Fox News Viewership Spikes During Trump Trial in May

In May, Fox News experienced a significant surge in viewership, driven by its extensive coverage of former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, according to the latest Nielsen data. Across both traditional television and streaming platforms, the Fox Broadcasting Company saw a notable increase in viewership, with its programming capturing 6.4% of total TV usage for the month—a jump from 6.1% in April, marking the highest month-to-month growth among major media companies.

Tubi, the ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation, played a crucial role in this uptick, recording a substantial 5% monthly increase in viewership, contributing 1.8% to total TV usage in May. Similarly, Fox News Channel saw a 1.6% rise in viewership, as audiences turned to the network for comprehensive coverage of Trump’s legal proceedings. During the week of the verdict, Fox News emerged as the top cable network, with an average viewership of 2 million at any given time—outperforming TNT’s ratings during the NBA playoffs.

In contrast, The Walt Disney Company led overall TV usage for May with 11.4%, followed by YouTube with 9.6%. NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Netflix also held significant shares with 8.9%, 8.8%, 8.1%, and 7.6%, respectively, underscoring the competitive landscape of media consumption.

The week ending May 30 proved pivotal for Fox News, dominating both cable and broadcast television with its coverage of Trump’s guilty verdict. ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto,’ airing during the 5 p.m. EST slot when the verdict was announced, emerged as the most-watched non-sports cable program of the week, drawing 4.47 million live viewers—trailing only three NBA playoff games on TNT in viewership numbers. Following ‘Your World,’ ‘The Five’ on Fox News secured the fifth spot among the week’s most-watched programs. MSNBC and CNN also featured prominently, reflecting widespread viewer interest in the trial’s unfolding and its broader implications.