March 30 Cable News Ratings: Live Events Boost Wednesday’s Viewership
The week of March 30, 2026 produced notable shifts in cable news audiences. Two major live events occurred on the same Wednesday. Networks posted gains in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo.
Live event spikes drove Wednesday’s ratings
Coverage of the Artemis II launch (6-7 p.m. ET) and President Trump’s primetime address (9-9:30 p.m. ET) lifted viewership. Live Events clearly boosted Wednesday interest across networks.
During the Artemis II window, Fox News led with 4,000,000 total viewers and 493,000 Adults 25-54. CNN drew 2,229,000 total viewers and 485,000 A25-54. MS NOW attracted 1,406,000 viewers and 172,000 in the demo.
For the presidential address, Fox News again led in total viewers with 6,654,000 and 1,002,000 A25-54. MS NOW reached 1,910,000 total and 265,000 in the demo. CNN had 1,676,000 total and 339,000 A25-54.
Weekly averages and week-to-week movement
Nielsen big data + panel numbers for the week of March 30 show Fox News with the largest primetime audience. Fox averaged 2,763,000 primetime viewers and 300,000 A25-54.
Fox was up 4% in total viewers and 16% in the demo versus the prior week. In total day, Fox averaged 1,726,000 viewers and 179,000 A25-54, up 1% and 6% respectively.
MS NOW averaged 1,260,000 primetime viewers and 132,000 in A25-54. That represented gains of 8% in total viewers and 31% in the demo week-over-week. Its total day average was 752,000 viewers and 82,000 A25-54, up 6% and 17%.
CNN averaged 810,000 primetime viewers and 135,000 A25-54. The network rose 8% in total viewers and 2% in the demo week-over-week. Total day averages were 598,000 viewers and 94,000 A25-54, with gains of 8% and 3%.
Rankings and movement among cable networks
Fox News finished first in total primetime viewership. It slipped from third to fourth in the primetime demo among basic cable channels.
MS NOW moved from third to fourth in total primetime viewers. It jumped from 17th to eighth in the primetime demo.
CNN dropped from fifth to sixth in primetime total viewers. It remained seventh in the demo during primetime.
Year-over-year performance
Compared with the same period last year, Fox News saw small declines. Primetime was down 1% in total viewers and 10% in A25-54. Total day was down 1% and 20% respectively.
MS NOW posted year-over-year gains. The network rose 2% in primetime total viewers and 17% in the demo. Its total day performance increased 7% and 19%.
CNN showed strong growth versus last year. Primetime totals jumped 42%, with an 18% rise in A25-54. Total day improved 33% in total viewers and 24% in the demo.
Top programs
Fox News dominated the weekly program list. The network claimed 13 of the 15 most-watched cable news shows.
Hannity was the week’s top program. It averaged 3,787,000 total viewers weeknights at 9 p.m. ET and 453,000 in the A25-54 demo.
MS NOW placed two shows in the top list. The Rachel Maddow Show (Mondays at 9 p.m. ET) ranked seventh with 2,436,000 total viewers. MS NOW’s Wednesday airing of the presidential address logged 1,750,000 total viewers in 14th place.
CNN’s Mission to the Moon coverage placed in the top demo rankings. It logged 334,000 A25-54 viewers and finished sixth in the demo chart.
| Fox News | MS NOW | CNN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Time – Total Viewers | 2,763,000 | 1,260,000 | 810,000 |
| Prime Time – A25-54 | 300,000 | 132,000 | 135,000 |
| Total Day – Total Viewers | 1,726,000 | 752,000 | 598,000 |
| Total Day – A25-54 | 179,000 | 82,000 | 94,000 |
Filmogaz.com compiled these figures from Nielsen’s big data + panel for the week of March 30. Cable News Ratings data show that Live Events gave Wednesday’s viewership a clear boost.
