400 most-watched cable news telecasts during December all aired on Fox News Channel

The Dec. 9 edition of "The Five" was the No. 1 cable news program of the month with 4.4 million total viewers. Other episodes of "The Five," with Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro, and rotating co-hosts Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr., occupied much of the top 20, along with the Dec. 3 and 4 editions of "Jesse Watters Tonight." 

The most-watched, non-Fox News program to air on cable news during the month of December was MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," which managed 1.4 million total viewers on Dec. 9 to finish as the No. 401-ranked program. 

The most-watched CNN program was the Dec. 9 edition of "CNN News Central," which averaged 700,000 total viewers to rank No. 682 among cable news episodes. 

Fox News regularly dominated cable news viewership but sweeping the top 400 programs is seen as a unique milestone that puts a spotlight on the struggles of MSNBC and CNN to attract an audience in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's victory. 

Fox News Channel dominated competitors in 2024, finishing the year with its highest share of the cable news audience since 2015. FNC averaged 1.5 million total day viewers and 2.4 million during primetime to top all cable options and has finished No. 1 in both categories for nine straight years.

All ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.