Fox News is learning what many have known for quite some time: Everything Donald Trump touches dies.
At the moment, Fox’s ratings are on life support, with Oliver Darcy of Status reporting that Fox’s latest Nielsen ratings are the lowest for the conservative “news” network in almost three years.
“On Wednesday, each of the television news networks will release their October ratings numbers. Ahead of the midterms, especially with the stakes as high as they are this November, the networks would typically be expected to post viewership gains as audiences tune in for coverage of the consequential races. And when the ratings are ultimately sent to reporters with splashy press releases, CNN and MS NOW will both have increases in audience to tout compared to the same time last year.”
“But there will be one glaring anomaly: Fox News. Ratings for the pro-MAGA network are not only on pace to fail to grow on a year-over-year basis, they’re actually on track to decline by a staggering margin.”
Even worse for the Fox is what a deep dive into their latest ratings reveal: When it comes to viewers ages 25 to 54, the demographic advertisers covet most, “the picture is even worse.” Fox News is set to post its lowest-rated month in that group in 25 years, averaging a mere 98,000 viewers. That’s a 27% drop in total viewers from last October and a 32% plunge in the 25-54 demographic.
Even Fox’s primetime shows with hosts such as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are seeing a precipitous decline in their viewers, which suggests he network will no longer have those sources of revenue to help bolster other losses in the news division.
Fox’s decline is also a bad sign for Republicans and the Trump administration, because it means fewer potential voters are turning to the network for news or other programming, a shift that could wind up spelling doom for Fox.
The ratings are more positive for news outlets such as MS NOW and CNN, both of which have seen their viewership boom by 16 and 3 percent respectively.
In an attempt to stem the loss of so many viewers, Darcy notes, Fox has stopped carrying Trump’s rallies live.
“It was a notable shift for the outlet, which has often treated the president’s speeches as must-see television, though it has started airing them closer to the midterms, including on Tuesday evening. The decision appeared reflective not only of Trump’s record low approval numbers, but also of his ability to draw an audience. Indeed, if Trump’s rallies were a big ratings draw, Fox News would likely be thrilled to air them live as the network once did.”
While it’s too much to say that Fox will shrivel and die, the decline in viewers could suggest that the network will either have to adjust to new realities or become irrelevant.
