Bari Weiss downplays concerns about weak 60 Minutes ratings
🔮 In the event that the Republican party faces a wipe-out next Tuesday, Stirewalt says: “I think the president will definitely be chippy about it and say stuff, but I think one of the lessons is that [Fox News] survived and the symbiotic relationship goes both ways.”
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Loves me, loves me not: Trump and allies target Fox News over coverage
🔮 Phillips made his blunt suggestion during a contentious meeting of the network’s London bureau on Tuesday, during which the foreign editor, Shayndi Raice, went on a lengthy tirade criticizing unnamed staffers for suggesting that editorial oversight amounted to “interference” and informing colleagues that disobeying editors would be insubordination and “legal grounds for firing”.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Sir Trevor Phillips encouraged CBS News colleagues to tell critics to ‘fuck off’
🔮 But that temporary restraining order expired on Tuesday, bringing the media companies into court late last week to ask for a preliminary injunction that would lift the ban during the duration of the lawsuit, which could take months.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Judge extends White House access to banned media outlets CNN, MS Now and Politico
🔮 That temporary reprieve was scheduled to expire on Thursday, but district court judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would extend it until Tuesday and that he would likely rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction by that day.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Trump made ‘clear’ that media ban was due to critical coverage, lawyer tells judge
🔮 The five networks that serve in the primary television pool have taken it day by day since the White House originally banned CNN on 18 September, initially suspending operation before tentatively kicking back into action this past Friday. As they did on Saturday, none of the other four networks will take CNN’s place on Thursday, meaning there will be no primary pool footage, though networks could cover individual parts of his trip. CNN did not comment on the network’s exclusion on Thursday.
2026-10-01 · assertive framing · White House removes CNN from press pool for second time in a week
🔮 ABC had been listed as the TV pooler for the day, but held off until the network received assurances that CNN would be let back into the pool.
2026-09-25 · assertive framing · White House television pool resumes after banned news outlets regain access
Also by Jeremy Barr in Washington
Trump blamed Fox News for Republican losses even as network’s hosts went easy on him
2026-11-04 · The Guardian
‘The content creator election’: digital streamers and TV networks face off for midterms coverage
2026-11-02 · The Guardian
Ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega on overhaul at CBS News: ‘It hurts to watch’
2026-10-30 · The Guardian
Embattled CBS leader Bari Weiss downplays concerns about weak 60 Minutes ratings
2026-10-28 · The Guardian
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 12 articles by Jeremy Barr in Washington →

Topics

CNN Fox Fox News MS Now Republicans

Subjects

Fox News ORG · 3× Trump PERSON · 3× CNN ORG · 2× Fox ORG · 2× MS Now ORG · 2× Democrats NORP · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× House ORG · 1× Republicans NORP · 1× Senate ORG · 1×

Narrative

Trump, who criticized Fox throughout election night and blamed the network for his party’s losses, poked fun at the network’s October figures in a Truth Social post, chalking up the decline to the channel’s industry-standard practice of booking Democratic candidates for interviews. “FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they’re spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!” he wrote on Tuesday evening.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-04
2026-11-04 · The Guardian
Viewers stayed away from Fox News on a disappointing election night for Republicans · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 2 hedged)

On a midterm election night that was a huge disappointment for Republicans, with Democrats taking control of the US House and Senate, the country’s most prominent conservative television network felt the brunt of viewer disillusionment with Donald Trump and his party, according to preliminary audience numbers. uncertain
network → take → numbers
The Fox News Channel, which often leads in viewership on election night, appears to have come out far behind the competition. asserted
which → lead → competition
According to preliminary “Fast Nationals” ratings dating from the Nielsen firm, the network averaged 3.882 million total viewers between 8 and 11pm, far behind broadcast networks NBC (6.519 million viewers) and ABC (4.906 million viewers), and even trailing fellow cable networks CNN (3.927 million viewers) and MS Now (3.922 million viewers). uncertain
network → accord → CNN
Fox News did, however, defeat CBS News, which attracted just 2.629 million viewers. asserted
which → defeat → viewers
Because the numbers are preliminary, they are likely to be revised upwards when final audience data is released on Thursday. asserted
data → revise → Thursday
Overall, the big six television networks averaged 25.784 million total viewers during prime-time election coverage, up from 22.215 million total viewers in 2022. asserted
networks → average → 2022
During those 2022 elections, Fox News averaged 7.422 million viewers. asserted
News → average → viewers
With Trump reaching historic levels of unpopularity, Fox News has seen viewers tune out in recent months. asserted
viewers → reach → months
Last month, the network’s viewership was down 27% compared with the same month last year in total day viewers, though it still handily defeated CNN and MS Now. asserted
it → compare → CNN
Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of parent company Fox Corp, acknowledged “viewer fatigue” in an earnings call on Monday. asserted
Murdoch → acknowledge → Monday
Trump, who criticized Fox throughout election night and blamed the network for his party’s losses, poked fun at the network’s October figures in a Truth Social post, chalking up the decline to the channel’s industry-standard practice of booking Democratic candidates for interviews. “FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they’re spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!” he wrote on Tuesday evening. asserted
he → criticize → evening
“All of those people who used to watch Fox, and no longer do, get it. asserted
who → use → it
It’s them, not me – My numbers are better than they have ever been.” asserted
they → ’ → ?
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