• Fox News (Fox Corporation): Clear leader in cable news viewership and overall reach. Q3 2026 primetime averaged ~2.06 million total viewers (down ~17% YoY but still far ahead of MS NOW ~930k and CNN ~608k); total day ~1.32 million. Cable Network Programming segment revenue ~$7.35 billion in the fiscal year ended June 2026 (up 6%). Digital had a record 2025 with ~143 million average multiplatform unique visitors; claimed monthly reach near 200 million across platforms. X followers ~29.4 million. Non-linear products (streaming, podcasts, books, etc.) projected around $500 million.
• Wall Street Journal (News Corp/Dow Jones): Strongest pure subscription growth among major newspapers on the right-leaning side. Digital-only subscriptions ~4.3–4.5 million in recent quarters (up ~8–13% YoY in various periods); total subscriptions ~4.7–4.8 million (92%+ digital). Dow Jones segment revenue ~$2.5 billion annually with solid EBITDA growth. Print circulation remains relatively high at ~391k daily in early 2026 data.
• Newsmax: Smaller-scale cable/digital alternative. Revenue ~$189 million in FY2025 with guidance of $212–216 million for FY2026. Ranked #4 in cable news; primetime viewership in the low hundreds of thousands (e.g., ~185k in Q3 2026 samples). Total social media followers surpassed 25 million. X ~3.7 million.
• Daily Wire: Digital-native subscription and content company. Paid subscribers dropped significantly to roughly 850,000 in 2025 (from ~1.26 million the prior year), with ad revenue also soft. Reported adjusted EBITDA of ~$48 million; has sought new investment at a ~$750 million valuation while facing retention challenges. Strong historical YouTube/podcast presence (~3.2 million YouTube subscribers).
• New York Post: High web traffic brand within News Corp. Sample monthly visits in the ~90–100 million range in recent data; print circulation has declined but remains notable among tabloids.
Visualization
Multi-panel bar chart using approximate figures above (zeros or low estimates for non-applicable categories; revenue for Fox is the broader cable segment):
Caveats: Definitions vary widely (cable homes vs. paid digital subs vs. unique visitors vs. social followers). Fox’s dominance is clearest in linear TV ratings and total multiplatform reach; WSJ leads in paid digital newspaper subscriptions. Many private or smaller outlets (Daily Wire, etc.) disclose limited audited numbers. Figures fluctuate with news cycles, elections, and platform changes. For the most current, check company filings (Fox, News Corp), Nielsen reports, or Comscore data.
Me: What about social media numbers?
Grok: Social media numbers for major news outlets (approximate, late 2025–2026). These supplement the earlier revenue, subscriber, circulation, and X-focused data. Figures come from company statements, Emplifi/Comscore, Social Blade, and public reports. They focus on followers/subscribers and notable engagement or view metrics where available. Platforms and reporting methods vary, so direct apples-to-apples comparisons are imperfect.
Snapshot by Platform
YouTube (subscribers / notable views)
• CNN: ~19.9 million subscribers (added nearly 1 million in 2026). Claims status as the most-subscribed U.S. news brand in some recent periods; competitive video views.
• MS NOW (formerly MSNBC): ~10 million subscribers. Strong views (e.g., ~889 million in Q3 2026; ~2.3 billion year-to-date in some reports).
• Fox News: Leading or near-leading in video views (3.5 billion year-to-date through early October 2026; 918 million in Q3). Strong growth trajectory.
• Daily Wire: ~3.2 million subscribers.
• Newsmax: ~2.6 million (YouTube Live figure cited).
TikTok (followers)
• CNN: Over 16 million (claimed #1 most-followed U.S. news brand in recent statements).
• Fox News: Rapid growth to ~11.5–11.8 million (from a very low base of tens of thousands a couple of years earlier).
• New York Times: ~3.8 million (strong percentage growth).
X (followers) — recap from prior data, updated where available
• CNN ~61.8 million
• New York Times ~53.9 million
• Fox News ~29.4 million
• Washington Post ~19.3 million
• NPR ~7.7–8.7 million
• MS NOW ~5 million
• Newsmax ~3.7 million
Facebook / Instagram / multi-platform social
• New York Times: Facebook ~22.2 million; Instagram ~20.5 million.
• Fox News: Frequently leads news brands in social interactions (e.g., 280 million across Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok in Q3 2026). Strong multiplatform engagement.
• Newsmax: Surpassed 25 million total social media followers across platforms (Facebook ~6.2 million, Truth Social ~6.9 million, X ~3.7 million, Instagram ~2.2 million, YouTube ~2.6 million, plus others).
• CNN and others: Significant but less consistently broken out in the same way; CNN’s TikTok and YouTube gains are the most highlighted recent milestones.
Quick Comparison Notes
Key takeaways:
• Legacy cable brands (CNN, Fox, MS NOW) dominate YouTube subscriber counts and video views among traditional news outlets. Fox often leads in raw video views and broad social interactions; CNN has pushed hard on YouTube subscribers and TikTok.
• Print/digital newspapers like the NYT retain very large X and Facebook/Instagram audiences.
• Right-leaning digital natives and alternatives (Newsmax, Daily Wire) have solid but smaller or more specialized social footprints, with Newsmax emphasizing total cross-platform social reach.
• TikTok has been a major growth area for both Fox and CNN in recent years. Engagement rates and actual video views often matter more than raw follower counts for impact.
Numbers shift with platform algorithm changes, news cycles, and rebrands (e.g., MSNBC → MS NOW). Official company press releases and third-party analytics (Emplifi, Social Blade, Comscore) are the best sources for the latest. Let me know if you want deeper detail on a specific platform or outlet.
Me: How about news twits and podcasters?
Grok: Social media and podcast numbers for independent news voices, commentators, and podcasters (often called “news twits” on X or digital-native creators). These sit outside or alongside traditional outlets. Data is approximate for late 2025–2026 from charts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podtrac), TheRighting, Newsreel, Social Blade, and company reports. Rankings shift quickly with news cycles.
Top News & Commentary Podcasts (U.S. charts, recent)
Independent and hybrid shows dominate many news/commentary rankings:
Joe Rogan (The Joe Rogan Experience) remains the overall podcast leader by a wide margin in most broader rankings. It is comedy/interview-focused but heavily features news, politics, and culture. It is not always in pure “news” charts but has massive reach.
Key Independent Creators (X + YouTube + other)
From multi-platform rankings (X, YouTube, etc.):
• Joe Rogan: ~15.7M X followers, ~21.1M YouTube subscribers. Largest independent interviewer/podcaster reach.
• Tucker Carlson: ~18M X, ~5.8M YouTube. Strong independent network presence post-Fox.
• Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire: High on both (YouTube channel historically multi-millions; podcast among the largest on the right).
• Candace Owens: Strong X presence (~7–8M range in rankings); podcast and YouTube notable but growth has flattened in recent quarters.
• Megyn Kelly: ~4.2M YouTube subscribers; podcast among the fastest-growing on the right in some Q3 data.
• MeidasTouch (left-leaning network): ~6.5M YouTube subscribers on main channel; active podcast and frequent chart presence.
• Others frequently cited: Shawn Ryan (interview style, strong YouTube growth), Benny Johnson, various Daily Wire hosts (Walsh, Knowles), and left-leaning shows like I’ve Had It or Legal AF (Meidas).
Recent trend note: Partisan YouTube subscriber growth slowed sharply for many big voices on both sides in Q3 2026 (e.g., Tucker, Candace, Megyn, MeidasTouch, Benny Johnson saw much smaller net adds than the prior year). Long-form interview formats (Rogan, Tucker, Shawn Ryan) have held up relatively better than pure daily commentary in some analyses.
Broader Context
• Right-leaning independents (Shapiro, Tucker, Kelly, Owens, Daily Wire ecosystem) punch well above their traditional-media size in podcasts and YouTube commentary.
• Left-leaning independents (MeidasTouch, Pod Save America, various YouTube commentators) also rank highly in news charts and maintain large digital audiences.
• Traditional outlets still lead on pure “news” podcasts (NYT’s The Daily, NPR) and institutional trust metrics, but independent creators often win on engagement, long-form discussion, and younger or highly partisan audiences.
• YouTube has become a top source for political news for many Americans, sometimes surpassing traditional TV in specific surveys.
These numbers are highly volatile. Podcast charts change weekly, YouTube growth has cooled for pure partisan content, and X follower counts are public but engagement varies. For the latest, check Apple/Spotify charts, Podtrac, or creator pages directly. Want details on a specific person or platform?
Me: What about X?
Grok: X (formerly Twitter) follower numbers for the outlets and independent voices discussed so far. Figures are approximate as of mid-October 2026, drawn from public profile data, AltIndex, and multi-platform rankings. Counts can fluctuate daily and do not reflect engagement or reach.
Traditional / Institutional News Outlets on X
CNN and the NYT lead traditional outlets by a wide margin on raw follower count. Fox is substantially smaller on X than those two but often ranks highly in social interaction/engagement data across platforms.
Independent Commentators, Podcasters & “News Twits”
From recent multi-platform influencer rankings (X + other platforms):
Independent voices (especially Tucker, Rogan, Shapiro, Owens) have built substantial X audiences without traditional newsroom infrastructure. Several rank among the most-followed news/commentary accounts overall, even if they trail the biggest institutional brands like CNN and the NYT in pure follower count.
Quick Takeaways on X
• Institutional leaders: CNN and the NYT dominate raw follower numbers among traditional news brands.
• Independents punch above weight: Tucker Carlson (~18M) and Joe Rogan (~15.7M) sit in the same range as or above many cable/print accounts and outperform most individual hosts.
• Right-leaning independents (Tucker, Shapiro, Owens, etc.) collectively have very large X footprints relative to the size of right-leaning traditional outlets on the platform.
• Follower count is only one metric—engagement, reply volume, and viral clips often matter more for actual influence, and those numbers are less consistently public.
X remains a major real-time news and commentary platform, which is why so many of these accounts rank highly in overall follower lists. Numbers move with platform changes, news events, and account activity. Want a deeper look at any specific account or engagement data?
Grok and Me, reporting between time and the ethosphere.
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