It was a strong week for the Sunday shows, especially CBS’ Face the Nation.
Moderated by Margaret Brennan, this week’s edition of Face the Nation accomplished a feat no other Sunday had in more than a year: It defeated mighty Meet the Press in multiple measurements, including total viewers and among the key adults 25-54 demo.
Not only did FTN finish No. 1 across the board, but the CBS Sunday public affairs show posted year-over-year audience growth in multiple measurements.
Face the Nation also debuted CBS News’ 2020 Battleground Tracker for the Democratic presidential nomination and led its broadcast with interviews with Sec. of State Mike Pompeo and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos hit 5-week highs in total viewers and A25-54, and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace had a positive week as well, delivering a total of 3.23 million total viewers and 690,000 demo viewers across four telecasts (a first-run telecast on Fox and a trio of replays on cable).
Wallace had some high-profile guests, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former host of The Daily Show Jon Stewart, as well as an interview with Sec. of State Pompeo.
Versus the comparable week in 2018, CBS was +8% in total viewers, ABC was +9%, and NBC was -3%. In the A25-54 demo, ABC was -5%, NBC -8%, and CBS was an unheard of +31% vs. the comparable Sunday last year.
Fox News Sunday did not air on Fox the comparable Sunday last year due to the network’s World Cup coverage; only on Fox News.
Note: Face the Nation’s second half-hour was broadcast contiguously across 84.37% of CBS affiliates.
The numbers for June 16:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBS |
Face the Nation(1/2 hour) | 2,874,000 | 665,000 |
| NBC | Meet the Press | 2,829,000 | 645,000 |
| ABC | This Week | 2,760,000 | 631,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1,271,000 | 365,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI (Total Viewers and Adults 25-54); Live + SD for 6/16/19, and 6/17/18 or as dated. Season to date: Most Current: 2018 -2019 Season (9/24/18 – 6/16/19) and 2017-2018 Season (9/25/17 – 6/17/18). Averages based on regular telecasts.