Cable news networks continue to compete for market share and while Fox News Channel keeps the largest chunk of viewers, MSNBC has been surpassed by CNN for the No. 2 spot in July ratings.

Not only did CNN pull ahead, but MSNBC dropped to fourth after HLN in the total day averages for adults ages 25 through 54. This marks a 33 percent drop from July 2013 ratings.

FNC was the only network to show growth from last year's ratings, actually increasing 2 percent in primetime for the 25 to 54 demographic, up to a 299,000 average viewership, while virtually everyone else decreased.

Even though July had several large-scale breaking news stories, including the violence in the Gaza Strip and the Malaysia Airlines flight 17, which fed into the networks' 24-hour coverage, CNN, MSNBC and HLN were all below their 2013 summer ratings by double digits among targeted demographics. These big news stories helped to alleviate some of the drop off, but only in the latter half of the month.

CNN released a bulleted press release of the news of its promotion to second, itemizing each new show's successes, both individually and compared to other networks.

Included in the report, morning show "New Day" on CNN overtook MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the documentary series "The Sixties," which has been airing Thursday nights on CNN, now outperforms the "Rachel Maddow" show, even though she improved from June's lowest ever ratings.

But the two networks are still just scraping for second place. FNC, in contrast, consistently and significantly beats MSNBC and CNN.

On FNC, "The Five" at 5:00 p.m. tops the No. 1 spot among viewers across all cable channels for the third month in a row and Megyn Kelly of "The Kelly File" enjoyed her second-highest-rated month since the show's debut last October.