What To Know
- NBC Nightly News surpassed ABC World News Tonight in the Adults 25-54 demographic for the week of June 8.
- Despite NBC’s demo win, ABC World News Tonight remained the overall leader in total viewers.
- CBS Evening News saw modest week-to-week growth in total viewers and the demo.
The latest evening news ratings are in, and it’s good news for NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, whose show finally surpassed ABC World News Tonight in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic.
According to AdWeek, citing national live+same-day big data plus program ratings from Nielsen, NBC Nightly News averaged 6.674 million total viewers and 1.053 million demo viewers for the week of June 8. This was up 6 percent in total viewers and up 18 percent in the demo compared to the week prior.
The show moved ahead of World News Tonight in the demo thanks to an extra 92,000 viewers. Nightly News was also up in both metrics compared to the same period in 2025, increasing 18 percent in total viewers and 25 percent in the demo. It was the only newscast to post gains in both measured categories year over year.
It marks a big achievement for Llamas, who recently celebrated a year behind the Nightly News desk. Llamas took over from long-time anchor Lester Holt back on June 2, 2025. When the journalist first took the helm, he said in a statement, “Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth.”
Despite NBC’s demo victory, World News Tonight With David Muir still topped the week in total viewers. The show averaged 7.638 million total viewers and 961,000 demo viewers for the week of June 8. This was flat among total viewers and down 1 percent in the demo compared to the previous week.
Compared to the year prior, World News Tonight was up 5 percent in total viewers but down 4 percent in the key demo.
It should be noted, however, that World News Tonight‘s weekly average is only based on the Monday, June 8 broadcast, for which Muir was off. NBA Finals and NHL Finals coverage preempted the rest of the week’s programming. The average of Nightly News and CBS Evening News, on the other hand, is based on Monday to Thursday.
CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil averaged 3.895 million total viewers and 562,000 demo viewers for the week of June 8. This was up 2 percent in total viewers and flat in the demo compared to the week before. Compared to 2025, the show was down 6 percent among total viewers but up 3 percent in the key demo.
CBS Evening News, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
NBC Nightly News, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, NBC
ABC World News Tonight, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, ABC