Wins in Key A25-54 & A18-49 Demos, Topping ABC
Sunday’s ‘Nightly News’ is also the #1 Most-Watched Program in All of TV Across the Board for the Second Consecutive Week
Narrows Total Viewer Gap Vs. ABC to Best Competitive Position Since November 2019
August 3, 2021 – NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the #1 most-watched evening broadcast in the key A25-54 and A18-49 demos for the week of July 26, 2021, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Additionally, for the second consecutive week, Sunday’s Nightly News is the #1 most-watched non-sports program in all of television across the board, with 8.9 million total viewers and 2.35 million A25-54 viewers.
Among the A25-54 demo, Nightly News averages 1.5 million viewers, topping ABC’s World News Tonight by +59,000 (+4%.) Nightly News also grows its advantage over CBS Evening News to its best lead in 38 weeks (since week of 11/2/2020), surpassing CBS by +630,000 (+73%). This marks Nightly News’ best A25-54 demo delivery in 23 weeks (since week of 2/15/21.)
Additionally, Nightly News averages 7.15 million total viewers, its best delivery in 20 weeks (since week of 3/8/21). The newscast narrows its gap with ABC to its best competitive position in 87 weeks (since week of 11/25/2019) and tops CBS by +2.308 million (+48%), its best advantage over the network in 30 weeks (since week of 12/28/2020). Nightly News’ weekday newscast also ranks #3 in all of television among total viewers and #4 in A25-54 (excluding sports & syndication).
In the A18-49 demo, Nightly News averages 1.13 million viewers, beating ABC by +126,000 (+13%) and CBS by 488,000 (+76%). This also marks Nightly News’ best A18-49 viewer delivery in 23 weeks (since week of 2/15/21) and the newscast’s biggest lead over CBS in 38 weeks (since week of 11/2/2020).
Across digital, Nightly News saw 12.3 million video viewers and 1 million hours viewed across on and off-network platforms, including clips and full episodes. On YouTube, episodes reached 640,000 views and 516,000 viewers.
Lester Holt has been anchoring Nightly News live from Tokyo for coverage of the Summer Olympics since Thursday, July 22, covering the critical issues surrounding the Games as well as the surge of Covid-19 cases in the United States. Holt will continue to anchor from the ground in Japan all this week. Given NBC’s Olympics evening coverage preempting the newscast at its normal time in some markets, Nightly News was retitled last week.
| Program | P25-54 Imps | P18-49 Imps | P2+ Imps |
| NBC NIGHTLY NEWS | 1,491 | 1,127 | 7,152 |
| CBS EVENING NEWS | 861 | 639 | 4,844 |
| ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT | 1,432 | 1,001 | 7,595 |
NOTE: Nightly News was retitled all 5 evenings due to Tokyo 2020 Olympics coverage. ABC World News Tonight was rated based on a 4-day average (Mon-Wed, Fri) due to NBA Draft coverage. CBS Evening News was rated based on a 4-day average (Mon-Thu) due to choosing to retitle on Friday.
Nielsen Ratings now reflect the addition of Out of Home (OOH) viewership that began being measured on Aug. 31, 2020 across only 44 markets tracked by Nielsen Media Research. NBC Nightly News, World News Tonight and CBS Evening News’ ratings are comprised of telecasts with regular titling and include overnight airings on owned stations. World News Tonight’s ratings also include 3:30pm airings in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Digital ratings sourcing: Adobe Analytics and Partner Portals; YouTube Analytics Portal
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For more information:
Dana Klinghoffer
NBC News
Dominique Cuce
NBC News
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NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt reaches nearly 30 million people every week through its broadcast, and millions more through NBC News digital platforms. The broadcast provides the latest on the day’s top stories, going beyond the headlines to uncover how people’s lives are affected by the world around them. Lester Holt is the managing editor and anchor, and has been named the “most-trusted television news personality in America,” according to the most recent The Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult survey. Holt also anchors Nightly News: Kids Edition. Jennifer Suozzo is the executive producer.
