#1 in Key Demo for 16 Straight Weeks; Hits 34 Week High
#1 Most Watched Season to Date in Key Demo
Grows Year-Over-Year Across the Board
NOVEMBER 20, 2018 – NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the #1 most-watched evening broadcast in the key news demo for the week of November 12, according to Nielsen Media Research data. 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 five seasons.
The broadcast continues its strong performance in the key demo averaging 2.0 million A25-54 viewers, besting ABC World News Tonight by +53,000 viewers (+3%) and CBS Evening News by +599,000 viewers (+42%). Nightly News has won the key demo for 16 consecutive weeks and hit a 34 week viewer high. Additionally, the broadcast grew its key demo audience week-over-week and year-over-year.
Tonight Holt will present an award to journalist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Awards dinner. Known best by her penname “Mushroom Mother,” the Vietnamese journalist was recently released from prison where she was held on charges connected to her coverage of issues censored by state-controlled media.
For the week of November 12, Nightly News averaged 1.4 million A18-49 viewers topping ABC by +49,000 (+4%) and CBS by +403,000 viewers (+41%). Nightly News has won A18-49 for 12 of the past 13 weeks, and grew year-over-year.
Nightly News hit a 40-week high in total viewers, averaging 9.0 million for the week of November 12 leading CBS Evening News by 2.3 million total viewers (+36%) and growing year-over-year.
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Weekly Highlights:
- Nightly News averaged 2.0 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming ABC by +53,000 viewers (+3%) and CBS by +599,000 (+42%).
- Nightly News has won the key demo for 16 consecutive weeks and hit a 34 week high.
- Nightly News averaged 1.4 million A18-49 viewers, topping ABC by +49,000 viewers (+4%) CBS by +403,000 (+41%).
- Nightly News has won A18-49 for 12 of the past 13 weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 9.0 million total viewers, beating CBS by +2.4 million (+36%).
- Nightly News grew across the board year-over-year.
Season Highlights:
- Nightly News 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 five seasons.
Week of November 12 – November 16, 2018:
| Total Viewers | A25-54 Rating | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Rating | A18-49 Viewers | |
| NBC | 8.970 | 1.68 | 2.032 | 1.08 | 1.391 |
| CBS | 6.597 | 1.19 | 1.433 | 0.77 | 0.988 |
| ABC | 9.248 | 1.64 | 1.979 | 1.04 | 1.342 |
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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 among the key news demo for the past 21 seasons. The broadcast provides the very latest on the day’s top stories, going beyond the headlines to add context and analysis to the most pressing issues of our time. 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 Jenn Suozzo is the executive producer.
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For more information contact:
TJ Ducklo
NBC News
212-664-1913
Rachel Zuckerman
NBC News
212-664-3996
