More millennials tuning in to cable news

Cable news networks are surging in popularity among millennial viewers, according to Nielsen data obtained by the New York Post. 

Fox News, the top-ranked cable news network among millennials ages 18 to 34, has seen a 250 percent increase among millennial viewers compared with two years ago, with 67,700 of them tuning in on average.

{mosads}CNN drew 62,900 millennial viewers on average, up from 34,800 in 2015. MSNBC was viewed by 35,900 millennials, compared with 20,400 two years ago. 

The increases are surprising given the explosion of digital-first news content and the trend of “cord-cutting,” or not subscribing to cable as cheaper streaming services proliferate.

Fox News, MSNBC and CNN have all seen significant increases in viewership across the board regardless of age because of the heightened interest in political news during last year’s unpredictable campaign and President Trump taking office.

Ratings usually fall precipitously following the drama of an election season, but all three cable news networks are enjoying unprecedented post-election success. 

According to Nielsen data released Thursday, Fox News topped all basic cable networks last week, including ESPN, for the 10th consecutive week. 

MSNBC has also enjoyed strong numbers, finishing fourth in all of cable. CNN placed 11th overall. 

Fox averaged 1.47 million total viewers throughout the day and 2.5 million in prime time. 

MSNBC averaged 894,000 in total day and 1.69 million in prime time. 

According to U.S. Census figures, there are more than 75 million millennials in the country, which is now the largest segment of the population.