Wins in Key A25-54 & A18-49 Demos, Topping ABC & CBS
‘Nightly News’ is Also the #2 Most-Watched Program in All of TV
August 10, 2021 – NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the #1 most-watched newscast in the key A25-54 and A18-49 demos for the week of August 2, 2021, according to Nielsen Media Research data. This marks the second consecutive week that Nightly has swept the demos.
Among all television programs, Nightly News ranks #2 in total viewers with nearly 7 million viewers for the week and its Saturday and Sunday editions follow at #3 and #4 in total viewers (excluding sports & syndication).
Nightly News tops all newscasts with an average of 1.436 million in A25-54, leading ABC’s World News Tonight by +93,000 (+7%), increasing its advantage over ABC by +86% versus the prior week. Nightly News also beats CBS Evening News by a whopping +638,000 (+80%), its biggest lead over the network in 39 weeks (since week of 11/2/2020).
Among A18-49, Nightly News averages 1.053 million viewers, beating ABC by +129,000 (+14%) and increasing its lead by +8% versus the prior week. Nightly also tops CBS by +482,000 (+85%).Versus last year, Nightly was the only program to see growth, up +3% (+32,000).
Across digital, Nightly News saw 12.6 million video views and 1.2 million hours viewed on & off platforms, including clips and full episodes. On YouTube, weekday episodes reached 729,000 views and 622,000 viewers.
Lester Holt anchored Nightly News live from Tokyo for coverage of the Summer Olympics for 16 consecutive days, reporting on all of the storylines surrounding the Games, the rapid rise of the Delta variant and its impacts, as well as the sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
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 | 1,436 | 1,053 | 6,924 |
| CBS EVENING NEWS | 798 | 571 | 4,790 |
| ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT | 1,343 | 924 | 7,434 |
NOTE: Nightly News was retitled all 5 evenings due to Tokyo 2020 Olympics 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.
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NBC News contacts:
Dana Klinghoffer
Dominique Cuce
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.
