According to the most current data from Nielsen, NBC Meet the Press with Chuck Todd was the top Sunday show on June 21, topping ABC, CBS and Fox in Total Viewers, and beating each network by double-digit percentages in the A25-54 demo. A total of 842,000 A25-54 demo viewers tuned in to the first-run Sunday telecast on NBC, +33% (+209,000) more than ABC’s This Week and +43% (+255,000) more than CBS’ Face the Nation. That marks 17 straight weeks MTP has averaged more demo viewers than the competition.
MTP averaged 3.49 million Total Viewers on Sunday, its largest audience since May 31. That figure is +21% (+604,000) more than This Week and +9% (+275,000) more than Face the Nation.
Additionally, 1.14 million Total Viewers and 205,000 A25-54 viewers watched MTP through rebroadcasts on NBC and MSNBC.
The half-hour edition of CBS’ Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan came in at No. 2 in overall audience on June 21. CBS’ Sunday public affairs show averaged 3.21 million Total Viewers, but just 587,000 A25-54 viewers. The broadcast once again finished in third place in the aforementioned demo behind NBC and ABC.
ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos averaged 2.88 million Total Viewers and 633,000 A25-54. The ABC Sunday show beat its CBS competitor in the demo for the fourth week in a row and continued to post week-to-week growth in Total Viewers.
Not only did the ABC Sunday show post week-to-week growth, but it also posted year-over-year gains for the sixth consecutive Sunday in Total Viewers.
The Fox network broadcast of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace delivered 1.33 million Total Viewers and 311,000 A25-54 viewers. The cable replays combined for 2.84 million Total Viewers and 582,000 A25-54 viewers. Altogether, that’s roughly 4.17 million Total Viewers and 893,000 A25-54 viewers on June 21.
The Sunday shows earned mixed results compared to the previous Sunday (June 14), Meet the Press had the best week, both in overall finish and in terms of week-to-week growth. MTP was +6% in Total Viewers and +13% in the demo. Face the Nation was flat in Total Viewers and -10% in the demo. This Week saw +1% growth in Total Viewers but was -4% in the demo, while Fox News Sunday performed well, +6 % in Total Viewers and +5% in the demo.
Compared with the same Sunday in 2019 (June 23), numbers remained pretty strong. MTP was +12% in Total Viewers and +12% in the demo. FTN, which had an especially poor ratings week on June 23, 2019, was +31% in Total Viewers and +32% in the demo this past Sunday. This Week was +16% in Total Viewers but flat in the demo. Fox News Sunday was +15% in Total Viewers and +3% in the demo.
The June 21 Nielsen numbers for the first-run broadcasts:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | Meet the Press | 3,487,000 | 842,000 |
| CBS | Face the Nation (1/2 hr) | 3,211,000 | 587,000 |
| ABC | This Week | 2,883,000 | 633,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1,329,000 | 331,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI (Total Viewers and Adults 25-54); Live + SD for 6/21/20, 6/14/20 and 6/23/19 or as dated. Most Current: 2019 -2020 Season (9/23/19 – 6/21/20) and 2018 -2019 Season (9/24/19 – 6/23/19). Averages based on regular telecasts.