Extensive coverage of last Monday’s solar eclipse was not enough to stop the main evening newscasts from experiencing week-to-week declines in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo for the week of April 8.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir continued to be the No.1 newscast in both measured categories, extending its win to 280 out of 281 weeks in total viewers and 207 of the last 211 in the advertiser-coveted demo.
WNT averaged 7.433 million total viewers and 1.043 million in the A25-54 demo for the week of April 8. The newscast was down -5% in both measured categories from the week before. Looking at its performance for the same week in 2023 (the week beginning April 10), WNT was down in total viewers by -2% and -7% in the A25-54 demo.
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt remained in second place in total viewers and the demo this past week, averaging 6.072 million viewers and 831,000 viewers among the A25-54 demo. It was down by -2% in total viewers and -6% in the A25-54 demo when compared to the previous week. Looking at its performance in the same week a year ago, Nightly News saw a decline in both total viewers and A25-54, dropping by -2 % and -9%, respectively.
CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell ranked at No. 3 with 4.530 million total viewers. It declined by -5% from the previous week in total viewers and by double digits in the demo, falling -13% with 664,000 viewers. There was good news for the newscast as it was the only evening news program to see positive growth when compared to its year-ago week numbers, as it grew by +3% and +1% in total viewers and A25-54, respectively.
Nielsen live-plus-same-day averages for the week of April 8, 2024:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 7,433,000 | 6,072,000 | 4,530,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,043,000 | 831,000 | 664,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 4/1/24), Previous Week (w/o 3/25/24) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 3/27/23). Most Current Data Stream: 2023-2024 Season (9/25/23 – 4/7/24) and 2022-2023 Season (9/19/22 – 4/2/23). 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.