Fox News primary political anchor Bret Baier’s prompt sitdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky controlled Friday night’s scores and even outdrew the nighttime news programs of 2 broadcast networks.
According to Nielsen Media Research Study, Unique Report with Bret Baier drew in 6.2 million audiences and 775,000 in the essential 25-54 marketing group throughout the telecast’s very first half-hour, which is when Baier’s interview with Zelensky aired. The interview peaked with 6.4 million audiences and 855,000 in the demonstration throughout the 6-6:15 p.m. ET quarter.
The interview naturally drew increased interest as it took place simply hours after the explosive White Home clash in between Zelensky and President Donald Trump, which included Vice President JD Vance scolding the Ukrainian president as “ill-mannered” while implicating him of not thanking the administration.
Regardless of the fireworks in the Oval Workplace, which culminated in Trump booting Zelensky from the White Home without signing a mineral rights offer, the Ukrainian leader informed Baier that he stayed enthusiastic that his relationship with the president might be restored.
” It’s more than 2 presidents. The historic relations, strong relations, in between our individuals,” Zelensky stated. “This is the most essential– and naturally [we’re] appreciative to the president and to Congress– however to start with to your individuals. Your individuals assisted to conserve our individuals.”
With audiences gathering to Fox News to see Zelensky’s very first response to the White Home blowup, a broadcast news reveal that usually draws countless more audiences than Unique Report discovered itself a little behind Baier’s newsmaking interview.
NBC Nightly News, which balanced 6.8 million overall audiences and 1.03 million in the essential demonstration this previous month, drew in 5.76 million audiences throughout its 6:30 -7 p.m. time slot on Friday night. CBS Night News, which has actually suffered a rankings drop considering that it altered to a two-anchor format following Norah O’Donnell’s departure, balanced 3.9 million audiences for the night. The program had actually been drawing in a nighttime audience of 4.6 million in current weeks.
In basic, broadcast and cable television news see a drop off in scores on Friday night, describing why CBS Night News and NBC Nightly News— which likewise didn’t have the advantage of a special Zelensky interview– were listed below their typical scores.
For the whole hour, Unique Report drew in an overall audience of 5.7 million audiences and 661,000 in the 25-54 group. Baier’s program, which is balancing 3.5 million audiences and 414,000 in the marketing demonstration in 2025 up until now, was up 63 percent in overall viewership and 60 percent in the essential demonstration. It was likewise the 2nd greatest ranked 6 p.m. hour in Fox News history, ranking just behind the 2017 Trump inauguration.
Unique Report, like the rest of Fox News’ lineup, has actually seen its scores skyrocket considering that Trump won in November. The conservative cable television giant simply experienced the greatest ranked February in the network’s history, balancing 3.09 million audiences in primetime. The remainder of the cable television news landscape, on the other hand, is just now beginning to see its viewership climb back to pre-election levels after experiencing an exodus following Trump’s triumph.
Besides the Zelensky interview, Baier likewise just recently took a seat with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Furthermore, with Fox News taking pleasure in a carefully linked relationship with the White Home– almost 20 previous Fox workers hold positions in the administration– it should not come as a surprise that a variety of Trump administration authorities and Cabinet members have actually appeared on Baier’s program in the previous couple of weeks.
The record-setting scores that Fox News is experiencing due to Trump’s go back to workplace triggered Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch to state throughout a current conference that the conservative network need to be thought about more than a cable television news channel.
” It is essential to keep in mind that we do not see Fox News any longer as simply a news service. We see it as one of the leading 5 broadcast networks in the United States, although we do not have the very same circulation that broadcast has,” Murdoch informed the Morgan Stanley Innovation, Media and Telecom Conference on Monday.
” In January and February, we were the second broadcast network, right? Comparable to the second broadcast network at Fox News,” he included. “Regardless of having a much smaller sized universe in cable television. In January, we were just beaten by NBC, and in February we were just beaten by CBS. Therefore that’s how we see it. Which’s how we have the ability to drive, honestly, the affiliate profits development that we have actually accomplished.”