Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 2 hrs ago
Cable News Networks Hope Midterms Draw Audiences Like 2018
Cable news networks are hoping this year’s midterms draw a large audience when voters go to the polls on Tuesday.
The comparison is with 2018, when Democrats won control of the House and flipped several governorships.
That election averaged 36.1 million viewers across television networks on election night, while Fox News, CNN and MSNBC averaged 13.94 million for their full-night coverage.
In 2022, Republicans won back the House, but the expected large gains did not happen, and midterm-night audiences fell.
Across networks, primetime viewership was down 30 percent from 2018; CNN and MSNBC saw sharper declines than Fox News.
This year’s election is being framed as higher-stakes than 2022, with Donald Trump a major focus even though he is not on the ballot.
Ratings later this week will show whether viewers tuned in as news executives hope.
Cable news networks hope this year’s midterm election draws audiences closer to the record levels of 2018 than to the lower ratings of 2022.
In 2018, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC averaged a combined 13.94 million viewers for the full night of coverage.
Across all linear networks, the 2018 midterm coverage averaged 36.1 million viewers, compared with 25.43 million in primetime in 2022.
The 2022 election saw Republicans regain control of the House, while Democrats gained a one-seat Senate majority.
This year’s pre-election narrative is described as having higher stakes, and ratings later in the week are expected to show whether that draws viewers.
- Who
- Cable news networks, including Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.
- What
- They hope the midterm election draws audiences like the 2018 midterms.
- When
- Tuesday’s midterm election; the article was published on November 4, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The networks hope a higher-stakes election will attract more viewers.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
All linear networks’ midterm election coverage averaged 22.7 million viewers.
All linear networks’ coverage averaged 36.1 million viewers, while Fox News, CNN and MSNBC averaged a combined 13.94 million for the full night.
All-network primetime coverage averaged 25.43 million viewers, down 30 percent from 2018.
Networks hope the election will draw audiences closer to the 2018 levels.
- 2018 all-network average
- 36.1 million viewers
- 2018 cable news full-night average
- 13.94 million viewers across Fox News, CNN and MSNBC
- 2022 all-network primetime average
- 25.43 million viewers
- 2018 Fox News full-night average
- 6.12 million viewers
- 2018 CNN full-night average
- 3.88 million viewers
- 2018 MSNBC full-night average
- 3.95 million viewers