Ranks #1 in A18-49 for 115 of Last 116 Weeks
Last Week, Broadcast Debuted “Those Who Serve,” New Ongoing Series Highlighting Americans In Uniform
NEW YORK (October 24, 2017) – “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” won the key demo for the week of October 16, marking its 70th straight week as the #1 most-watched evening broadcast, according to Nielsen Research Data.
Last week, the broadcast debuted a new ongoing series, “Those Who Serve,” highlighting Americans in uniform and the families, friends and communities that support them. The first story of the series showcased New Orleans Officers James Caire and Sgt. Gregory Johnson, brothers who volunteer their free time to train the marching band at New Orleans’ McDonough 35 High School. Tomorrow, the series will feature three generations of women from the same Michigan family who are all obstetrics nurses.
The broadcast continues its winning streak in the demo most valued by news advertisers, averaging 1.7 million A25-54 viewers, beating “ABC World News Tonight” by +43,000 viewers (+3%) and “CBS Evening News” by +504,000 viewers (+41%).
For 115 of the past 116 weeks, Nightly News was also the most-watched among A18-49 viewers, averaging 1.2 million and topping ABC by +48,000 viewers (+4%) and CBS by +397,000 viewers (+48%).
7.8 million total viewers tuned in to Nightly News for the week of October 16. Nightly News bested “CBS Evening News” by +1.7 million total viewers (+28%) and grew its year-over-year total audience advantage.
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 “CBS Evening News.”
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Weekly Highlights:
- Nightly News averaged 1.7 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming ABC by + 43,000 viewers (+3%) and CBS by + 504,000 (+41%).
- Nightly News has ranked #1 in A25-54 for 70 consecutive weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 1.2 million A18-49 viewers, topping ABC by + 48,000 (+4%) and CBS by + 397,000 (+48%).
- Among A18-49 viewers, Nightly News has won 115 of the last 116 weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 7.8 million total viewers, besting CBS by + 1.7 million (+28%).
Season Highlights:
- Nightly is the #1 evening newscast this season in A25-54 and A18-49
- Nightly News holds its largest A25-54 demo advantage over CBS in four seasons.
Week of October 16 – October 20, 2017:
| Total Viewers | A25-54 Rating | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Rating | A18-49 Viewers | |
| NBC | 7.778 | 1.44 | 1.738 | 0.94 | 1.218 |
| CBS | 6.085 | 1.02 | 1.234 | 0.64 | 0.821 |
| ABC | 8.252 | 1.40 | 1.695 | 0.91 | 1.170 |
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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
