*UPDATE (March 11, 3 p.m. ET): We have received new Nielsen data and it appears CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan averaged more viewers than the broadcast competition. It received the second-most adults 25-54, behind NBC.
Unfortunately for FTN, CBS decided to re-title the broadcast in advance, and its audience figures from March 8 won’t be counted in the final season ratings averages.
The March 8 broadcast featured interviews with Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb,
Below, the original post from earlier today:
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Meet the Press with Chuck Todd continues to chug along as the top-rated Sunday public affairs show on broadcast in 2020.
According to data from Nielsen, the longest running show on U.S. television averaged 3.2 million total viewers on NBC this past Sunday, March 8, which is +8% more than what ABC delivered (+230,000).
The NBC Sunday morning program also averaged +28% more A25-54 demo viewers than ABC (+187,000).
An additional 1.1 million total viewers and 242,000 A25-54 viewers watched the Sunday program through rebroadcasts on NBC and MSNBC.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Gov. Larry Hogan all appeared on the program.
ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos took second place across the board this past Sunday, and remains ahead of its CBS competition among viewers from the news demo this season.
Speaking of CBS, Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan was re-titled this past Sunday, and ratings for its March 8 broadcast are excluded from the season ratings averages. However, FTN viewership data will still be included in this item shortly.
The Fox broadcast edition of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace delivered nearly 1.3 million viewers and 394,000 demo viewers. The trio of cable replays delivered 3.15 million viewers and 597,000 demo viewers. Altogether, that’s 4.44 million viewers and 991,000 demo viewers on Sunday, March 8.
The broadcast of FNS included interviews with Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Relative to the comparable Sunday in 2019, MTP was -10% in Total Viewers but steady in the news demo. This Week was -3% in Total Viewers and -13% in the demo. FNS was -3% in Total Viewers, but +7% in the demo.
The original Nielsen numbers for March 8 2020:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | Meet the Press | 3,196,000 | 854,000 |
| ABC | This Week | 2,966,000 | 667,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1,282,000 | 394,000 |
| CBS | Face the Nation (1/2 hr) | TBA | TBA |
*Updated (3 p.m. ET) Nielsen numbers for March 8 2020:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBS | Face the Nation (1/2 hr) | 3,343,000 | 698,000 |
| NBC | Meet the Press | 3,196,000 | 854,000 |
| ABC | This Week | 2,966,000 | 667,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1,282,000 | 394,000 |
Nielsen live-plus-same day data, March 8, 2020