Midterm ratings up 23% from 2022
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Steve Kornacki analyzes election data on NBC News' Decision 2026 broadcast. Photo: Courtesy of NBC News
More than 31 million people watched midterm elections coverage in primetime across 13 live television news networks Tuesday, surpassing 2022 viewership by an impressive 23% but still down 14% from 2018, according to Nielsen data.
Why it matters: A historic night for Democrats drew a slightly younger audience. Around 9% of viewers were between ages 18-34, up from 7% in 2022.
Zoom in: NBC News drew the highest number of total viewers in primetime Tuesday with 6.7 million, followed by ABC (5.2 million), Fox News (4.3 million), CNN (4.1 million), MS NOW (3.7 million) and CBS (2.8 million).
- Total viewership grew across every network except Fox News. NBC News saw a 116% increase in total viewers from 2022, followed by CNN (58%), ABC News (58%), MS NOW (16%) and CBS (12%).
- While Fox News saw the highest number of viewers compared to its main cable competitors, its ratings fell around 40% compared to the last midterm election.
Yes, but: CNN drew a significantly larger audience than either MS NOW or Fox News across the lucrative 25-54 year-old demographic.
- NBC News had the highest number of viewers in that age bracket with 2.8 million, followed by ABC (1.7 million), CNN (1.5 million), CBS (798,000), Fox News (771,000), MS NOW (665,000).
- A whopping 30% of CNN's primetime audience was between the ages of 18 and 49.
Of note: Other networks that also aired live coverage in primetime included Telemundo, Univision, CNNe, Fox Business, Newsmax and NewsNation.
- Univision and Teleumndo both drew sizable audiences, attracting 1.5 million and 1 million total viewers, respectively. Newsmax drew roughly 576,000 viewers, while NewsNation, a newer cable network, drew 232,000.
The big picture: This year there were dozens of independent journalists and creators who also drove millions of collective views on social and streaming platforms.
- Nielsen's data does not take into account social media views and livestreams outside of those from the major networks s live linear programs were watched on connected televisions.
- Nielsen's data includes viewership from out-of-home venues, such as bars and restaurants.
What to watch: Fox News' ratings dip leading up to the elections suggests conservatives had been tuning out of the news cycle ahead of an expected blue wave. It's unclear whether that trend will continue now that Democrats have overwhelmingly taken back the House and Senate.
Disclosure: The author of this article is a paid contributor for CNN.
