The Super Bowl makes a big difference. Last year, Fox fell by double digits in Variety magazine’s year-end ranking of the most-watched networks in prime time. But in 2025, Fox hit a big milestone. As a result, the network posted double-digit increases in both total viewers and adults 18-49 (No. 1).
But CBS has been able to maintain its No. 1 spot in total viewers even excluding the Super Bowl, which will air in 2024, thanks to series like “Trackers” and “60 Minutes,” so you don’t have to factor in the strength of its regular programming. ABC, on the other hand, increased by 5% after being nearly flat in 2024. In other words, Alphabet Net has managed to stop the decline in viewership for two years in a row. In an era where prime-time viewership is naturally declining as viewers flock to streaming, this is almost miraculous. (Well, ABC has been helped the past two years by airing more NFL Monday Night Football games.)
This represents the first year that Nielsen Big Data + Panel Ratings has been implemented, which now includes a mix of both Nielsen panel data from viewers and set-top box and smart TV datasets. Some data was found to be missing or inaccurate, sparking frustration within the industry. We also do year-to-year comparisons like apples and oranges. Most notable about this year’s charts is the steady prime-time ratings for children’s networks Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. After years of double-digit annual declines, Disney saw a slight decline in 2025, while Nick actually increased (both increased from 18-49). No one believes that kids suddenly started watching linear again, but no one can really explain that change other than perhaps this year’s methodology quirks.
Tomorrow, Variety will release a ranking of the year’s most-watched prime-time television broadcasts. But here we detail which networks were up and down in 2025.
winner
Fox Corp.: Fox famously downsized after selling most of its studio operations and networks to Disney, but the channels it retained did very well in 2025. Fox saw a 10% increase in both total viewers and adults 18-49 (No. 1) thanks to the power of the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, FOX News bucked the post-election downturn seen by MS Now (formerly MSNBC) and CNN.
The CW: Speaking of controversial companies with cause to support, Nexstar’s The CW network saw a 13% increase in total viewers and Newsnation was up 16% (although the numbers are low). But the shift to more live sports has clearly affected The CW, with ratings among adults 18-49 also surging.
ESPN: Sports! ESPN still has its ratings, up 18% this year. This was the most of any network in the top 30 in total viewers. Another big story is ESPN, which targets adults 18-49. ESPN was one of the Big Four this year, jumping 10% in primetime to become the No. 4 network ahead of CBS.
TruTV: Oh, Lala! Roland Garros clearly had an impact on Tru TV, a channel that has lived many lives (started as Court TV, later became a reality-focused channel, and then home to the comedy-focused Impractical Jokers). This year, it will ditch most of its remaining comedy productions (“Impractical Jokers” is currently airing on TBS) and focus more on the second home of TNT Sports. This was successful at the French Open, and the French Open was broadcast on Tru TV. Overall tournament viewership is up 25% this year on TNT and TruTV. This probably explains why TruTV bucked the trend of cable TV stations (including its other Warner Bros. Discovery brethren) and grew by 46% in viewership and 27% from season 18-49. (Again, these percentages are much larger because TruTV had a much smaller audience.)
loser
Family: Channels with “family” in the title did not perform well in 2025. Family Entertainment TV, down 29%. Great American Family, down 18%. Hallmark Family, down 14%. Discovery Family Channel, down 22%. To be fair, things are tough for virtually all linear cable networks. Even if families still watch TV together, it’s not these “family” channels.
Dr. Phil: One-off talk powerhouse Dr. Phil McGraw launched the Merritt Street TV Network (now simply “Merit TV”) in 2024 with a modest average audience of 27,000 viewers. Just a year later, Merritt Street Media filed for bankruptcy and sued its joint venture partner, Trinity Broadcasting Network. The channel still exists as a shell of its ambitions, with the worst decline of all Ranker networks in 2025, with an average primetime audience of just 16,000 viewers, a 41% decline.
Below are primetime rankers for broadcast, cable and premium cable networks in 2025 as a percentage of total viewers (and a top 50 list among adults 18-49). Most Nielsen-rated networks can be found here, with the exception of a few channels that are not ad-supported.
(For historical record, past year-end network rankers are: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.)
Most-watched networks in 2025 (by total viewers)
50 Top Rated Networks of 2025 (Adults 18-49)
