Observed Signal · Feb 11, 2026 · Ratings Update · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ABC Dominates Evening News Ratings Despite Decline
For the week of February 2, 2026, ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir remained the most-watched evening newscast in total viewers and Adults 25-54 but was the only major broadcast to lose viewers week-over-week. Nielsen national Live+Same-Day Big Data Plus Panel ratings show ABC averaged 8.987 million total viewers and 1.15 million A25-54. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas averaged 7.233 million and 1.10 million demo viewers, posting week-over-week gains (including a demo boost after Llamas’ exclusive interview with President Donald Trump). CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil averaged 4.576 million total viewers and 579,000 in the demo. The report includes week-over-week and year-over-year percentage changes and notes that Friday broadcasts retitled on Feb. 6 were excluded from weekly and season averages.
Weekly national TV ratings from Nielsen inform ad buying and audience trends for broadcast advertisers and media planners but do not represent industry-shifting policy or platform changes.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ABC World News Tonight (David Muir) averaged 8.987 million total viewers and 1.15 million Adults 25-54 for the week of Feb. 2, 2026.
- NBC Nightly News (Tom Llamas) averaged 7.233 million total viewers and 1.10 million Adults 25-54, a 50,000-demo-viewer gap behind ABC.
- CBS Evening News (Tony Dokoupil) averaged 4.576 million total viewers and 579,000 Adults 25-54 for the same week.
- Compared to the prior week, ABC fell -3% in total viewers and demo; NBC rose +1% in total viewers and +6% in the demo; CBS rose +1% in total viewers but fell -7% in the demo.
- Nielsen provided the national Live+Same-Day Big Data Plus Panel program ratings; NBC's demo boost was attributed to Tom Llamas’ exclusive interview with President Donald Trump on Feb. 4.
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World News Tonight Dominates Evening Ratings Again!
For the week of Feb. 23, 2026, ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir was the No. 1 evening newscast in total viewers and Adults 25-54, averaging 8.642 million total viewers and 1.028 million A25-54, according to Nielsen Live+Same-Day Big Data Plus Panel ratings. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas finished second (6.788 million total; 989,000 A25-54). CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil averaged 4.17 million total viewers and 504,000 A25-54 and was the only broadcast to record a week-over-week gain in the measured categories. Nielsen data note that certain Tuesday broadcasts (retitled for special coverage) were excluded from weekly and season averages. Year-over-year and week-over-week percentage changes for each broadcast were reported by Nielsen in the article.
ABC Leads Evening News Ratings Amid Middle East Unrest
During the week of March 2, 2026, ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir remained the most-watched evening newscast, followed by NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas and CBS Evening News. Nielsen national live+same-day Big Data+Panel ratings show ABC averaged 8.901 million total viewers and 1.104 million Adults 25-54 (A25-54), up +3% and +7% week-to-week respectively. NBC averaged 6.898 million total and 1.054 million A25-54, posting week-to-week gains of +2% and +7%. CBS averaged 4.117 million total viewers and 507,000 A25-54, down -1% in total viewers but up +1% in the demo versus the prior week. The news cycle, driven by unrest in the Middle East, boosted viewership overall; year-over-year comparisons versus the same week in 2025 show ABC and NBC with gains while CBS declined in both total viewers and the demo.
Week of April 20 Evening News Ratings Summary
Nielsen's national Live+Same-Day Big Data+Panel ratings for the week of April 20, 2026 show ABC's World News Tonight leading with gains week-over-week while NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News declined. ABC averaged 8.537 million viewers and led growth (+4% total viewers, +5% Adults 25-54). NBC averaged 6.168 million viewers and fell -4% in total and -12% in the A25-54 demo week-over-week. CBS averaged 3.771 million viewers and 467,000 in A25-54, marking three consecutive weeks below 4 million total viewers and below 500,000 in the A25-54 demo. Data and comparisons are from Nielsen; year-over-year and season-to-date notes use differing network daypart averaging windows as disclosed by the publisher.
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