Murdoch Attributes Fox News Ratings Drop to Viewer Fatigue
Fox News lost viewers in October compared with a year earlier, but CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the decline reflected audience fatigue rather than viewers moving to rival channels. Speaking to investors on November 2, he said the network had seen this pattern before and had a plan for navigating it.
Murdoch compared the current midterm cycle to 2006, when a second-term president was approaching the halfway point of his term. He said major events in the previous year—including the start of Donald Trump’s presidency and the fatal attack on right-wing activist Charlie Kirk—had created a difficult comparison for this year.
Fox averaged about 1.1 million viewers across the day in October, down 27% year over year, and its primetime audience fell 28%, figures show. CNN and MS NOW gained viewers over the same period. Fox nonetheless remained ahead of the two cable news competitors combined.
The ratings weakness has not prevented Fox Corp. from benefiting financially from the election cycle. Murdoch said political advertising brought in more than $350 million in the quarter ending September 30, including more than $250 million for local television stations. He also said the company’s national networks and streaming service Tubi generated political ad revenue.
Murdoch said Fox was in strong shape and expected to work through the ratings trend. The company is now approaching the midterms, followed by the start of the next presidential primary cycle.
Fox Blames Viewer Fatigue as Rivals Gain Ground
Fox News’ ratings are falling as the midterms approach, and CEO Lachlan Murdoch is explaining the slide as viewer fatigue rather than a shift toward competing networks. That defense comes as CNN and MS NOW have gained viewers while Fox has lost them.
Fox averaged about 1.1 million viewers across the day in October, 27% fewer than a year earlier; its prime-time audience dropped 28%. The network still outdraws CNN and MS NOW combined, but its lead does not erase the loss of audience while political attention is building around the election.
Murdoch said Fox’s audience had been exposed to an unusually intense news cycle in the previous year, including the start of Donald Trump’s presidency and the fatal attack on right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. He likened the current moment to the 2006 midterms and said viewers were watching less television rather than switching channels.
The business picture is more favorable: Murdoch said political advertising generated more than $350 million in the quarter ending September 30, including over $250 million for Fox’s local stations. Yet the contrast is striking: election-season ad spending is strong even as Fox News loses viewers and rivals grow.
Murdoch said Fox has navigated similar downturns before and is confident in its approach. The midterms will test that confidence, with the next presidential primary cycle to follow.
Fox Still Leads as Murdoch Says Viewers Are Tuning Out
Fox News remains the cable news leader despite a sharp ratings decline, and CEO Lachlan Murdoch says the figures reflect audience fatigue—not viewers abandoning the network for its competitors. Fox still draws more viewers than CNN and MS NOW combined.
Fox averaged about 1.1 million viewers across the day in October, down 27% from a year earlier, while its primetime audience fell 28%. Murdoch said the previous year’s unusually eventful news cycle, including the start of Donald Trump’s presidency and the fatal attack on right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, made for a tough comparison. He also compared this midterm period to 2006 and said Fox has a playbook for such dips.
CNN and MS NOW gained viewers as Fox declined, but Murdoch said Fox’s audience was watching less television overall rather than switching channels. He said the company’s news business remained in strong shape, and the network continues to reach a larger audience than its cable rivals combined.
The election has also delivered substantial advertising revenue. Murdoch said political ads brought in more than $350 million in the quarter ending September 30, including more than $250 million at local stations. Fox’s ad gains show that weaker ratings have not kept the company from benefiting financially from the midterm cycle.
Murdoch said the network knows how to move through viewer fatigue. The midterms are the immediate test, with a new presidential primary cycle expected to begin afterward.
Reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline, CNN, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Newsweek, The Daily Caller.
