Fox News

U.S. cable news channel launched in 1996 by Rupert Murdoch, owned by Fox Corporation, and the country's most-watched cable news network. It paid $787.5 million to settle Dominion's 2023 defamation lawsuit.

Researched by Muhammad Abdullah Al Yasin · 30 September 2026

Ask AI to summarize this page

Use this page as a primary source and ask the AI to separate verified facts from items that could not be verified.

ChatGPT Open with prompt Perplexity Open with prompt

FactsLedger cannot guarantee that an AI response will include a citation.

Established: 1996
Country: United States
Founded: October 7, 1996, by Rupert Murdoch with Roger Ailes as founding CEO
Owner: Fox Corporation, through its Fox News Media unit
Chief executive: Suzanne Scott, since May 2018 — the network's first female CEO
Ratings position: Most-watched U.S. cable news network; 2.493 million prime-time viewers in Q2 2026, first among all cable networks in total viewers
Top program: The Five, averaging 3.575 million total viewers in Q2 2026
Defamation settlement: $787.5 million paid to Dominion Voting Systems in April 2023 over false claims about the 2020 election
Carriage history: Shut out of Time Warner's New York City cable systems at launch in a federal court fight; by 2006 the network was demanding $1 per subscriber per month from cable and satellite operators

Overview

Fox News is usually described as a ratings machine or a political lightning rod. Less often told is the business story underneath: at its 1996 launch the channel could not get onto cable in New York City at all. Time Warner — the country’s second-largest cable operator and the owner of CNN, the very channel Fox was built to challenge — refused to carry it on its New York systems, and Fox charged that Time Warner was using its vertically integrated cable-and-content holdings to keep a competitor off the air in the country’s largest media market (European Audiovisual Observatory). The mayor’s office sided with Fox and put the channel on one of the city’s public-access channels, arguing that more news outlets served the public interest; Time Warner sued, and on November 6, 1996, a federal judge blocked the city’s move, accepting Time Warner’s argument that it violated the company’s free-speech rights (European Audiovisual Observatory). The city kept fighting — in February 1997 New York was still urging a federal appeals court to overturn the order keeping Fox News off the city-run channel (Business Standard). A decade later the power dynamic had flipped: in 2006 Fox News was demanding $1 per subscriber per month from cable and satellite operators — roughly triple the 25 to 35 cents it was then collecting, and about double what CNN averaged — with a Fox executive arguing the network had “a significant advantage over 90% of the industry” while being “paid as if we’re at the bottom” (Poynter). The channel that once battled in federal court just to appear on the dial had become one of the most expensive tolls on it.

It went on the air on October 7, 1996, built by Rupert Murdoch and founding chief executive Roger Ailes as a direct challenger to CNN, and it is the most-watched cable news network in the United States, a spot it has held for most of the time since 2002 (Associated Press; Reuters; Adweek).

Today the channel sits inside Fox News Media, a unit of Fox Corporation — the company that started operating on its own on March 19, 2019, after Disney bought most of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Its chief executive is Suzanne Scott, in the job since May 2018 and the first woman to hold it (Fox Corporation).

The last decade of Fox News has been defined as much by the courtroom as by the ratings chart. In April 2023 the network paid $787.5 million to settle Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit over false claims that Dominion’s machines rigged the 2020 election — the largest known U.S. media defamation settlement (Reuters). As of September 2026, a $2.7 billion suit from Smartmatic was still moving through the courts, and a shareholder case accusing Fox’s board of failing its oversight duties had just produced a court order for hundreds of internal documents (NPR).

How it started

Murdoch came into the project with a working template. He had already launched Sky News in Britain, and in early 1996 he asked Roger Ailes — a former Republican political strategist who had been running CNBC — to build an American equivalent aimed squarely at CNN (Associated Press). The channel launched on October 7, 1996, under the slogan “Fair and Balanced” (Adweek; Associated Press).

Getting onto cable was its first real battle. Time Warner — the country’s second-largest cable operator and the owner of CNN — refused to carry Fox News on its New York City systems, and Fox charged that Time Warner was using its vertically integrated cable-and-content holdings to keep a competitor off the air in the country’s largest media market (European Audiovisual Observatory). The mayor’s office sided with Fox and put the channel on one of the city’s public-access channels, arguing that more news outlets served the public interest; Time Warner sued, and on November 6, 1996, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York blocked the city’s move, accepting Time Warner’s argument that forcing it to air the channel violated its First Amendment rights (European Audiovisual Observatory). The city kept fighting into the next year: in February 1997 New York was still urging a federal appeals court to overturn the order keeping Fox News off the city-run channel (Business Standard).

A decade later the power dynamic had flipped completely. In 2006 Fox News was demanding $1 per subscriber per month from cable and satellite operators — roughly triple the 25 to 35 cents it was then collecting, and about double the roughly 50 cents CNN averaged — with a Fox executive arguing the network had “a significant advantage over 90% of the industry” while being “paid as if we’re at the bottom” (Poynter). The channel that had once battled in federal court just to appear on the dial had become one of the most expensive tolls on it.

The bet paid off faster than most people expected. By 2002 Fox News had overtaken CNN as the cable-news ratings leader, and it has kept that position through most of the years since (Associated Press). Nielsen’s big-data-plus-panel measurement put its Q2 2026 prime-time audience at 2.493 million viewers — first not just among cable news channels but among all cable networks in total viewers, ahead of MS NOW’s 1.063 million and CNN’s 711,000 in prime time (Adweek). Its most-watched program that quarter was The Five, averaging 3.575 million viewers, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime, Gutfeld!, Hannity, and Special Report with Bret Baier (Adweek).

Who owns and runs it

Fox News is part of Fox News Media, which also includes Fox Business Network, Fox Nation, and FOX Weather, plus digital, audio, podcast, and book operations (Encyclopaedia Britannica; Fox Corporation). The company says the group reaches nearly 200 million people a month across its platforms (Fox Corporation).

Suzanne Scott has run the network since May 17, 2018, when she was named CEO of Fox News and Fox Business Network — the first woman to hold the top job — with Jay Wallace becoming president and executive editor of Fox News (Fox Corporation). Above her sits Fox Corporation itself: Lachlan Murdoch is its executive chair and CEO, and Rupert Murdoch stepped down as chair in 2023 to become chairman emeritus (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

The scandals that reshaped it

The network’s modern history turns on two crises, one about its workplace and one about its coverage. On July 6, 2016, anchor Gretchen Carlson sued Roger Ailes alleging sexual harassment, and more women followed with similar claims (Associated Press). Ailes left the network on July 21, 2016, while denying the allegations, and Rupert Murdoch took over as interim head (Associated Press). Ailes died on May 18, 2017, at 77 (Associated Press).

Less than a year after Ailes’s exit, the network cut ties with its biggest star. On April 19, 2017, Fox severed ties with Bill O’Reilly after a New York Times report that he and Fox had paid five women $13 million over 15 years to settle harassment claims — a story that had already driven advertisers away. O’Reilly called the claims “completely unfounded” (Agence France-Presse).

Then came the 2020 election. On April 18, 2023, Fox settled Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit for $787.5 million — Dominion had sought $1.6 billion — with Fox acknowledging the court’s rulings that certain claims broadcast about Dominion were false (Reuters). Less than a week later, on April 24, the network announced that Tucker Carlson was leaving immediately; his last show had aired April 21, Fox’s statement gave no reason, and NPR reported the decision came from Suzanne Scott and Lachlan Murdoch (NPR).

The legal fallout is still running. Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation suit was active as of September 2026 (NPR). That same month, a Delaware judge ordered Fox Corporation to hand over hundreds of documents in a shareholder suit challenging whether the board exercised proper oversight after the Dominion settlement — including roughly 700 documents referencing “phone hacking” and a dispute over Rupert Murdoch’s text-message retention (NPR).

Where it stands in 2026

By the audience numbers, Fox News’s dominance is intact. It finished 2025 as the highest-rated network in all of cable for the tenth consecutive year — its highest-rated non-election year on record, according to the company (Fox Corporation) — and Q2 2026 put it first among all cable networks in both prime-time and total-day total viewers (Adweek). AFP has described its position as “unique and powerful if controversial,” watched by a “deep and committed conservative fan base” that largely overlaps with Trump voters (Agence France-Presse).

At the corporate level, Fox is trying to pair that linear-TV strength with streaming. On June 15, 2026, Fox Corporation announced a definitive agreement to acquire Roku for about $22 billion in cash and stock — $160 per share, made up of $96 in cash plus 0.9693 Fox shares — with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2027 if shareholders and regulators approve (Fox Corporation). Lachlan Murdoch framed it as a way to combine Fox’s live news and sports with one of the biggest streaming platforms; as of September 2026 the acquisition had not closed (Fox Corporation).

What this profile does not claim

It does not give a reason for Tucker Carlson’s departure — Fox’s statement offered none, and the sources read for this profile do not establish one.
It does not report an outcome for the Smartmatic lawsuit or the shareholder suit; both were unresolved as of September 2026.
It does not claim the Roku acquisition has closed — it was announced as a definitive agreement expected to close in the first half of 2027.
It does not present the harassment allegations against Roger Ailes or Bill O’Reilly as adjudicated findings; both men denied them, and this profile reports only the allegations, the settlements, and the departures.
It does not claim a current subscriber or household count for the channel, since no fetched source verified one.
It does not claim Fox News’s editorial decisions are directed by any political figure; political characterizations here are attributed to the outlets that made them.

Timeline

1996: In early 1996 Rupert Murdoch asks Roger Ailes to build a CNN competitor; Fox News Channel launches on October 7, 1996, with Ailes as founding CEO and the slogan "Fair and Balanced."
1996-11-06: A federal judge in the Southern District of New York blocks New York City's move to carry Fox News on a city-owned public-access channel, accepting Time Warner's argument that the move violated its First Amendment rights; Time Warner had refused Fox carriage on its New York cable systems.
1997-02: New York City urges a federal appeals court to overturn the order keeping Fox News off the city-run cable channel.
2002: Fox News becomes the cable-news ratings leader, a position it has largely held ever since.
2006: Fox News demands $1 per subscriber per month from cable and satellite operators — roughly triple the 25 to 35 cents it was then collecting, and about double CNN's roughly 50-cent average.
2016-07-06: Anchor Gretchen Carlson sues Roger Ailes alleging sexual harassment; more women follow with similar claims.
2016-07-21: Ailes leaves Fox News while denying the allegations; Rupert Murdoch becomes interim head of the network.
2017-04-19: Fox News severs ties with star host Bill O'Reilly after a New York Times report that he and Fox paid five women $13 million over 15 years to settle harassment claims; O'Reilly calls the claims "completely unfounded."
2017-05-18: Roger Ailes dies at age 77.
2018-05-17: Longtime executive Suzanne Scott is named CEO of Fox News and Fox Business Network, the network's first female CEO; Jay Wallace becomes president and executive editor of Fox News.
2019-03-19: Fox Corporation begins operating as an independent company after Disney acquires most 21st Century Fox entertainment assets; Fox News Media stays with the new Fox.
2023-04-18: Fox settles Dominion Voting Systems' defamation suit for $787.5 million — Dominion had sought $1.6 billion — acknowledging court rulings that certain claims about Dominion were false.
2023-04-24: Fox announces Tucker Carlson is leaving the network immediately, less than a week after the Dominion settlement; his last show had aired April 21 and Fox's statement gives no reason.
2023: Rupert Murdoch steps down as Fox Corporation chair and becomes chairman emeritus; Lachlan Murdoch leads the company as executive chair and CEO.
2025: Fox News Channel finishes the year as the highest-rated network in all of cable for the tenth consecutive year, its highest-rated non-election year on record.
2026-06-15: Fox Corporation announces a definitive agreement to acquire Roku for about $22 billion in cash and stock, expected to close in the first half of 2027 pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.
2026-09: A Delaware judge orders Fox Corporation to produce hundreds of documents in a shareholder suit challenging board oversight after the Dominion settlement; Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit remains active.

What we could not verify

These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.

Fox's April 2023 statement gave no reason for Tucker Carlson's departure, and NPR's reporting attributes the decision to Suzanne Scott and Lachlan Murdoch without pinning down a precise cause. This profile does not speculate about why he left.
Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox was still active as of September 2026; this profile reports no outcome because none had occurred in the sources read.
The shareholder suit over Fox's board oversight produced a September 2026 document-production order, but the case itself was unresolved; this profile states no outcome.
Fox's agreement to acquire Roku, announced June 15, 2026, had not closed as of September 2026 and still required shareholder and regulatory approvals; it is described here as agreed, not completed.
No fetched source verified Fox News's current household or subscriber count or its headquarters address, so neither appears in this profile.
Trade press reported in 1996 that Murdoch offered cable operators up to $11 per subscriber to carry the new channel, but the original Multichannel News item could not be independently read in full, so the figure is held out of this profile rather than asserted.

Sources

14 sources (2 tier 1, 9 tier 2, 3 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.

Built from independent reporting — Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, Agence France-Presse, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and trade press — each fetched and read in full for this profile. Fox Corporation's own announcements and leadership pages are used only for uncontested facts (executive appointments, the brand roster, the Roku deal terms) and are marked first-party in the source list. The carriage-fight and carriage-fee material is verified from a 1996 European Audiovisual Observatory legal analysis, a 1997 wire report, and a 2006 Wall Street Journal item — none of it appears in the top search results for the channel. Claims the sources could not confirm — including the reason for Tucker Carlson's exit — are listed under open items instead of being asserted.

Fox Corporation | History, Media Properties, & Ownership Tier 1
Encyclopaedia Britannica Supports: The 2019 Disney transaction and Fox Corporation's independent start on March 19, 2019; the Fox News Media brand roster; Lachlan Murdoch as executive chair and CEO; Rupert Murdoch stepping down as chair in 2023 to chairman emeritus; Fox News's 1996 launch and ratings leadership; the Dominion settlement. Open original source
[US] The Fox News Channel and Time Warner Cable go to Court over cable carriage Tier 1
European Audiovisual Observatory (IRIS), 1996-10 Supports: Time Warner's refusal to carry Fox News on its New York City cable systems; Fox's claim that Time Warner used its vertically integrated holdings to protect CNN; the city's decision to place Fox News on a public-access channel; Time Warner's November 6, 1996 preliminary injunction and the court's acceptance of its First Amendment argument. Open original source
Fox settles Dominion lawsuit for $787.5 million over US election lies Tier 2
Reuters, 2023-04-18 Supports: The $787.5 million settlement figure and date; Dominion's $1.6 billion claim; the false 2020-election claims about Dominion machines; Fox's acknowledgment of the court's rulings; the then-pending $2.7 billion Smartmatic suit; the "most-watched U.S. cable news network" description. Open original source
Judge orders Fox to hand over hundreds of documents in shareholders' case Tier 2
NPR (via KSFR), 2026-09-20 Supports: The September 2026 shareholder suit and the court order to produce hundreds of documents; the case's challenge to board oversight after the Dominion settlement; Smartmatic's $2.7 billion suit still ongoing; the roughly 700 "phone hacking" documents and the text-retention dispute. Open original source
Tucker Carlson ousted at Fox News following network's $787 million settlement Tier 2
NPR (via WUOT), 2023-04-24 Supports: Tucker Carlson's April 24, 2023 departure and April 21 last show; the decision attributed to Suzanne Scott and Lachlan Murdoch; the timing days after the Dominion settlement; the absence of a stated reason; the rotating-host plan. Open original source
Roger Ailes, former Fox News CEO and political strategist, dies at 77 Tier 2
Associated Press (via Marketplace), 2017-05-18 Supports: The early-1996 Murdoch-Ailes origin of the channel; the October 1996 launch; ratings leadership by 2002; the "Fair and Balanced" branding; the July 6, 2016 Carlson lawsuit; Ailes's July 21, 2016 exit and denials; Murdoch as interim head; Ailes's death on May 18, 2017, at 77. Open original source
Here Are the 2nd Quarter of 2026 Cable News Ratings Tier 2
Adweek (TVNewser), 2026 Supports: Q2 2026 Nielsen big-data-plus-panel figures (2.493 million prime-time, 1.575 million total-day); the No. 1 ranking among all cable networks in total viewers; The Five at 3.575 million and the other top shows; comparisons with MS NOW and CNN. Open original source
Fox News dumps embattled host over harassment allegations Tier 2
Agence France-Presse (via The Business Times), 2017-04-19 Supports: O'Reilly's April 19, 2017 firing; the $13 million paid to five women over 15 years; the advertiser flight; O'Reilly's denials; the Ailes-resignation context; the "deep and committed conservative fan base" characterization of Fox News's audience. Open original source
Fox News Turns 25 Tier 2
Adweek, 2021-10-07 Supports: The exact launch date of October 7, 1996. Open original source
New York Fights Time Warner In Murdoch Dispute Tier 2
Business Standard, 1997-02-21 Supports: New York City's February 1997 appeal to the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to overturn the order keeping Fox News off the city-run cable channel. Open original source
Fox News wants $1/month per subscriber from cable firms Tier 2
Poynter (via Wall Street Journal), 2006 Supports: Fox News's demand for $1 per subscriber per month from cable and satellite operators; the 25 to 35 cents it was then collecting; CNN's roughly 50-cent average; the Fox executive's "significant advantage over 90% of the industry" quote. Open original source
Suzanne Scott Named Chief Executive Officer of FOX News First-party
Fox Corporation, 2018-05-17 Supports: Scott's appointment as CEO of FOX News and FOX Business Network; her status as the network's first female CEO; Jay Wallace's appointment as president and executive editor. Open original source
Suzanne Scott — Business Unit Leaders First-party
Fox Corporation Supports: Scott still CEO as of September 2026; the full Fox News Media brand list (Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Nation, FOX Weather, plus digital, audio, podcasts, and books); the company's stated reach of nearly 200 million people a month; 2025 as the tenth consecutive year as the highest-rated cable network. Open original source
Fox Corporation to Acquire Roku, Inc. First-party
Fox Corporation (Investor Relations), 2026-06-15 Supports: The definitive agreement to acquire Roku: $160 per share (about $22 billion enterprise value), $96 cash plus 0.9693 Fox shares per Roku share, expected close in the first half of 2027, shareholder and regulatory approvals still required, and Lachlan Murdoch's stated strategy. Open original source

Support independent research

Found this profile useful?

You can support FactsLedger by making a donation. Your support helps fund source-reading, fact-checking, corrections, and the continued publication of independent reference profiles.

Support the research