As summer approaches, the longer days and warmer temperatures appear to have created a viewer exodus from the evening news broadcasts. All three networks experienced week-to-week drops in the prized demo of Adults 25-54 during the week of June 3. In one bright spot, CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell was the only newscast to avoid a similar decline in total viewers.
Note: ABC World News Tonight with David Muir is based on a 4-day average (Mon-Wed & Fri) due to the NBA Finals Game 1 on Thursday, June 6. NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, and CBS Evening News’ ratings include afternoon and overnight airings on owned stations.
Despite its exclusive interview with President Joe Biden memorializing the 80th anniversary of D-Day, World News Tonight averaged 7.034 million total viewers for the week and 919,000 in the A25-54 demo. That’s a drop of -3% in total viewers and -11% in the demo compared to the week before.
Looking at its performance alongside the same week in 2023 (the week beginning June 5), WNT was down in total viewers by -5% and -16% in the demo. Despite these losses, WNT continues to lead the pack in both measured categories, extending its reign to 288 out of 289 weeks in total viewers and 216 of the last 218 weeks in the demo.
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt landed in second place, averaging 5.467 million total viewers and 772,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. The newscast saw week-to-week declines of -2% and -3%, respectively. Looking at its year-to-year performance, Nightly News was down by -10% in total viewers and -18% in the demo.
CBS Evening News finished third with 4.261 million total viewers and 580,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. As previously mentioned, it was the only newscast to see a week-to-week gain in either category, rising +1% in total viewers. In the demo, though, it fell by -10% compared to the previous week. The newscast also saw year-to-year declines of -2% and -10%, respectively.
Nielsen live-plus-same-day averages for the week of June 3, 2024:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 7,034,000 | 5,467,000 | 4,261,000 |
| • A25-54: | 919,000 | 772,000 | 580,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 6/3/24), Previous Week (w/o 6/27/24) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 5/29/23). Most Current Data Stream: 2023-2024 Season (9/25/23–6/9/24) and 2022-2023 Season (9/19/22–6/3/23). Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.