Ranks #1 in A18-49 for 114 of Last 115 Weeks
Grows Year-Over-Year in Total Viewers
NEW YORK (October 17, 2017) – “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” won the key demo for the week of October 9, marking its 69th straight week as the #1 most-watched evening broadcast, according to Nielsen Research Data.
Last week’s broadcasts featured exclusive reporting, including Trump wanting what amounted to a tenfold increase in the nuclear arsenal and a report that former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort has a $60 million relationship with a Russian oligarch. Nightly News also continued its extensive coverage on the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico.
The broadcast continues its winning streak in the key demo averaging 1.9 million A25-54 viewers, beating “ABC World News Tonight” by +29,000 viewers (+2%) and “CBS Evening News” by +525,000 viewers (+40%).
For 114 of the past 115 weeks, Nightly News was also the most-watched among A18-49 viewers, averaging 1.3 million and topping ABC by +108,000 viewers (+9%) and CBS by +485,000 viewers (+57%).
8.1 million total viewers tuned in to Nightly News for the week of October 9. Nightly News bested “CBS Evening News” by +1.9 million total viewers (+30%) and grew its year-over-year total audience.
Nightly News continues as the #1 most-watched evening newscast season-to-date in the key demo, delivering its largest demo lead over CBS in four seasons.
The broadcast also continues to dominate the competition on social media with more followers on Facebook and a fivefold advantage in Twitter engagement compared to ABC’s “World News Tonight.”
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Weekly Highlights:
- Nightly News averaged 1.9 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming ABC by +29,000 viewers (+2%) and CBS by +525,000 (+40%).
- Nightly News has ranked #1 in A25-54 for 69 consecutive weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 1.3 million A18-49 viewers, topping ABC by +108,000 (+9%) and CBS by +485,000 (+57%).
- Among A18-49 viewers, Nightly News has won 114 of the last 115 weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 8.1 million total viewers, besting CBS by +1.9 million (+30%).
Season Highlights:
- Nightly is the #1 evening newscast this season in A25-54 and A18-49
- Nightly News holds its largest demo advantages over CBS in four seasons.
Week of October 9 – October 13, 2017:
| Total Viewers | A25-54 Rating | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Rating | A18-49 Viewers | |
| NBC | 8.148 | 1.53 | 1.852 | 1.03 | 1.331 |
| CBS | 6.266 | 1.10 | 1.327 | 0.66 | 0.846 |
| ABC | 8.649 | 1.51 | 1.823 | 0.95 | 1.223 |
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ABOUT NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH LESTER HOLT
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the most-watched evening newscast in America, providing the very latest on the day’s top stories and going beyond the headlines to add context and analysis to the most pressing issues of our times. NBC Nightly News reaches more than 24 million people every week through its broadcast and millions more through NBCNews.com, the Nightly News app, and social media platforms. Lester Holt is the anchor, and Sam Singal is the executive producer.
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For more information contact:
Rachel Zuckerman
NBC News
212-664-3996
