All three network evening newscasts gained viewers from the previous week, according to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir remains at the top of the evening news food chain, averaging more than 7.56 million total viewers and 1.32 million adults 25-54 for the week of July 25. The 7.56 million figure means World News Tonight is the most-watched show on U.S. TV—excluding sports and syndication—for the week. Additionally, ABC’s evening newscast has now defeated its competition from NBC and CBS 191 of the past 192 weeks in average total viewers—and 120 of the last 122 weeks among adults 25-54.
More positives: World News Tonight not only remains No. 1, it also posted its largest total audience in six weeks and largest A25-54 audience in seven weeks. It gained +3% in total viewers and +12% from the adults 25-54 demo vs. the previous week (July 18). On the downside, World News Tonight lost less than -1% in total viewers and -8% among adults 25-54 from the comparable week in 2021 (July 26).
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt averaging 6.21 million total viewers on the linear network, which is +1% from the week prior, and 952,000 adults 25-54, which is +5% from the week prior. The 6.21 million figure places the broadcast at No. 3 on U.S. TV, excluding specials, sports and syndication. Nightly News saw the most significant year-over-year declines of the three evening newscasts, -13% in total viewers and -36% among adults 25-54. This poor trend makes sense considering the year-ago week also happened to be the week No. 1 of the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics airing on NBC.
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell averaged 4.64 million total viewers and 752,000 adults 25-54 for the week of July 25. That’s +1% when it comes to total viewers—and less than +1% in adults 25-54 from the previous week. Evening News lost -4% in total viewers and -13% among adults 25-54 vs. the comparable week in 2021.
Nielsen live-plus-same-day averages for the week of July 25, 2022:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 7,564,000 | 6,207,000 | 4,642,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,318,000 | 952,000 | 752,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 7/25/22), Previous Week (w/o 7/18/22) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 7/26/21). Most Current: 2021-2022 Season (9/20/21 – 7/31/22) and 2020-2021 Season (9/21/20 – 8/1/21). 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.