NBC News and ABC News both had one-hour specials at 10 PM last night following the latest Superstorm Sandy news. NBC’s special handily topped ABC’s “20/20” special, though NBC had a much stronger lead-in than ABC did, almost certainly boosting the numbers.
10PM Tuesday:
NBC: 8.29M total viewers, 4.13M adults 25-54.
ABC: 4.82M total viewers, 2.06M adults 25-54.
NBC’s lead-in was singing competition show “The Voice,” which averaged over 12 million viewers from 8-10PM, while ABC’s lead-in was “Don’t Trust The B in Apartment 23,” which drew over 3.3 million viewers.
It is worth noting that power outages, along with pre-emptions, likely had an impact on the ratings. In New York City, the number one TV market, the news programs, “The Voice” and “Apartment 23” all aired without being pre-empted.