Observed Signal · Apr 13, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
NBC and CBS Gain in April 13 Evening News Ratings
Adweek's TVNewser reports national Nielsen live+same-day Big Data+Panel ratings for the week of April 13, 2026. ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir remained the most-watched evening newscast in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo but declined week-over-week. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas and CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil posted gains in the A25-54 demographic. Nielsen averages for the week show ABC at 8.175 million total viewers and 1.01 million A25-54; NBC at 6.441 million and 943,000 A25-54; CBS at 3.804 million and 482,000 A25-54. Week-over-week changes: ABC -3% total/-5% demo; NBC flat total/+4% demo; CBS flat total/+1% demo. The report notes NBC’s weekly averages exclude a retitled Friday broadcast and provides year-over-year comparisons versus the same week in 2025.
Weekly Nielsen ratings inform TV ad inventory valuation and audience planning; demographic shifts (A25-54) affect advertiser demand but the changes are incremental rather than industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ABC World News Tonight averaged 8,175,000 total viewers and 1,010,000 Adults 25-54 for the week of April 13, 2026 (Nielsen Big Data+Panel).
- NBC Nightly News averaged 6,441,000 total viewers and 943,000 Adults 25-54; it was flat in total viewers and +4% in the demo versus the prior week.
- CBS Evening News averaged 3,804,000 total viewers and 482,000 Adults 25-54; it was flat in total viewers and +1% in the demo versus the prior week.
- ABC declined -3% in total viewers and -5% in A25-54 versus the previous week; ABC was up +14% total and +5% demo versus the same week in 2025.
- The demo gap between ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News narrowed to 67,000 A25-54 viewers; Nielsen is the cited data source.
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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.
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 June 1 Evening News Ratings: NBC, CBS Rise
Using Nielsen Big Data + Panel (live+same‑day) measurements (year‑over‑year comparisons use 2026 vs. 2025 panel data), ABC's World News Tonight led evening broadcasts across the five‑week period June 1–July 27, 2026, with weekly averages from 7.660M/974K to 8.476M/1.073M (total/A25‑54). Week of Aug. 3: ABC remained most‑watched (8.339M/1.039M) while NBC Nightly News (Tom Llamas) led Adults 25‑54 (1.065M) and was the only broadcast to post week‑to‑week growth in both metrics; CBS averaged 3.913M/514K (down). Week of Aug. 10: ABC (David Muir) regained first in total and A25‑54 at 8.436M/1.162M (+1% total / +12% A25‑54 week‑to‑week). Week of Aug. 17: ABC led again (8.462M/1.059M); NBC averaged 6.634M/1.025M with no week‑to‑week losses; CBS averaged 3.955M/458K and was the only broadcast to gain total viewers. Some retitled broadcasts were excluded from weekly/season averages.
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