Shocker: Fox News Obliterates Cable Competition

How bad is it for the Fox News Derangement Syndrome crowd? Even a "rising star" like Rachel Maddow has seen its ratings slip 14%. Um, I think that rising star just crashed somewhere east of Albuquerque.

The Nielsen numbers are in for 2010, and in the battle for cable news ratings supremacy, Fox News took the title for the ninth year in a row -- bludgeoning the competition for another year.

The blowout comes on the heels on Fox News’ surging 2009, when the News Corp.-owned channel posted its highest-rated year in the network’s 13-year history. (Overall, cable news audiences were down across the board -- though FNC's decline was from a high-water mark.)

Among the other 2010 highlights:

>> MSNBC, which in 2009 boasted its first full-year primetime win over CNN in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, did so again, while beating CNN in total day “demo” viewers and average total viewers in primetime – both firsts for the network.

>> CNN had its lowest rated year in 14 years in primetime, both in terms 25-54-year-old viewers and average total viewers. And barring a breaking news event in the next few days, the network will at least tie its lowest rated year ever (1999) in total day “demo” viewers.

For average primetime and total viewers in 2010, Fox News beat its cable news competitors (CNN, MSNBC and HLN) combined in total viewers -- and we outslugged CNN and MSNBC combined in “demo.”

Not only did Fox News wallop MSNBC and CNN, it ranked fourth among all cable networks in primetime, behind USA, ESPN and TNT. (MSNBC was 28th, CNN 32nd and HLN 37th.)

Fox owned the top 12 cable news shows in average total viewers and swept the top 10 among 25-54-year-olds (MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" came in 13th and 11th, respectively). Even the nightly repeat of the “O’Reilly Factor” averaged more viewers than MSNBC and CNN shows.

While moving ahead of CNN, several shows in MSNBC’s primetime lineup took a bit of a ratings hit in 2010. “Countdown With Keith Olbermann” fell 25 percent in the 25-54 demo, 11 percent overall. Rising star Rachel Maddow took a step back among 25-to-54-year-old viewers, slipping 14 percent.

The George Soros buttboys at Media Matters must be on suicide watch.