CBS, NBC & ABC News’ Latest Ratings Show Big Swings Amid Iran Conflict
What To Know
- Evening news ratings for the week of March 30 showed improvement for CBS and NBC.
- CBS News also had a big win on the night of April 1 when Donald Trump gave a primetime address.
- ABC still won the week, but NBC closed in on its competitor in the key Adults demo.
CBS and NBC saw success in evening news ratings for the week of March 30, with increased numbers compared to the week before. Both networks were still behind ABC, but NBC fell short in the key demo by the closest margin it has since early February.
For the week of March 30, ABC World News Tonight brought in an average of 8.598 million total viewers and 1.071 million in the Adults 25-54 demo. Compared to the previous week, the broadcast hosted by David Muir was flat among total viewers and down 1% in the key demo, and compared to the same week in 2025, the show was up 13% in total viewers and up 2% in the Adults demo.
Following not too far behind was NBC Nightly News, hosted by Tom Llamas, which drew in an average 6.703 million total viewers and 1.046 million in the 25-54 demo. This put NBC just 25,000 viewers behind ABC in the key demo. Nightly News was up 6% in total viewers and up 13% in the Adults demo compared to the previous week, and up 8% in total viewers and up 15% in the demo compared to the same week last year.
Finishing in third place of the three networks was CBS Evening News. The Tony Dokoupil-led show ended the week averaging 4.149 million total viewers, with 571,000 in the key demo. This put the broadcast up 6% in total viewers and up an impressive 28% in 25-54 viewers compared to one week earlier. In comparison with the same week in 2025, CBS Evening News was up 6% in total viewers and up 2% in the Adults demo.
CBS saw a big win on the evening of Wednesday, April 1, during Donald Trump‘s primetime address about the Iran War. With 4.914 million total viewers and 1.343 million Adults in the key demo watching, CBS beat both ABC and NBC in the ratings during the speech.
During the same 9/8c to 9:30/8:30c time slot on April 1, ABC brought in 3.473 million total viewers and 803,000 adults in the key demo, while NBC had 4.419 million total viewers and 860,000 in the Adults demo.
CBS Evening News, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
ABC World News Tonight, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, ABC
NBC Nightly News, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, NBC
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services