The Sunday shows focused a significant chunk of their respective broadcasts discussing the life and legacy of the late former President George H.W. Bush.
NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd ranked No. 1 across the board for the second consecutive week, and has now finished at the top for five out of the last six broadcasts. MTP brought on former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of State James Baker to discuss the late former president.
Meet the Press drew +16 percent more total viewers than ABC and +5 percent more than CBS this past Sunday. MTP also won in the demo most valued by news advertisers for its 44th straight broadcast, topping both ABC and CBS by +24 percent and +13 percent, respectively.
That said, MTP continues to posted audience declines vs. the comparable Sunday last year. Despite the wins, this past week’s broadcast was -6 percent in total viewers and -17 percent in A25-54 vs. last year.
CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan remains in second place across the board. This past Sunday’s installment was -7 percent in total viewers, but actually +6 percent in adults 25-54 vs. the comparable broadcast last year.
ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos ranked No. 3 across the key categories. The broadcast was -5 percent in total viewers and -13 percent in A25-54 viewers vs. the comparable broadcast in 2017.
Fox News Sunday hosted by Chris Wallace was -5 percent in total viewers and -9 percent among adults 25-54 vs. last year. The trio of FNS cable replays delivered 1.7 million total viewers and 255,000 A25-54 demo viewers. Altogether, the Dec. 2 edition of Fox News Sunday drew 3.11 million total viewers and 683,000 A25-54 viewers.
The numbers for December 2:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | Meet the Press | 3,341,000 | 841,000 |
| CBS | Face the Nation (1/2 hr) | 3,179,000 | 741,000 |
| ABC |
This Week | 2,873,000 | 680,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1,407,000 | 428,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI (Total Viewers and Adults 25-54); Live + SD for 12/2/18. Averages based on regular telecasts.