Ratings for the conservative-friendly Fox News are in serious decline, according to a new report from Status, signaling a potential five-alarm fire for the party as voter enthusiasm tanks heading towards Election Day.
On Monday morning, Status reported on “stunning new Nielsen data” it had recently acquired for Fox News, detailing a “dramatic decline” in viewership over the past few years. The outlet linked this trend to President Donald Trump’s abysmal approval ratings, suggesting that GOP voters are increasingly tuning out of politics and creating an “ominous” sign of the GOP’s impending wipeout in the midterms.
The data obtained by Status is for the network’s October ratings performance, which it will release alongside other major news networks. Typically, heading into a major election, the 24-hour news stations would expect to at least see some amount of increased viewership, but in a major reversal, Fox does not have good news to share on that front.
“On Wednesday, each of the television news networks will release their October ratings numbers,” reporter Oliver Darcy explained. “Ahead of the midterms, especially with the stakes as high as they are this November, the networks would typically be expected to post viewership gains as audiences tune in for coverage of the consequential races. And when the ratings are ultimately sent to reporters with splashy press releases, CNN and MS NOW will both have increases in audience to tout compared to the same time last year.”
Darcy continued: “But there will be one glaring anomaly: Fox News. Ratings for the pro-MAGA network are not only on pace to fail to grow on a year-over-year basis, they’re actually on track to decline by a staggering margin.”
Sharing an excerpt from the report to X, Semafor’s mediea editor explained that “Fox’s ratings tend to correlate with conservative enthusiasm and engagement, which could be a worrying sign for Republicans in the midterms.”
“According to Nielsen ratings obtained by Status in advance of their release, October 2026 will be Fox News’ lowest-rated month since December 2023, with the network averaging 1.1 million total day viewers,” the report detailed further. “Among viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, the picture is even worse. Fox News will post its lowest-rated month in that category in 25 years, averaging just 98,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.”
It continued: “Those figures represent a steep 27 percent drop compared to last October in total viewers, and a 32 percent plunge in the 25-54 demo. While Fox News still dominates the cable television landscape (not just news) by a long shot-even performing better than ESPN in total day, despite the return of football-the declines are particularly notable given the political environment. With Donald Trump’s approval numbers sinking to record lows, Republicans are poised for significant midterm losses next.”