For obvious reasons, it’s extremely rare for a cable news network to earn more eyeballs than those broadcasting shows like “NCIS,” “Modern Family” and “Mad Men.” But Fox News has managed to do so three times in the last year, most recently just last week.
According to Nielsen Media Research, from March 10 to 16 the top news network in America brought in just over two million viewers during prime time — beating out USA, The History Channel, AMC and every other cable network in the country. It also came in third in total day ratings.
Fox previously topped out in prime time back in January, during the week of President Obama’s State of the Union address and the Super Bowl. Before that, the network had a winning week due to their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013. (RELATED: Fox News rose to number one in prime time in all of cable last week, beating ESPN)
The mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Air Flight 370 and the growing crisis between Ukraine and Russia likely pushed Fox News over the top, drawing viewers away from their usual shows by providing constant updates on rapidly-changing events.
While the other two major news networks were predictably far behind, Ukraine and Flight 370 gave them a boost as well. CNN garnered a rare win over MSNBC, ranking 22nd in prime time with 800,000 viewers to the left-wing network’s 27th-place audience of 650,000.
With CNN’s ratings hemorrhage briefly halted by their incessant coverage of the missing aircraft, expect more breathless stories on Flight 370 for the foreseeable future. (RELATED: Rush Limbaugh mocks ‘absurd’ media coverage of missing Malaysian flight [AUDIO])
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