Observed Signal · Jun 25, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: Adweek · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
World News Tonight Tops Week of June 15 Ratings
For the week of June 15, 2026, ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir led evening-news broadcasts in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo, averaging 7.887 million total viewers and 930,000 A25-54 viewers. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas was second (6.37 million / 927,000), and CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil finished third (3.923 million / 564,000). ABC reclaimed the demo lead, edging NBC by roughly 3,000 A25-54 viewers. Week-over-week and year-over-year percentage changes varied: ABC was up +3% in total viewers vs. the prior week (down -3% in the demo), NBC fell -5% total and -12% demo week-over-week but showed year-over-year gains, and CBS was +1% in total viewers and flat in the demo. Data source: Nielsen National Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel ratings.
Routine weekly linear-TV audience measurement; useful for broadcasters and TV advertisers but not industry-shifting for AdTech/MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ABC World News Tonight averaged 7,887,000 total viewers and 930,000 Adults 25-54 for the week of June 15, 2026.
- NBC Nightly News averaged 6,370,000 total viewers and 927,000 Adults 25-54 for the same week.
- CBS Evening News averaged 3,923,000 total viewers and 564,000 Adults 25-54 for the same week.
- ABC reclaimed the Adults 25-54 demo lead, beating NBC by approximately 3,000 demo viewers.
- Ratings are based on Nielsen National Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel program measurements; weekly averages exclude Friday (06/19/2025) broadcasts retitled for Juneteenth.
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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 World News Tonight Tops Week of April 6 Ratings
For the week of April 6, 2026, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir was the most-watched evening newscast in both total viewers and the Adults 25–54 demo, averaging 8.417 million total viewers and 1.067 million A25-54 viewers (Nielsen Big Data + Panel). NBC Nightly News averaged 6.434 million total viewers and 909,000 in A25-54, while CBS Evening News averaged 3.807 million and 477,000 in the demo. ABC’s special live coverage of Artemis II’s return (anchored by Muir on Friday) led all networks, including cable, in total viewers and A25-54. The week saw double-digit demo declines for NBC News and CBS News, and World News Tonight extended its demo lead over NBC Nightly News to more than 150,000 viewers compared with recent weeks.
World News Tonight Gains Viewers Amid NBC's Olympic Decline
For the week of Feb. 16, 2026, ABC's World News Tonight averaged 8.867 million total viewers and 1.138 million Adults 25–54 viewers, marking week-over-week gains of +2% (total viewers) and +3% (A25-54). NBC Nightly News averaged 7.595 million and 1.18 million in the demo, remaining No. 1 in Adults 25–54—helped by NBC’s Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics coverage—but fell -3% (total) and -5% (demo) versus the prior week. CBS Evening News averaged 4.168 million total viewers and 475,000 in the demo, flat in total viewers and up +4% in the demo week-over-week. Year-over-year comparisons showed mixed results: ABC was +7% (total) and -1% (demo); NBC was +13% (total) and +16% (demo); CBS was -10% (total) and -26% (demo). Nielsen national Live+Same-Day Big Data+Panel ratings were the source. ABC and CBS weekly averages exclude their Feb. 20 broadcasts because the shows were retitled and omitted from weekly/season averages.
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