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Fox News prime time won big on Thursday night averaging almost 3.4 million total viewers in the hours after Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel to oversee an investigation into President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents.

Tucker Carlson topped the cable news ratings with 3.98 million total viewers, followed by The Five’s 2.76 million total average viewers.

Sean Hannity landed in third place with 3.48 million total viewers, followed by Jesse Watters’s 3.22 million total viewers.

While Fox News ratings surged, MSNBC and CNN maintained similar numbers as seen in recent weeks.

Here is a full breakdown of Thursday’s cable news ratings by show:

Total Viewers (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1012		 CNN THIS MORNING:
277		 MORNING JOE:
784		 BIDEN CHRONICLES; THE:
19		 EARLY MORNING:
8
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1327		 CNN THIS MORNING:
350		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
113		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
25
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1573		 CNN THIS MORNING:
441		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1744		 CNN NEWSROOM:
560		 MORNING JOE:
900		 NATIONAL REPORT:
160		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1871		 CNN NEWSROOM:
551		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
666		 — NWSN LIVE W/ MARNI HUGHES:
50
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
1924		 AT THIS HOUR:
544		 MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE:
604		 — —
12p OUTNUMBERED:
2025		 INSIDE POLITICS:
589		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
641		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
157		 BLUE BLOODS:
88
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
2160		 CNN NEWSROOM:
598		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
705		 — BLUE BLOODS:
162
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
2282		 CNN NEWSROOM:
598		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
686		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
140		 BLUE BLOODS:
190
3p STORY, THE:
2409		 CNN NEWSROOM:
604		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
681		 — BLUE BLOODS:
240
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
2142		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
646		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
1229		 CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
240		 BLUE BLOODS:
298
5p FIVE, THE:
3758		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
647		 — SPICER & CO:
199		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
122
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
2891		 SITUATION ROOM:
587		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
1197		 RECORD WITH GRETA VAN SUS:
181		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
78
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
3225		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
643		 REIDOUT:
1128		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
261		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
66
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
3981		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
613		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
1184		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
188		 CUOMO:
177
9p HANNITY:
3482		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
662		 ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT:
1168		 PRIME NEWS:
169		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
143
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
2681		 CNN TONIGHT:
565		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
1284		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
225		 BANFIELD:
142
11p GUTFELD!:
2380		 CNN TONIGHT:
383		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
845		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
141		 CUOMO:
70 [11:18 PM-11:59 PM]

25-54 Demo (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
139		 CNN THIS MORNING:
53		 MORNING JOE:
80		 BIDEN CHRONICLES; THE:
2		 EARLY MORNING:
3
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
188		 CNN THIS MORNING:
67		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
20		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
5
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
236		 CNN THIS MORNING:
85		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
217		 CNN NEWSROOM:
106		 MORNING JOE:
81		 NATIONAL REPORT:
14		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
236		 CNN NEWSROOM:
99		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
76		 — NWSN LIVE W/ MARNI HUGHES:
7
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
268		 AT THIS HOUR:
100		 MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE:
87		 — —
12p OUTNUMBERED:
225		 INSIDE POLITICS:
130		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
57		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
10		 BLUE BLOODS:
12
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
252		 CNN NEWSROOM:
96		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
65		 — BLUE BLOODS:
34
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
258		 CNN NEWSROOM:
115		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
58		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
9		 BLUE BLOODS:
22
3p STORY, THE:
294		 CNN NEWSROOM:
124		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
52		 — BLUE BLOODS:
15
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
273		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
123		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
94		 CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
14		 BLUE BLOODS:
23
5p FIVE, THE:
457		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
142		 — SPICER & CO:
16		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
11
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
335		 SITUATION ROOM:
143		 BEAT
W/ARI MELBER:
99		 RECORD WITH GRETA VAN SUS:
13		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
15
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
337		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
152		 REIDOUT:
127		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
20		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
15
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
515		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
130		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
122		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
14		 CUOMO:
26
9p HANNITY:
407		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
177		 ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT:
124		 PRIME NEWS:
11		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
19
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
367		 CNN TONIGHT:
135		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
91		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
12		 BANFIELD:
24
11p GUTFELD!:
393		 CNN TONIGHT:
101		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
69		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
20		 CUOMO:
7 [11:18 PM-11:59 PM]

As for the three cable news networks overall, here are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 504,000

Fox News: 2.15 million

MSNBC: 842,000

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 107,000

Fox News: 277,000

MSNBC: 80,000

Here are the prime time averages — encompassing shows which air from 8-11 p.m. — in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 613,000

Fox News: 3.28 million

MSNBC: 1.21 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 147,000

Fox News: 430,000

MSNBC: 112,000

For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.

Tags: CNN, Daily Ratings, Fox News, MSNBC, Tucker Carlson