Fox News ratings drop on Republican election night
The gist
Fox News lost roughly 40% of its prime-time election night audience versus the 2022 midterms, per Nielsen ratings.
The drop came as Republicans were beaten in the midterms.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Republicans suffered a disastrous night at the polls as Democrats beat them in the 2026 midterm elections.
- Nov 4, 2026Fox News saw a ratings drop on the bleak election night for Republicans, defeating only CBS News in total viewers.
- Nov 4, 2026The Guardian reported Fox set an election-night record with 14.1 million viewers, but it then suffered viewer backlash and dropped behind rivals.
Key terms
- prime-time
- The block of broadcast programming aired during the middle of the evening, when television audiences are largest.
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- Nielsen ratings
- A television audience measurement system by Nielsen Media Research that counts viewers and is used to decide whether shows are renewed or canceled.
Source: Wikipedia