In one of the bigger news weeks this fall, with the the health care debate, the 2009 elections and the breaking news out of Fort Hood, Fox News and "NBC Nightly News" came out on top in the ratings.
Among cable news networks, Fox News was tops, averaging 2.556 million total viewers in primetime for the week and registering as the #3 cable network in primetime. CNN averaged 883,000 total viewers for the #21 spot on cable, while MSNBC averaged 741,000 total viewers for the #26 spot on cable.
In the total day, ratings Fox News placed 4th among all cable networks with an average of 1.402 million total viewers; CNN placed 20th with an average of 593,000 total viewers; MSNBC placed 33rd.
On the networks, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" averaged 9.469 million total viewers, its best week since the week of February 16, 2009. ABC's "World News" with Charles Gibson averaged 8.380 million total viewers, while the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" averaged 6.204 million total viewers. "Nightly News" was also the only network newscast to show growth compared to a year ago, adding 136,000 total viewers (2%) versus the same week last season.
In the A25-54 demographic, "Nightly" garnered a 2.3 rating, its highest in that demo since the week of March 23, 2009. "World News" got a 1.9 A25-54 rating, and "CBS Evening News" got a 1.5 A25-54 rating.