Newsmax was the big ratings-winner with its exclusive cable coverage of former President Donald Trump's rally in Texas last weekend.
Some 2.9 million cable viewers tuned in to watch the event live from Conroe — and 1.1 million of them were adults ages 35-64, the demographic craved by advertisers.
Though Newsmax is carried in 20 million fewer homes than Fox, total audience impressions for both networks during Trump's speech was almost at parity, both drawing around 1.4 million viewers per minute, according to Nielsen.
Newsmax's huge streaming audience also accessed live rally coverage, adding more than 2.5 million total viewers, giving the network a reach of over 5.4 million, according to network data.
"Everything is bigger in Texas — including Newsmax Trump events,'' said Jason Villar, Newsmax vice president of media/market research and insights.
Business Insider trumpeted Newsmax's over-the-weekend ratings success with the headline: "Newsmax's audience skyrockets during Trump rallies that other networks, including Fox News, ignore.''
"We can't speak to Fox News' decisions, but we believe this rally was a significant news event that was worthy of coverage," Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy told The Washington Post, which also reported on Newsmax's coverage.
"Newsmax treated the Texas rally like a Super Bowl, with pre-game coverage and postgame analysis from Bill O'Reilly and Ben Carson — both former Fox News personalities — as well as an on-screen poll asking viewers whether they want Trump to run again," the Post's media reporter Jeremy Barr wrote.
via newsmax