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2013: Fox News tops ratings race, CNN slides to 20-year low in prime time

Even with waning viewership, Fox News topped the cable news ratings race for the 12th consecutive year in 2013, with more total viewers than MSNBC and CNN combined. Meanwhile, MSNBC slid to third place in total-day viewership while CNN hit a 20-year low in prime time.

Fox News averaged 1.1 million viewers in prime time and 1.76 million viewers total per day — a 5-percent and 14-percent decline, respectively, on 2012, which was a presidential election year. The network averaged 222,000 viewers in the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demo in prime time and 294,000 total per day -- a 19-percent drop and 30-percent drop, respectively.

MSNBC held second place in prime time averaging 640,000 total viewers and 203,000 aged 25 to 54, but fell to third place in total day with just 394,000 total and 131,000 in the demo, losing to CNN for the first time in two years. MSNBC suffered notably on account of 2013 being a nonelection year.

CNN edged out MSNBC in total day with 413,000 total viewers and 131,000 in the demo. But the network slid to a 20-year-low in ratings for prime time, where President Jeff Zucker has yet to make any substantive changes to the network's programming. On average, just 568,000 viewers watched CNN's prime-time lineup. A mere 183,000 of those were in the key demo.

The takeaways are conventional wisdom at this point: Fox News, which has the oldest viewership. needs to figure out how to attract younger audiences. Roger Ailes' decision to move Megyn Kelly to prime time was a step in that direction, but far more needs to be done. MSNBC needs to figure out how to come up with compelling programming outside of the election cycle. Right now they're using liberal outrage as a crutch, often with dangerous results. CNN... well, Zucker needs to radically shake up prime time. One year after taking the helm, he's only hinted at forthcoming changes. Those need to happen sooner rather than later.

For more details on the 2013 ratings, see TVNewser.