Nightly News Increases +52% in the Demo and +31% in Total Viewers from the Week Prior, Topping Olympic Lifts in 2008 and 2012
Week of Aug. 8 is Nightly News’s Most-Watched Week Since January 5, 2015 and Best Week among A25-54 Since 2014 Olympics
The NBC News Broadcast Tops ABC by +72% in the Demo, Anchored by Lester Holt Live from Rio
NEW YORK (August 16, 2016) – “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” ranked as the #1 non-sports weekday program across all of television for the week of August 8, averaging 10.4 million total viewers. The NBC broadcast outperformed “ABC World News Tonight” by +2.522 million (+32%) and “CBS Evening News” by +4.256 million (+69%). The week was Nightly News’s most watched among total viewers since January 5, 2015 and most watched in the demo since February 10, 2014 (Sochi Olympics).
Nightly News increased +31% in total viewers, +52% in the key A25-54 demo and +65% in the A18-49 demo over the previous week. All of those increases top the ones earned during the first weeks of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. Compared to 2008, the first week Olympic lifts in 2016 are +9 points higher in total viewers, +26 points higher in A25-54 and +31 points higher in A18-49. Compared to 2012, the first week Olympic lifts in 2016 are +4 points higher in total viewers, +15 points higher in A25-54 and +18 points higher in A18-49.
In the demo, Nightly News averaged 2.965 million A25-54 viewers for the week, outperforming ABC World News Tonight by +1.239 million (+72%) and CBS Evening News by +1.601 million (+117%). The NBC broadcast averaged 2.305 million A18-49 viewers, topping ABC by +1.081 million (+88%) and CBS by +1.374 million (+148%). NBC Nightly News has topped total viewers for 7 of the last 9 weeks and ranked #1 among A25-54 and A18-49 for 54 of the last 55 weeks.
Holt started anchoring “NBC Nightly News” live from Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, August 4. He will anchor the broadcast from Rio every night through August 19.
Season to date, Nightly News is the #1 evening news program in total viewers, A25-54 and A18-49 viewers.
Weekly Highlights:
- Nightly News averaged 10.428 million total viewers, leading ABC World News Tonight by +2.522 million (+32%) and CBS Evening News by +4.256 million (+69%).
- Nightly News has won 7 of the last 9 weeks among total viewers.
- Nightly News averaged 2.965 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming ABC by +1.239 million (+72%) and more than doubling CBS by + 1.601 million (+117%).
- Nightly News has ranked #1 in A25-54 and A18-49 in 54 of the last 55 weeks.
- Nightly News averaged 2.305 million A18-49 viewers, topping ABC by +1.081 million (+88%) and more than doubling CBS by +1.374 million (+148%).
- Nightly News won all five evenings across total viewers, A25-54 viewers, and A18-49 viewers.
- On Monday, Nightly averaged 11.248 million total viewers and 3.145 million A25-54 viewers, its best single-day performance since Monday, February 2, 2015.
Season to Date:
- Season to date, Nightly News is the #1 evening news program in total viewers, A25-54 viewers, and A18-49 viewers.
- Nightly News averages 8.601 million total viewers, +244,000 (+3%) ahead of ABC and +1.522 million (+22%) more than CBS.
- Nightly News averages 2.093 million A25-54 viewers, leading ABC by +221,000 (+12%) and CBS by +459,000 (+28%).
- Nightly News has added +27,000 A25-54 viewers versus last season.
- Nightly News averages 1.507 million A18-49 viewers, outperforming ABC by +190,000 (+15%) and CBS by +395,000 (+36%).
Week of August 8 – August 12, 2016:
| Total Viewers | A25-54 Rating | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Rating | A18-49 Viewers | |
| NBC | 10.428 | 2.50 | 2.965 | 1.82 | 2.305 |
| CBS | 6.172 | 1.15 | 1.364 | 0.73 | 0.931 |
| ABC | 7.906 | 1.45 | 1.726 | 0.97 | 1.124 |
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ABOUT NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH LESTER HOLT
“NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” is America’s most-watched evening newscast, going beyond the day’s headlines to uncover stories of how people’s lives are affected by the world around them. “NBC Nightly News” reaches over 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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