2016 was a wild year for cable news networks, so where did viewers go when they wanted coverage of everything from celebrity deaths to the presidential election? Find out here with the Top 23 shows ranked by rating.
23. “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon”
Lemon’s primetime show averaged 924,000 viewers and is a unique combination of straight newscast and opinion programming. CNN essentially allows Lemon to do what he thinks will benefit viewers on a nightly basis, which was evident when he recently choked up remembering news legend Gwen Ifill.
Also Read: Don Lemon Chokes Up on CNN During Emotional Tribute to Gwen Ifill (Video)
22. “Erin Burnett Outfront”
Burnett continues to be one of the most-watched programs on CNN, averaging 948,000 viewers on a nightly basis.
Also Read: CNN’s Erin Burnett Picks Up 8 Straight Demo Victories
21. “The Kelly File” – repeat
It’s been quite a year for Megyn Kelly and the late-night repeat of “The Kelly File” averages one million viewers per night, topping the live edition of most cable news competitors.
Also Read: Megyn Kelly Takes Jab at Bill O’Reilly’s Claim to ‘No. 1 Cable News Show’
20. “Hardball with Chris Matthews”
Matthews averaged 1.05 million viewers to help MSNBC defeat CNN in the 7 p.m. hour during the wild political year of 2016.
Also Read: MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Admits Trading Trump and Cubs Wins in Devil Pact
19. “All In With Chris Hayes”
Hayes averaged 1.07 million viewers with his unique take on political issues while managing to squeeze in time to grab a drink with TheWrap.
Also Read: Chris Hayes Says Donald Trump Attacks Only Boosted Megyn Kelly’s Career (Video)
18. “11th Hour with Brian Williams”
Brian Williams returned to primetime after a stint as an afternoon breaking news anchor to average 1.14 million viewers, giving MSNBC a hit show while resurrecting Williams’ career at the same time.
17. “Anderson Cooper 360”
Cooper had CNN’s most-watched program of 2016, with 1.14 million viewers. While Cooper is a household name and widely recognized, many will find it odd that he finished behind so many cable news competitors.
Also Read: Anderson Cooper Tears Into Kellyanne Conway Over ‘Irresponsible’ Donald Trump (Video)
16. “Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell”
O’Donnell, who was a writer on “The West Wing” before landing his MSNBC gig, averaged 1.24 million viewers in 2016.
Also Read: ‘West Wing’ Writer Lawrence O’Donnell Explains Why 2016 ‘Ruined’ Political TV Drama
15. “Fox & Friends”
The Fox News morning show hosted Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt averaged 1.27 million viewers. By comparison, cable news rivals “New Day” averaged 508,000 and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” averaged 677,000.
Also Read: Bill O’Reilly Vows to Never Appear on ‘The View’ After Joy Behar’s Trump Comments (Video)
14. Fox News’ 2 p.m. ET Hour
This one is complicated, as “Real Story with Gretchen Carlson” occupied this spot until she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who eventually stepped down in disgrace. Carlson’s old show combined with a variety of replacements averaged 1.35 million viewers.
Also Read: Bill O’Reilly Says Liberals Want to Destroy ‘White Establishment’ (Video)
13. “The O’Reilly Factor” – repeat
Bill O’Reilly is so popular that the late-night repeat of his primetime show averaged more viewers than most competitors pick up on a good night, with 1.39 million viewers tuning into the second run of “Factor.”
Also Read: Why Bill O’Reilly Is Having a Better Month Than You
12. “The Rachel Maddow Show”
Maddow is the most-watched show that isn’t on Fox News Channel, averaging 1.43 million viewers. 2016 was Maddow’s most-watched year in the show’s history.
Also Read: Lester Holt Caps Big Year With ‘NBC Nightly News’ Ratings Victory
11. “Happening Now”
Jon Scott and Jenna Lee anchor the midday newscast that averaged 1.44 million viewers.
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10. “Shepard Smith Reporting”
Fox News’ Smith cracks the Top 10 by averaging 1.47 million viewers during his afternoon newscast.
Also Read: Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith: Roger Ailes Didn’t Care That I’m Gay
9. “Outnumbered”
The afternoon show that features four females and “One Lucky Guy” averaged 1.59 million viewers.
Also Read: Sean Hannity Crashes Neil Cavuto’s Live Show: ‘Do You Know He Doesn’t Answer My Emails?’ (Video)
8. “Your World with Neil Cavuto”
Cavuto emerged as a huge fan favorite when viewers realized how much they missed him during an extended absence to recover from heart surgery. He finished the year averaging 1.6 million viewers.
Also Read: Neil Cavuto Details His Grueling Recovery From Open-Heart Surgery: ‘This Was a Bitch’ (Exclusive)
7. “America’s Newsroom”
Martha MacCallum and Bill Hemmer’s program beat all primetime shows on CNN and MSNBC despite airing from 9-11 a.m. ET.
Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Hints at Return to TV: ‘I Have Received a Tempting Offer’
6. “Tucker Carlson Tonight”
The 7 p.m. ET hour averaged 2.15 million viewers, with “On the Record” and Carlson’s new show combining for the sixth most-watched timeslot of 2016.
Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Hints at Return to TV: ‘I Have Received a Tempting Offer’
5. “Hannity”
Sean Hannity’s right-leaning opinion program emerged as must-see TV for Donald Trump supporters and averaged 2.25 million viewers per night.
Also Read: Sean Hannity Rips CNN’s ‘Alt-Left’ Brian Stelter as ‘Purveyor of Fake News’ (Video)
4. “The Five”
The ensemble cast featuring Eric Bolling, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Greg Gutfeld, Juan Williams and Dana Perino averaged 2.33 million viewers.
Also Read: Why Fox News Is Putting ‘The Five’ Co-Hosts on a 2-Week Bus Ride
3. “Special Report”
Bret Baier’s nightly newscast is the most-watched straight news program among cable television with an average viewership of 2.39 million.
Also Read: Fox News’ Bret Baier Won’t Tell You Who He’s Voting For
2. “The Kelly File”
Megyn Kelly’s star continued to grow in 2016 and the soon-to-be free agent averaged 2.73 million viewers.
Also Read: Short Hair, Don’t Care: Why Tucker Carlson Is Fox News’ Latest Star (Exclusive)
1. “The O’Reilly Factor”
Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” dominated total viewers in 2016, averaging 3.29 million viewers.
Also Read: Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Says ‘Hollywood Is Going Out of Business’ (Exclusive)
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