#1 Among Both A25-54 and A18-49 Demo Viewers
Ranks #1 in the Key A25-54 Demo Season-to-Date
May 20, 2026 — Meet the Press with Kristen Welker was ranked the #1 Sunday public affairs show for both A25-54 and A18-49 demo viewers this past Sunday, May 17, according to Nielsen.
This Sunday, Meet the Press averaged 405,000 key A25-54 demo viewers, leading ABC by +67,000 (+20%) and CBS by +81,000 (+25%). In addition, Meet the Press averaged 279,000 A18-49 demo viewers, leading ABC by +39,000 (+16%) and CBS by +55,000 (+25%).
Meet the Press increased viewership in both A25-54 and A18-49 demos vs. prior week more than ABC, CBS and FOX combined. This marks Meet the Press’ largest A18-49 demo win vs. ABC since January. Meet the Press has outperformed ABC in the key A25-54 demo for seven of the last eight weeks and CBS—which continues to rate for just 30 minutes of its hour-long broadcast—in three of the last four weeks.
Meet the Press averaged 2.247 million total viewers this past Sunday. For the 2024-25 broadcast season, Meet the Press was the #1 Sunday public affairs show among key A25-54 demo viewers and ranks #1 season-to-date for the 2025-26 season. Meet the Press has never lost a month in the Washington, D.C. market among total viewers.
Sunday’s broadcast featured exclusive interviews with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and former FBI Director James Comey.
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NATIONAL AVERAGES – MAY 17, 2026
| Show Name | Network | Duration (minutes) | Total Viewers | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Viewers |
| MEET THE PRESS | NBC | 49 | 2,247 | 405 | 279 |
| FACE THE NATION HALF-HOUR | CBS | 30 | 2,515 | 324 | 224 |
| FACE THE NATION HOUR | CBS | 60 | 2,219 | 299 | 202 |
| THIS WEEK | ABC | 44 | 2,484 | 338 | 240 |
| FOX NEWS SUNDAY | FOX | 60 | 886 | 173 | 104 |
MEET THE PRESS WITH KRISTEN WELKER
Meet the Press with Kristen Welker is the premiere destination for original political reporting and interviews with the leaders that shape each week’s headlines. Moderated by Kristen Welker, the veteran NBC News chief White House correspondent and the first journalist of color to moderate a Sunday public affairs program, Meet the Press has set the political agenda and highlighted the everyday impact of Washington decision-making on viewers all over the country for more than 75 years. It reaches millions of viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. Meet the Press also brings its signature analysis and newsmaker interviews to streaming audiences with Meet the Press NOW at 4 p.m. on weekdays on NBC News NOW. Kristen Welker is the 13th moderator of Meet the Press, David P. Gelles is executive producer of Meet the Press, and Melissa Frankel is executive producer of Meet the Press NOW.
