Audience Insights: Differences and Similarities Among Cable News Viewers – And How to Reach Them

Cable news viewers are tuning in this election season. Here are a few things to know about how and where to reach them.

Breaking can be a fascinating and multifaceted concept. 

The Eagles’ 1979 classic “The Long Run” captures a common connotation of being pushed perilously close to the edge – i.e., “kinda bent, but we ain’t breaking.”  For Turbo, Ozone, and their friends in the 1984 cinematic masterpiece Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogalo, another kind of breaking proves to be the key to saving their beloved community center. 

In media circles, breaking news often indicates the height of intrigue.  Particularly in a presidential election year, public interest in an ever-changing news cycle can drive viewers to a variety of video outlets – especially Cable news networks.  This year’s first presidential debate back on June 27 is a prime example.  Nationally, the Cable news trio of CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC averaged a combined 22.9 million viewers for the debate – outpacing the 19.6 million average across ABC, CBS, and NBC.⁽¹⁾ 

Inspired by that debate performance, our team here at the Audience Insights desk jumped into breaking down key differences – and perhaps surprising similarities – among viewers of the three major Cable news networks.  Here now is a look at what we found:

Overall, CNN and Fox News compare favorably to each other, while MSNBC has more overlap with CNN.  Based on Cox Media analysis of Scarborough national data, both Fox News and CNN reach about half of Cable news viewers in a typical week.  Fox News, though, holds a 3-to-2 advantage over CNN in terms of exclusive viewers.  MSNBC, meanwhile, has more crossover with CNN than exclusive viewers.⁽²⁾

Illustration 1 – All Cable News Viewers

But party affiliation drives distinct differences in audience distribution.  When it comes to reaching Democrats who watch Cable news networks, CNN holds a nearly 7-to-1 edge over Fox News in exclusive viewers – and MSNBC jumps to almost 50% in overall weekly reach (see Illustration 2).  Flipping to the other side of the aisle, though, paints a dramatically different picture, as an astounding 75% of Republican news viewers watch Fox News exclusively during a typical week (see Illustration 3).⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾

Illustration 2 – Democratic Viewers

Illustration 3 – Republican Viewers

Despite the news differences, both sides agree on other Cable networks.  According to Cox Media analysis of Comscore network duplication data, viewers of the three major Cable news networks share striking similarities when it comes to the sports and general entertainment networks viewed in the home.  During the May 2024 broadcast month, a total of nine ad-supported Cable networks ranked among the ten most-watched non-news networks within homes that watched CNN, homes that watched Fox News, and homes that watched MSNBC (see Illustration 4).⁽⁵⁾

Illustration 4 – Shared Interest in Non-News Networks

And regardless of political leanings, Cable news viewers have rallied behind Streaming.  According to the most recent Scarborough survey, more than four of every five Cable news viewers have also used a video Streaming service in the past month.  CNN viewers lead the way at 86% Streaming usage, followed by MSNBC at 85% and Fox News at 81% (see Illustration 5).⁽⁶⁾

Illustration 5 – Streaming Usage Among Cable News Viewers

Put it all together and the headline becomes clear.  Cox Media has the multiscreen capabilities to reach viewers of any political persuasion – without breaking the bank!

Questions?  Use the form on this page to connect with a Marketing Expert or contact your local Cox Media team today!

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Sources:

1. Cox Media analysis of Nielsen NPOWER data; Total. U.S.; Persons 2+ (Live+SD).
2. Cox Media analysis of Scarborough USA Plus 2023 R2 data (Jun22-Oct23); Base = Adults 18+ who watched CNN or Fox News Channel or MSNBC in past seven days.
3. Above Scarborough base edited to include adults whose political party affiliation is either “Democrat” or “Independent but feel closer to Democrat.”
4. Same as above but political party affiliation is either “Republican” or “Independent but feel closer to Republican.”
5. Cox Media analysis of Comscore TV Essentials network audience duplication data for May 2024 broadcast month (4/29/2024-5/26/2024); Total U.S. household tuning (Total Day); networks represented each rank among 10 most-watched ad-supported non-news Cable networks within homes that watched CNN, FXNC, MSNBC.
6. Cox Media analysis of Scarborough USA Plus 2023 R2 data (Jan23-Oct23).