There are no other television networks in the world that have the same global reach as the American networks. American television stations produce and broadcast programs that are watched worldwide. Even now, as internet streaming services gain popularity and progressively replace television, the top American television networks routinely produce audiences in the millions every day. Because TV networks must compete for a lower overall viewership, the American television industry has become significantly more competitive in recent years.
First News Channel in US
CNN was the first countrywide cable TV news Channel to begin in the United States in 1980, followed by Financial News Network (FNN) in 1981 and CNN2 (now HLN) in 1982. CNBC was founded in 1989 and took over FNN in 1991. Throughout the 1990s and beyond, the cable news business expanded with the launch of new networks such as Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and specialty channels. Such as Bloomberg Television, Fox Business Network, and ESPN News. CBSN, Newsmax TV, TheBlaze, NewsNation, part-time news network RFD-TV, and the now-defunct Al Jazeera America and Black News Channel are recent entries to the cable news market.
Big Three News Channels
Fox, CNN, and MSNBC are commonly referred to as the “big three” since they are some of the most widely available networks, with Fox having the highest audience and ratings. While the networks are typically referred to as 24-hour news networks, with the exception of USA breaking news, replays of news programs and analysis or opinion programming are broadcast throughout the night.
Spectrum News (a brand used for multiple networks including in upstate New York, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas). Others are NY1 (which operates from New York City), News 12 Networks, FiOS1, and the former Northwest Cable News (NWCN). These are examples of regional 24-hour cable news television channels that are primarily concerned with local programming and cover some statewide interest (which operated from Seattle). New England Cable News serves a six-state area in New England[1].
1- Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel (FNC) debuted on October 7, 1996, under the control of News Corporation (founded by Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch). After Sony, the old Viacom (now ViacomCBS), Time Warner (now WarnerMedia), The Walt Disney Firm, Seagram, and MGM, it is the sixth largest media company in the United States. Rupert Murdoch is the network’s chief executive officer. In May 2008, the network began airing in high definition.
Evolution
Since its inception, FNC has progressively risen to become the highest-rated cable network, until January 2021, when MSNBC briefly topped Fox News before resuming first place in February 2021. FNC’s prior primetime schedule includes shows like The O’Reilly Factor, presented by Bill O’Reilly, which has been a top-rated program among major cable news networks since the early 2000s. The channel’s long-running slogans include “Fair and Balanced” and “We Report. You Decide,” while its current slogans are “Most Watched. Most Trusted.”, “Real News. Real Honest Opinion.” and “America’s Watching.”
2-MSNBC
MSNBC debuted on July 15, 1996, as a collaboration between NBC News and Microsoft (Microsoft’s investment in the channel was progressively bought out by NBC until the latter’s parent company, NBCUniversal, bought out Microsoft’s remaining minority holding in 2011). Jodi Applegate, John Gibson, Tim Russert, and Brian Williams were among the network’s early hosts. For more than a decade, the network’s ratings were continuously last among cable news channels until February 2021, when MSNBC overtook CNN as the most viewed news channel.
Evolution
After Phil Griffin became president of MSNBC in mid-2008, the channel’s analytical programming began to trend toward a more politically liberal worldview, particularly in its prime-time roster. [On June 29, 2009, MSNBC began a high-definition simulcast broadcast.
Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, daytime anchors Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell, and primetime commentators Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow are among the network’s notable characters. In the mid-2000s, the network was known for its severe criticism of then-President George W. Bush, most notably during the “special comment” part of former host Keith Olbermann’s show, Countdown.
This, along with claims of support for then-President Barack Obama, has led to MSNBC being chastised for having a left bias, a reputation it has increasingly embraced with its “Lean Forward” tagline (introduced in 2011) and unabashed advocacy of progressive and liberal beliefs. As a result, MSNBC has shifted further towards centrism and establishment politics, exhibiting (subtly or not) antipathy for progressive candidates such as Sen. Bernard Sanders (a frontrunner in the 2020 democratic nominations). Shift was a spin-off of the channel. It began as an online-only station through its website in 2014. The programming schedule was designed to be less focused on politics than the main channel and more geared to a younger audience.
3- CNN
On June 1, 1980, Cable News Network (CNN) debuted as the first cable channel dedicated to news programming. CNN rose to prominence during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, owing to the channel’s ability to communicate from within Iraq during the early hours of the American bombing campaign, with live reporting from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad by correspondents Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett. Throughout the 1990s, CNN (the only major cable news station at the time) gained significant impact, which became known as the CNN effect.
Evolution
CNN was the first cable news network to broadcast in high definition, beginning in September 2007. Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, and Jake Tapper are among CNN’s current television stars.
In 1982, Turner Broadcasting System (which would merge with Time Warner in 1996) launched CNN2, a spin-off of CNN that was first intended to display the day’s top news items on a 30-minute “wheel” schedule. The channel was relaunched as CNN Headline News in 1983, but the network dropped the CNN branding and altered its name to the orphaned initialism HLN in 2008, following a two-year move from news programming to a mix of news and debate shows and documentary series at night.
Turner created CNN Foreign in 1985, with an exclusive concentration on international news stories, as opposed to CNN, which had an equal emphasis on both domestic and international news. On January 20, 1992, CNN established a unique service called CNN Airport Network, which was only available at US airports; the service mirrored CNN and HLN programs, but with inserts of information of interest to fly travelers. CNN Airport Network will be decommissioned in 2020. CNN also has a Spanish-language service called CNN en Española.
Hurdles
Turner Broadcasting also founded two defunct networks. CNNfn, which premiered at the end of 1995 in an attempt to compete with CNBC. In December 2004, it discontinued operations after nine years on the air. CNNSI, a collaboration between CNN and Sports Illustrated, tried to offset ESPNews’ growing popularity in covering sports news. Despite the network’s demise, CNN and Sports Illustrated have maintained their connection, with Sports Illustrated running a sports section on CNN’s website. CNN+, an internet branch, ran for one month in April 2022 before being canceled owing to low adoption.
Foreign cable news networks with U.S. operations
1- Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English (AJE) is the English-language worldwide news channel of Al Jazeera Media Network. It was the first English-language news station with a Middle Eastern headquarters. Instead of being handled centrally, news management is rotated between Doha and London broadcasting centers.
However, the channel has little penetration in the American market, where it is carried by only one satellite provider and a few cable networks. Later, Al Jazeera English launched a drive to penetrate the North American market, which included a dedicated website. It became accessible to certain New York cable customers in August 2011, after previously being available to some viewers in Washington, D.C., Ohio, and Los Angeles.
The canal is mostly used to reach the United States. After the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission licensed the channel for broadcast in Canada on November 26, 2009, it is readily available on most major Canadian television providers, including Rogers and Bell Satellite TV. In 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network purchased Current TV and launched Al Jazeera America, situated in New York City, and aimed squarely at the American market. The channel, which had respectable coverage on American satellite and cable networks, was discontinued in 2017 after the network suffered significant financial losses[2].
3-BBC World News
BBC World News is the broadcaster’s worldwide news and current affairs service. While the channel does not expressly target the United States, the BBC operates a bureau in Washington, D.C.. It broadcasts two shows covering US news and politics: BBC World News America and BBC News with Katty and Christian. These programs and half-hour BBC World News bulletins are also carried on public television channels. BBC World News covered both the presidential and midterm elections in the United States. Because the United Kingdom television license does not cover overseas broadcasts, the BBC publishes weather forecasts for the United States and Canada and sells commercials on the US channel.
The channel is available on Cablevision, Comcast, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and internet TV services. According to a Brand Keys poll conducted in 2018 for Research Intelligencer, American audiences trusted the BBC more than Fox News and PBS regarding TV news.
3- CGTN America
The English-language news station operate by China Central Television in China is call China Global Television Network (CGTN), and it has an American section called CGTN America. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and it oversees offices across North and South America. In addition to employing a mix of American, foreign, and Chinese journalists, CCTV America produce Americas-base content for CGTN with an emphasis on Asia when it first debut in 2012. The channel is available on smaller providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network, AT&T U-Verse, and others. It also broadcasts live on its website and Livestream. CGTN’s ability to operate in the United States is constrain by its registration as a foreign agent in 2018 and its designation as a foreign mission since 2020.
4- CNBC
The Consumer News and Business Channel, or CNBC, was first introduced by NBC in 1989 following the acquisition of Satellite Program Network. The following year, CNBC amalgamated with rival Financial News Network. The NBCUniversal News Group, a branch of NBCUniversal’s television group, is the company that owns it. With around 84.27% of the business networks’ total distribution, CNBC has the most reach. The channel has several foreign spin-offs.
5- Fox Business Network
Fox News Channel’s sister network for business is call FBN. Fox Business Network (FBN), owned by News Corporation, debut in October 2007. News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch claimed that he founded the channel because he believe CNBC to be too “hostile toward business” and that he would make FBN more “business-friendly.”
6- Bloomberg Television
With the launch of Bloomberg Television in 1994 by Bloomberg L.P., headed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, CNBC gained a rival in the financial news market. With its headquarters in New York, it is deliver around the globe by cable, satellite, and internet service providers. One of the few television networks to continuously provide a video feed over the Internet since the 1990s, Bloomberg Television was unique in that its Internet stream was accessible to everyone; however, in May 2018, the feed was joined by the rest of Bloomberg’s Internet initiatives and put behind a soft paywall[3].
Minor US News Channels
1- Newsmax TV
As the television division of Newsmax Media, a media organization best known for its magazine and website, Newsmax TV made its premiere on June 15, 2014. The station airs a mixture of rolling news coverage in the afternoons, chat shows, talk shows on video, and reruns of documentaries.
2- NewsNation
On March 1, 2021, NewsNation, a news channel owned by Nexstar Media Group, replaced WGN America. A general entertainment channel that had been the superstation feed of WGN-TV in Chicago.
3- Blaze TV
Blaze Media, a partnership between Conservative Review and Glenn Beck’s Mercury Radio Arts, runs the news and commentary network Blaze TV. Beginning on September 12, 2012, as GBTV, which was initially completely under Beck’s control. It eventually created the joint venture on December 3, 2018, assuming ownership of Conservative Review’s subscription video service, CRTV, whose launch was in October 2016.
US Cable News Rankings
The three main news cablers enjoyed a great year while everyone else prepares to see how low they may sink. It should come as no surprise that viewers tuned in because of the election, the flu epidemic, and the campaign for racial justice. They did: Fox News increased by 43%, MSNBC increased by 23%, and CNN increased by 83%.
Despite its older skew, Fox News was even a top 10 network in adults 18-49. While CNN had a staggering 95 percent increase in that audience. Meanwhile, both overall viewers and the crucial 25-54 news demo gave CNN its highest prime-time ratings ever in 2020. While this was happening, Fox News also enjoyed its finest year ever. Becoming the first cable news network to average more than 3 million viewers during primetime. Even the smallest digital product Newsy had a 167% increase in viewers from its base of 3,000 to 8,000, which is still rather modest[4].
FAQs
1- Which US TV station has the most viewers?
CBS is the 1 US TC channel.
2021’S MOST WATCHED NETWORKS (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)
- 1st with 5,574 viewers, is CBS
- 2nd with 5,484 viewers,is NBC
- 3rd. With 4,077 viewers, is ABC
- 4th. Fox had 3,683 viewers.
2- Which US television network has the most viewers?
2022’s MOST WATCHED NETWORKS (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)
- CBS, 7,140 viewers
- NBC had 6,330 viewers.
- ABC received 5,192 viewers.
- Fox, with 4,623 viewers
3- Which channel is the top one worldwide?
T-Series, an Indian music video publisher run by the same-named entertainment firm, had the most subscribers as of October 2022. Since April 14, 2019, the channel has retained this distinction thanks to its 226 million subscribers.
References
[1] Michael Schneider, 2021, Most-Watched Television Networks by Variety[https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/network-ratings-2021-top-channels-]
[2] Wikipedia, US Cable News Channels[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cable_news]
[3] Top 10 news channels in the world by Java Point[https://www.javatpoint.com/top-10-news-channels-in-the-world]
[4] Perry White, 2022, The Best US News Networks by Ranker[https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-us-news-networks/perry-white]
