{"id":376525,"date":"2025-12-29T20:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T20:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/376525\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T20:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T20:30:09","slug":"tv-network-ratings-winners-losers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/376525\/","title":{"rendered":"TV Network Ratings Winners & Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhat a difference a Super Bowl makes. Last year, Fox<\/a> was down double digits in Variety\u2018s year-end ranker of the year\u2019s most-watched networks in primetime. But in 2025, Fox had the Big Game: And a a result, the network was up double digits in both total viewers and adults 18-49 (where it was No. 1).<\/p>\n

\n\tBut don\u2019t count out the strength of regular programming, as CBS<\/a> \u2014 even sans Super Bowl, which it broadcast in 2024 \u2014 managed to stay No. 1 in total viewers thanks to series like \u201cTracker\u201d and \u201c60 Minutes.\u201d ABC, meanwhile, was up 5%, after being virtually flat in 2024 \u2014 meaning for two years in a row, the Alphabet net has managed to keep the viewership erosion at bay. In an age where primetime numbers are naturally going down as audiences flock to streaming, that\u2019s nearly a miracle. (Well, and ABC has been helped by airing more NFL Monday Night Football games the past two years.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThis reps the first year that Nielsen\u2019s big data + panel ratings were implemented, which now mix both Nielsen panel data from viewers along with set-top box and smart TV datasets. That has caused some grumbling in the industry, given some missing data and inaccuracies that have been found. It also makes year-to-year comparisons that might be a bit apples and oranges. Most noticable in this year\u2019s charts are a stabilization in the primetime ratings for kids\u2019 networks Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. After years of annual double-digit declines, Disney was down slightly in 2025, and Nick was actually up (both saw gains in 18-49). No one believes that kids have suddenly started watching linear again \u2014 but no one can really explain the change there, other than perhaps a quirk in this year\u2019s methodology.<\/p>\n

\n\tTomorrow, Variety will share the ranker of this year\u2019s most-watched primetime telecasts. But here, we recount which networks were up and down in 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\tWINNERS\t<\/p>\n

\n\tFox Corp.: Fox famously downsized after selling its studio operations and most of its networks to Disney \u2014 but the channels it held on to did quite well in 2025. Fox was up 10% in both total viewers and adults 18-49 (where it was No. 1), thanks to the power of the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Fox News<\/a> defied the post-election downward trend seen by MS Now (formerly MSNBC) and CNN.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe CW: Speaking of controversial companies that had reason to cheer, Nexstar saw its The CW network climb 13% in total viewers, while Newsnation grew 16% \u2014 albeit, from low numbers. But a shift toward more live sports is clearly having an impact on The CW, which also saw its adults 18-49 rating climb a hair.<\/p>\n

\n\tESPN: Sports! ESPN\u2019s still got it, and this year climbed 18% \u2014 the most of any network in the top 30 among total viewers. The other big story is ESPN in adults 18-49, where this year it\u2019s one of the Big 4 \u2014 jumping 10% to rank as the No. 4 network in primetime, beating out CBS.<\/p>\n

\n\tTruTV: Ooh la la! The French Open clearly had an impact on Tru TV, a channel that has gone through many lives (starting as Court TV, then later as a reality-focused channel, then the comedy-focused home of \u201cImpractical Jokers\u201d). This year, which this year shed most of its remaining comedy product (\u201cImpractical Jokers\u201d is now on TBS) to focus even more as a secondary home for TNT Sports fare. That paid off when it came to the French Open, which included wall-to-wall replays and coverage on Tru TV. Ratings for the full tournament were up 25% this year on TNT and TruTV, and that probably explains why TruTV bucked the trend of cablers (including its other Warner Bros. Discovery siblings), jumping 46% in viewers and 27% in 18-49. (Again, those percentages are huge because TruTV was coming in at a much smaller audience.)<\/p>\n

\t\tLOSERS\t<\/p>\n

\n\tFamilies: Channels with \u201cFamily\u201d in their titles did not fare well in 2025. Family Entertainment TV, down 29%. Great American Family, down 18%. Hallmark Family, down 14%. Discovery Family Channel, down 22%. To be fair, it\u2019s tough out there for virtually all linear cable networks. If families are still watching TV together, it\u2019s not on these \u201cfamily\u201d channels.<\/p>\n

\n\tDr. Phil<\/a>: One-time talk powerhouse Dr. Phil McGraw launched his Merit Street TV network (now just \u201cMerit TV\u201d) in 2024 and got on the board with a paltry average of 27,000 viewers. Just a year later, Merit Street Media filed for bankruptcy and sued its joint venture partners at the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The channel still exists as a shell of its ambition, and in 2025 dropped the most of any network on our ranker: down 41%, to an average of just 16,000 viewers in primetime.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow are the primetime rankers for broadcast, cable and premium cable networks in 2025, among total viewers (as well as the top 50 list in adults 18-49). Most Nielsen-rated networks can be found here, with the exception of a few channels that are not ad-supported.<\/p>\n

\n\t[For historical record, here are previous year-end network rankers: 2024<\/a>,\u00a02023<\/a>,\u00a02022<\/a>,\u00a02021<\/a>,\u00a02020<\/a>,\u00a02019<\/a>,\u00a02018<\/a>,\u00a02017<\/a>,\u00a02016<\/a>,\u00a02015.<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\t\tTHE MOST-WATCHED NETWORKS OF 2025 (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)\t<\/p>\n

RankNETWORKVIEWERS (000)% CHANGE1CBS4,443-12%2NBC4,243-15%3ABC4,042+5%4Fox3,137+10%5Fox News2,759+12%6ESPN1,967+18%7Univision1,076+3%8Telemundo993+3%9MSNBC\/MS Now937-26%10TNT\u00a0774-5%11HGTV705-9%12Ion702-16%13Hallmark Channel621-24%14TBS616-17%15CNN591-16%16Me TV572-8%17The CW502+13%18TLC501-8%19History Channel486-26%20Food Network480-10%21USA Network 472-30%22Discovery Network448-22%23Grit430-13%24INSP419-25%25Bravo374-14%26TV Land335-10%27Unim\u00e1s329-6%28Game Show Network310-7%29A&E\u00a0307-11%30Investigation Discovery302-30%31Bounce TV\u00a0300+27%ESPN 2300+5%33AMC\u00a0286-10%34Lifetime284-16%35Hallmark Mystery279-25%36FX\u00a0278-19%37Fox Sports 1276-12%38Newsmax\u00a0241-18%39Paramount Network229-33%40Nick at Nite224+8%41We TV219-27%42Freeform216+8%43Oxygen215-23%44BET201-23%45Ion Mystery193+4%46Reelzchannel192-34%47Syfy191-27%TruTV191+46%49MTV189-16%50Comedy Central182-7%Nat Geo182-20%52Cozi179-3%53Adult Swim169-20%54Laff167+5%55NFL Network166+14%56Start TV159+5%57LMN150-6%58Heroes and Icons145-11%IFC145-6%60Nickelodeon143+9%61Travel Channel140-27%62E!135-15%Sundance TV135-25%64Magnolia Network129-12%65HBO128-19%66Motor Trend125-9%Newsnation125+16%68HLN121-20%69FXX120-17%70MLB Network116+29%71Animal Planet115-28%72Family Entertainment TV113-39%73Charge!112-18%74CNBC109-11%75BBC America108-21%Disney Channel108-2%77CMT105-25%Great American Family105-18%Ion Plus105-9%80OWN\u00a097-9%TUDN97+11%82Up96-9%83Antenna TV93-3%84Comet92-12%85Weather Channel90-29%86Estrella TV88+21%Pop TV88-17%88Get TV86+2%89NBA TV85+2%90Nat Geo Wild82-27%91DABL81+11%Telexitos81+19%93Golf80+21%Me TV Toons80n\/aVH180-16%96Disney Jr.73-13%97Fox Business Network72-20%98Big Ten Network70-13%Court TV70+9%100Science Channel68-33%101Tennis Network66+29%102TV One65-17%103Hallmark Family64-14%104Catchy Comedy62+3%105Roar59+9%106\u00a0Nick Jr.58-15%107Cooking Channel55-5%Universo55+12%109Smithsonian54-13%110Nicktoons53+4%111Showtime49+2%112FX Movie Channel48-4%Ovation Network48-19%114FYI46-4%Story Television46-10%116American Crimes39+39%117Viceland37-37%Starz37-14%119ESPNU350%120BET Her34-15%RFD-TV34-33%122Fox Deportes35-27%123Destination America30-9%Galavision30+20%125The Cowboy Channel29+21%126Boomerang27-21%MTV 227-18%128ESPN Deportes25+9%129Disney XD24+33%130American Heroes23-34%131Outdoor20+18%The Grio20n\/a133Discovery En Espa\u00f1ol19-14%Fox Sports 219-10%135Discovery Family Channel18-22%Discovery Life Channel18-10%Teennick18-25%138Justice Central17-78%Logo17-15%140Merit Street16-41%141Cleo TV12+9%CNN En Espa\u00f1ol12+9%Comedy TV12+9%Universal Kids12-40%145Discovery Familia8-11%146Baby First TV7n\/aNat Geo Mundo7+17%148Galanovelas4-20%149Galanovelas5-29%150BEIN Sport3+50%BEIN Sport Espa\u00f1ol3-25%Hogar de HGTV10%153AXS TV0n\/aScripps News0n\/aSportsman Channel0n\/aSource: Nielsen NPM, Big Data Plus Panel (12\/30\/2024-11\/30\/2025, Live+7 and 12\/01\/2025-12\/14\/2025, Live+SD) vs. Panel Only (01\/01\/2024-12\/01\/2024, Live+7 and 12\/02\/2024-12\/15\/2024, Live+SD) Mon-Sat 8pm-11pm\/Sun 7pm-11pm. Nat Geo Mundo based on NPM-H. Ranked on 2025 Year To Date average audience.<\/p>\n

\t\tTHE 50 TOP-RATED NETWORKS OF 2025 (BY ADULTS 18-49)\t<\/p>\n

RankNETWORK18-49 VIEWERS (000)% CHANGE1Fox885+10%2ABC780-2%3NBC776-21%4ESPN685+10%5CBS660-21%6Univision335-2%7TNT287-11%8Telemundo285+5%9Fox News193-5%10TBS\u00a0171-24%11USA Network129-45%12Bravo118-19%13Unim\u00e1s106-3%14Food Network99-16%Ion99-16%16TLC94-28%17Adult Swim90-25%18ESPN 289-1%19Comedy Central86-9%20The CW84+1%21Nick at Nite81+1%22CNN79-26%FX79-21%24HGTV 78-23%MTV78-26%26Fox Sports 175-25%Freeform75-1%28Discovery Channel74-27%29TruTV70+27%30Bounce TV68+48%31AMC62-17%32FXX61-20%33A&E60-29%34MS NOW59-31%35History\u00a0\u00a058-35%36Hallmark Channel\u00a057-36%37Nickelodeon54+10%38BET50-29%39E!49-9%Paramount Network49-35%41Investigation Discovery48-39%42NFL Network44+19%43Syfy43-30%44TUDN39+11%TV Land39-28%46Laff38-3%Me TV38-3%Disney Channel38-33%49Lifetime37+6%50Ion Mystery35+13%Source: Nielsen NPM, Big Data Plus Panel (12\/30\/2024-11\/30\/2025, Live+7 and 12\/01\/2025-12\/14\/2025, Live+SD) vs. Panel Only (01\/01\/2024-12\/01\/2024, Live+7 and 12\/02\/2024-12\/15\/2024, Live+SD) Mon-Sat 8pm-11pm\/Sun 7pm-11pm. Nat Geo Mundo based on NPM-H. Ranked on 2025 Year To Date average audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What a difference a Super Bowl makes. Last year, Fox was down double digits in Variety\u2018s year-end ranker…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[991,9666,88,6265,11320,92,9611],"class_list":{"0":"post-376525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-cbs","9":"tag-dr-phil","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-fox","12":"tag-fox-news","13":"tag-tv","14":"tag-tv-ratings"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}