NBC, ABC & CBS Evening News Ratings: Who’s on Top & Who’s Lagging Behind?
ABC and NBC held onto the top two slots across broadcast evening news ratings for the week of September 8, but CBS Evening News was the only program to see gains in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demo. However, CBS is showing a double digit drop on its ratings compared with the same week last year.
According to AdWeek, citing live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, CBS Evening News had 3.872 million total viewers and 574,000 viewers in the key demo for the week of September 8. This was up 4% in total viewers and up 11% in the demo compared to the week before. It was the only evening news broadcast to post growth in both categories.
In comparison to the same week last year, CBS Evening News was down 12% in total viewers and down 13% in the key demo. John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois have helmed the show since January 27, following the exit of Norah O’Donnell.
It should be noted that the weekly averages for ABC News are based on three days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), while NBC News’ averages are based on four days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday).
ABC’s World News Tonight was retitled to WNT-ABCE on Monday and Thursday due to the NFL and reports on the Charlie Kirk shooting. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s edition of NBC Nightly News was preempted due to the Kirk shooting.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir maintained the top spot for the week of September 8, averaging 7.133 million total viewers and 1.002 million viewers in the 25-54 demo. While the show dropped 1% in total viewers, it was up 12% in the demo compared to the week prior. It was also up on the same week in 2024, with a 3% increase in total viewers and a 4% rise in the demo.
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas held the No. 2 slot for the week with an average of 5.655 million total viewers and 767,000 viewers in the key demo. This was flat with last week’s average in total viewers but down 6% in the demo. The program was also down in both categories compared to last year, with a drop of 6% in total viewers and a fall of 13% in the demo.
World News Tonight with David Muir, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, ABC
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, NBC
CBS Evening News, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
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