Ever since Fox News unceremoniously canned Tucker Carlson on April 21, its viewership has dropped precipitously. According to reports from Nielsen, Mediaite, and Deadline Hollywood, Fox has suffered a 37-percent decline in viewership during prime time — 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Fox’s replacement of Tucker Carlson Tonight with Fox News Tonight has bombed, drawing down the network’s monthly averages. Averaging more than three million viewers while Carlson was aboard, viewership has dropped by half, despite the network’s attempt to keep them watching by handing the show off to various other journalists.
And among the key demographic during prime time — age 25 to 54, the one that advertisers focus on when spending their advertising dollars — viewership has dropped an astonishing 62 percent.
Fox is bleeding from every pore. In May, the first full month without Tucker, The Five lost 14 percent of its viewers, Special Report With Bret Baier lost 18 percent, Jesse Watters Primetime lost 23 percent of its viewers, while Hannity lost more than a quarter of its viewers: 27 percent, compared to April.
The big gainer is Newsmax, which saw its viewership numbers soar in May by 81 percent compared to April.
Once Tucker is freed from his contract with Fox, the network’s numbers are likely to get worse. He has promised to resurrect his Tucker Carlson Tonight, or an equivalent, on Twitter. Viewers seeking the news as only Carlson can provide it will shortly find him as engaging and informative as ever, drawing ever more viewers from what’s left of Fox and CNN.
The decision to ax Carlson by Fox, for reasons ranging from 1) part of the lawsuit settlement with Dominion, 2) Fox owner Rupert Murdoch’s personal animosity toward Carlson, 3) the network’s support of the LGBTQ agenda, and 4) the influence of Rupert’s sons Lachlan and James, each of whom contributed $615,000 to Joe Biden’s presidential election committee, has cost investors plenty. The stock is off 10 percent since April 21, and the market capitalization of Fox has dropped by $2 billion.
Marketbeat’s outlook for Fox stock reflects the decline in viewership. The investment analyst is projecting a 10-percent decline in earnings growth, while revealing that more than seven percent of investors owning Fox shares are selling them short (expecting Fox’s share price to decline further).
Once Tucker is back, further declines at Fox are expected.
Related article:
Leaked Company Handbook Shows Fox News Is an LGBTQ Ally
