Fox Viewership Down Significantly In May

(This cartoon image is by Joe Mohr at elephant journal.com.)

Fox News viewership dropped significantly in May of 2014, and for the desirable 25 to 54 age group, it was the lowest since 2001. Here is how TV Newser puts it:

Fox News hit a series of 13-year lows among younger viewers this month.

The ratings for May 2014 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 1,455,000 total viewers / 221,000 A25-54
• Total Day Mon-Sun): 902,000 total viewers / 177,000 A25-54

Fox News, like all the cable news networks, was down compared the same month last year: the network was down -27% in total viewers and -25% in the A25-54 demographic in total day and -26% and -28%, respectively, in primetime.

In both total day and primetime, Fox News delivered its lowest ratings in the A25-54 demographic since August 2001, before the network took over as the number one cable news network. “Fox & Friends,” which leads the cable news morning shows in both total viewers and the demo, also had its lowest demo delivery since August 2001.

All the network’s primetime shows are down double-digits year-over-year. “The O’Reilly Factor” is down -28% in total viewers and -30% in the A25-54 demo. “The Kelly File” is down -17% in total viewers and -27% in the demo compared to the 9pmET hour last year and “Hannity” is down -30% and -23%, respectively, compared to the 10pmET hour last year.

But the drop in viewers in May is not the worst news. Only about 20% of their viewers are in the age group (25 to 54) preferred by advertisers (and it's worse in primetime, totaling about 15%). That means nearly four out of every five Fox viewers is 55 years old or older -- and the average age of a Fox News viewer is 68.8 years old. That's the oldest viewership of any cable news network (or any news network at all) -- and it certainly doesn't bode well for the future of Fox News.