When Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News, some in the media doubted he could compete. Variety predicted in 1996 that Murdoch would likely have the hardest time succeeding in the TV news business.
Three decades later, Fox News has not only made it but is setting its sights beyond television.
The network marked its 30th anniversary Wednesday with little left to prove in the cable news ratings race. A growing share of its business now comes from outside the medium that made it a powerhouse.
Since its debut on Oct. 7, 1996, viewers have watched more than 265 billion minutes of Fox News programming, or 4.4 billion hours, according to Nielsen data obtained by Mediaite.
Fox has been the most-watched cable news network for 24 straight years. In its latest fiscal year, it drew more than half of all cable news viewership, according to a Fox Corp. filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The anniversary arrives as the industry faces a major shift. Cord-cutting has steadily weakened the traditional cable bundle and pushed news networks to look for audiences and revenue elsewhere.
Fox has spent years doing exactly that. Last year, Fox News Media projected that its businesses outside linear television would bring in $500 million in revenue in 2025, executive vice president of ad sales Trey Gargano told Axios. Those businesses include podcasts, books, streaming and other digital products, and together they have posted double-digit annual growth since 2020.
Fox Nation, the network's subscription streaming service, launched in 2018. It now offers entertainment, true crime and faith-based programming in addition to news and politics. Fox has also grown its podcast operation, its book imprint and Fox Weather, a free, ad-supported streaming service.
Rivals are moving in the same direction. CNN rolled out its $6.99-a-month All Access streaming tier in 2025. NBC News launched a digital subscription product, and MS NOW added a paid membership program and live events.
The competition is tighter online than on cable. Fox led news brands with 918 million YouTube views in the third quarter of this year, according to Emplifi data. MS NOW followed closely with 889 million, and CNN had 712 million. CNN said it added nearly one million YouTube subscribers in 2026, reaching 19.9 million, and passed 16 million TikTok followers. CNN also claimed it became the most-subscribed news organization on YouTube and the most-followed on TikTok in September.
Still, Fox's digital growth has been significant. The network drew 3.5 billion YouTube views in the first nine months of 2026 and has led news brands on the platform for eight consecutive quarters.
Its TikTok growth has been even more striking. Fox's account went from roughly 25,000 followers in June 2024 to more than 11.8 million by September 2026.
Those platforms are bringing in younger viewers. Fox News Media puts the median age of its audience across all platforms at 45. Gargano previously told Axios that Fox's digital audience is 30% to 50% younger than the general linear TV audience.
Fox is also holding viewers across the political spectrum. Nielsen and MRI-Simmons data supplied by the network show that Democrats, Republicans and independents all spent more time watching Fox than CNN or MS NOW in every measured month from January through July.
The next challenge for Fox is whether it can carry its 30-year advantage on cable into the more crowded competition for viewers online.
