Why Murdoch's Fox News Should Thank Barack Hussein Obama

The atmosphere at traditionally Republican leaning US Fox News channel wasn't as depressing as one would have expected when Democrat President Barack Obama was re-elected on Tuesday.

Rupert Murdoch's TV station called the victory for Obama even earlier than CNN did, and it had some good reasons to be somehow happy about it, IBTimes US reported.

Fox ratings have benefited massively from the Obama Presidency. The channel's conservative hard-line rhetoric and the continuous attacks on thePresident conveyed large part of the Republican audience that can't stand Obama and his 'socialist' policies.

During the last three months of the US presidential electoral campaign this year, just 3 per cent of the coverage Fox dedicated to Obama had a positive stance, while 46 per cent had a negative approach, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The remaining coverage was mixed.

"For the last four years, Fox's pundits have dedicated virtually all of their airtime to vehemently attacking Obama's policies, as if the country were on the verge of a Bolshevik revolution," said IBTimes US.

The editorial strategy has worked as, since Obama began his bid for the White House in 2007 Fox News' viewership experienced an unprecedented boost.

Six months into Obama's first term as President Fox viewers were up 35 per cent over the previous year for the primetime, According to The Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile CNN saw its audience slashed 16 per cent and 29 per cent in primetime and demo respectively.

Numbers declined slightly in the next three years but Fox has remained US most most-watched cable news network by far since.

In the last quarter shares of Murdoch's media conglomerate company News Corp. raised 2.4 per cent, Murdoch reported in an earnings call with analysts earlier this week.

In 2013 News Corp. is to split in two, as the company is separating its publishing business from the more profitable media and entertainment business, in which Fox News is to take the lion's share, also thanks to the much-hated Obama.

"Obama's first term has allowed Fox News to successfully position itself as the last, best hope for American conservatism. A Romney win would only have added an unknown variable to that success. Why rock the boat when you're No. 1?" IBTimes US's Christopher Zara wrote.