ABC World News Tonight with David Muir was the No. 1 evening newscast for the four and final quarter of 2022.
According to live plus same day data from Nielsen, ABC’s evening newscast averaged 8.34 million total viewers and 1.40 million adults 25-54 in Q4. The ABC evening newscast has now averaged the largest total audience for the last 23 quarters—since Q2 2017.
Additionally, World News Tonight won the 4th quarter for the 3rd year in a row, and led for the 11th consecutive quarter in all key demos, including A25-54 (since Q2 2020).
World News Tonight saw a gain in total viewers from Q4 of 2021, up +2% in total viewers. However, the newscast did shed A25-54 from that quarter (-5%), as younger viewers continue to flee evening newscast on TV. Compared to Q4 2018, the most recent midterm elections quarter, however, WNT finished -4% in total viewers, and -21% among adults 25-54. From the most recent quarter (Q3 of 2022), WNT gained +13% in total viewers and +11% in A25-54.
Over on NBC, Nightly News with Lester Holt averaged 7.06 million total viewers and 1.22 million from the key A25-54 demo in Q4 ’22. That’s -1% in total viewers and -4% in A25-54 viewers from Q4 of 2021, -16% in total viewers and -34% in A25-54 viewers from Q4 ’18. However, NBC Nightly News saw the largest increases compared to the other evening newscasts versus the summer, up +14% in total viewers and a notable +21% in the A25-54 demo vs. Q3 2022.
NBC’s flagship newscast was the sixth most watched TV show across in Q4 (excluding sports, specials and syndication). It also out-performed its evening competition in terms of digital viewing.
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell averaged slightly more than five million total viewers and 812,000 adults 25-54 in Q4 of 2022. That’s -2% in total viewers, -8% among adults 25-54 from Q4 2021, and -18% among total viewers, -35% in A25-54 vs. Q4 2018. CBS Evening News did gain +12% in total viewers and +11% in A25-54 from Q3 2022.
The three evening newscasts averaged a combined 20.40 million total viewers in Q4 2022, a +13% change from Q3 ’22, flat from Q4 ’21, but -12% from Q4 ’18. The story is weaker in the demo, however. The three newscasts averaged a total 3.43 million adults 25-54, which is +14% from Q3, but -6% from the year ago quarter and -30% from four years ago.
The averages for Q4 2022:
| Network | ABC | NBC | CBS |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 8,338,000 | 7,059,000 | 5,004,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,402,000 | 1,217,000 | 812,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 12/19/22), Previous Week (w/o 12/12/22) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 12/20/21). Most Current Data Stream: Season 2022-2023 (9/19 – 12/25/22), Season 2021-2022 (9/20 – 12/26/21). 4Q22: 9/19/22 – 12/25/22, 3Q22: 6/27 – 9/18/22 and 4Q21: 9/20/21 – 12/26/21. Nielsen ratings for ABC, NBC and CBS include additional airings in select markets. Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.