Fox said in a statement, “FOX News has been the most-watched cable news network for more than 17 years and the top network in all of cable for the last three years which is why we continue to be a premiere destination.”
Fox News, like other news channels, enjoyed a ratings bump during the last presidential election cycle, and the ongoing volatile political environment continues to drive viewership of cable news. Fox has largely led cable news viewing for years, with a sizable lead across different demographics and times of day in recent years, ahead of CNN and MSNBC.
Fox & Friends has been the top-rated morning show in cable news for 213 months in a row, according to Nielsen ratings.
The network has been the target of ad boycotts in the past -- for instance, Bill O’Reilly, a host who faced allegations of sexual harassment, was ousted after dozens of advertisers fled his top-rated show. Other hosts, such as Ingraham, also have been hit by boycott calls.
But by catching and holding Trump’s attention, the network has offset some of those losses with messages aimed directly at the West Wing.
Selling the ads is possible because of the unconventional decision-making of a president who watches a lot of TV “and relies less on the advice and counsel of advisers, and more on his gut," said Ken Goldstein, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco who tracks political advertising.
“It’s a perfect storm which suggests people should advertise on the shows that the person who is deciding is watching,” Goldstein said.
--With assistance from Alan Levin, Bill Allison and Anousha Sakoui.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.