Business

Fox News Channel viewers tune out for John Lewis' funeral

Posted August 04, 2020 7:00 am

By DAVID BAUDER

Former President Barack Obama, addresses the service during the funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News Channel viewers are usually a loyal bunch, but thousands looked for the 'œoff'ť switch during last week's telecast of civil rights icon John Lewis' funeral.

Fox News, like the broadcast and other cable news networks, aired Lewis' funeral last Thursday, when former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama spoke.

During the hour before the funeral's start, Fox averaged 1.67 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. In the same hour, MSNBC had 1.28 million viewers and CNN had 1.25 million.

Once the funeral started, half of Fox's viewers slipped away while the audience increased for its rivals, Nielsen said.

During the 2 p.m. hour, Fox had 595,000 viewers, Nielsen said. MSNBC had 2.25 million and CNN had 1.97 million at the same time.

Things were back to normal by the time Fox News was airing 'œThe Five'ť at 5 p.m. Eastern. That show had 3.2 million, while CNN and MSNBC combined reached 3.85 million.

A day earlier, Fox's daytime viewership ranged between 2 million and 2.4 million, while CNN and MSNBC were in the 1.2 to 1.6 million range, Nielsen said. CNN's 'œReliable Sources'ť first reported the funeral ratings.

During prime time last week, CBS led broadcasters with an average of 3.2 million viewers. NBC had 2.8 million viewers, ABC had 2.3 million, Fox had 1.6 million, Univision had 1.5 million, ION Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 910,000.

Fox News Channel led the cable networks, averaging 3.07 million viewers in prime time. MSNBC had 1.88 million, CNN had 1.36 million, HGTV had 1.33 million and TLC had 1.25 million.

ABC's 'œWorld News Tonight'ť led the evening newscasts with an average of 8.6 million viewers. NBC's 'œNightly News'ť had 7.4 million and the 'œCBS Evening News'ť had 5.3 million.

For the week of July 27 to Aug.2, the top 20 programs, their networks and viewerships:

1. "60 Minutes,'ť CBS, 7.13 million.

2. 'œAmerica's Got Talent,'ť NBC, 6.12 million.

3. 'œNCIS,'ť CBS, 5.08 million.

4. 'œTucker Carlson Tonight'ť (Tuesday), Fox News, 4.52 million.

5. 'œHannity'ť (Tuesday), Fox News, 4.39 million.

6. 'œYoung Sheldon,'ť CBS, 4.34 million.

7. 'œTucker Carlson Tonight'ť (Thursday), Fox News, 4.04 million.

8. 'œFBI,'ť CBS, 4.03 million.

9. 'œHannity'ť (Wednesday), Fox News, 3.97 million.

10. 'œTucker Carlson Tonight'ť (Wednesday), Fox News, 3.95 million.

11. 'œThe Neighborhood,'ť CBS, 3.84 million.

12. 'œTucker Carlson Tonight'ť (Monday), 3.8 million.

13. 'œHannity'ť (Thursday), Fox News, 3.79 million.

14. 'œAmerican Catastrophe," ABC, 3.75 million.

15. 'œTitan Games,'ť NBC, 3.69 million.

16. 'œYellowstone,'ť Paramount, 3.63 million.

17. 'œRegis Philbin: The Maestro,'ť ABC, 3.622 million.

18. 'œHannity'ť (Monday), 3.622 million.

19. 'œWorld of Dance,'ť NBC, 3.59 million.

20. 'œUnited We Fall,'ť NBC, 3.58 million.

Former President George W. Bush speaks during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Rev. Dr. Bernice King offers a prayer at the start of the service during the funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Mourners attend the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

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