Broadcast networks drew a larger audience than cable channels during U.S. midterm election coverage for the first time in six election cycles. Nielsen ratings show 31.21 million people watched primetime coverage across 13 broadcast and cable outlets on Tuesday, up from 25.43 million during the 2022 midterms.
NBC, ABC, CBS, Univision, Telemundo and PBS accounted for 57 percent of viewers, or 17.79 million people. Cable channels drew 13.42 million viewers, or 43 percent. Four years ago, the split was reversed, with 57 percent watching cable coverage.
NBC led all outlets with 6.74 million primetime viewers, more than double its 2022 average. ABC grew its audience by 57 percent to 5.19 million. CBS drew 2.76 million, an 8 percent increase from 2022. Univision had 1.54 million viewers, Telemundo 1.06 million and PBS about 500,000.
CNN and MS NOW also improved on their 2022 numbers. Fox News lost nearly 3.5 million viewers, though it still narrowly led among cable channels. The three largest broadcast networks collectively gained more viewers than Fox News lost.
The shift may partly reflect a decline in homes with cable, satellite or digital TV services such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Those households now represent 42.5 percent of TV homes, down from 52.3 percent four years ago. The Hollywood Reporter also noted that Fox News’ right-leaning profile and Republican losses could have affected its ratings.
NBC’s Kornacki Cam livestream, following analyst Steve Kornacki through the night, was the most-watched election coverage livestream. According to analytics firm Streams Charts, NBC News livestreams on YouTube drew 4.39 million hours of viewing. NBC News executive Marc Greenstein said software enabled the livestream and television broadcast to run at the same time without interfering with each other’s audio.
