It was a big week for ABC World News Tonight on the ratings front.
The network’s evening newscast, anchored by David Muir, beat its NBC and CBS competitors among both Total Viewers and in the key A25-54 demographic.
ABC World News beat NBC Nightly News by an average of +833,000 total viewers last week, which is an increase of +46% from its total viewer advantage over NBC last year. World News also beat Nightly News by an average of +43,000 total adults 25-54 (1.599 million vs. 1.556 million). ABC finished a distant second in the demo behind NBC during the same week in 2018.
The 1.599 million A25-54 viewer average for the week of Sept. 30 represents World News Tonight’s largest demo audience since the week of June 3, 2019.
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt slipped to second this past week in the key categories. However, the season is still in its infancy, and Nightly News remains the No.1 evening newscast among adults 25-54.
Last week on Nightly, Holt spoke exclusively with Amanda Knox, her first interview since returning to Italy to speak before the Italy Innocence Project. Additionally, Nightly featured an interview with news anchor Mike Avery, a former Ohio State University student, speaking out for the first time on camera about being sexually abused by former wrestling team doctor Dr. Richard Strauss.
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell remained third across the board and posted noticeable audience losses from last year.
Compared to the same week last year. World News Tonight posted across the board growth: +1% in total viewers, and +2% in the key A25-54 demo. NBC Nightly News, on the other hand, was -2% in total viewers and -9% among adults 25-54. The CBS Evening News was -9% in total viewers, and -20% among adults 25-54.
Average audience for the week of Sept. 30 2019:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 8,242,000 | 7,409,000 | 5,203,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,599,000 | 1,556,000 | 941,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 9/30/19, and 10/1/18. Most Current: 2019 -2020 Season (9/23 – 10/6/19) and 2018 -2019 Season (9/24 – 10/7/18). ABC and NBC ratings include broadcasts that air later on some stations. Averages based on regular telecasts.
Note: Nightly News ratings are comprised of telecasts with regular titling and include overnight airings on owned stations.