Twenty-First Century Fox Inc s Fox News Channel scored the highest prime-time ratings among all basic cable television networks in August, according to Nielsen data, led by the Republican presidential candidates debate and anchor Megyn Kelly s "The Kelly File."
Fox News Channel s total viewers rose 34 percent to average roughly 2.4 million from a year earlier, the data showed. Of the total, 524,000 were ages 25 to 54, the key group for advertisers on cable news.
Sean Hannity s show "Hannity" delivered its highest-rated month ever, both among 25-to-54-year-olds and in total viewers. It drew 1.8 million viewers overall.
The Republican debate on Aug. 6 pulled in 24 million viewers, the biggest audience in the history of the Fox News Channel. Other major news events during the month included the stock market plunge and a shooting in Virginia.
Total viewership for prime-time programs "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," "The O’Reilly Factor," "The Kelly File" and "Hannity" rose in double-digits from a year earlier.
It was the second time that Fox News Channel held the top spot in basic cable monthly ratings this year.
