NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH LESTER HOLT IS #1 FOR AUGUST, WINNING KEY A25-54 DEMO

Newscast also Wins the Week in A25-54

Continues to Top ABC and CBS Season to Date in Key Demo

August 27, 2019 – NBC News with Lester Holt is the #1 evening newscast in the key A25-54 demo for the month of August, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, Nightly News wins the week of August 19, which the broadcast kicked off from inside Iran, and continues to lead season to date in the demo most valued by advertisers.

For the month of August, Nightly News averages 1.513 million viewers in A25-54, topping CBS by +531,000 and ABC by +6,000.  The broadcast wins the key demo for the fifth consecutive August and for four out of the last five months.

For the week of August 19, Nightly News averages 1.555 million viewers, leading CBS by +559,000 and ABC by +3,000, despite it being the only broadcast rated for all five days. NBC’s signature newscast is also the only one to improve week over week, delivering its best A25-54 demo in 13 weeks.  

Nightly News continues to surpass CBS and ABC season to date, and is on track to score its 12th straight season in the key news demo. Additionally, the broadcast also leads in the younger A18-49 demo for the 23rd consecutive season.

Last week, Holt reported from inside Tehran, Iran for a special edition of Nightly News, where he spoke with top diplomats, including a rare interview with the head of Iran’s National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, as well as an interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Earlier this month, Holt anchored from El Paso, Texas, following the two tragic mass shootings.  

AUGUST 2019:

  • Nightly News is #1 in A25-54, averaging 1.513 million viewers, +531,000 (+54%) more than CBS and +6,000 (+0.4%) ahead of ABC
  • Nightly has 5th consecutive August win; wins four out of the last five months
Program P25-54
Imps
P18-49
Imps
P2+
Imps
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 1.513 1.016 7.141
CBS EVENING NEWS 0.982 0.705 4.985
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 1.507 1.042 8.125

Note: Nightly News ratings are comprised of telecasts with regular titling and include overnight airings on owned stations.

WEEK OF 8/19/2019:

  • Nightly News is #1 in A25-54, averaging 1.555 million A25-54 viewers, ahead of CBS by +559,000 (+56%) and ABC by +3,000 (+0.2%)
  • Vs. prior week, Nightly is the only newscast to post week-over-week A25-54 increases, up +57,000 (+4%) while ABC is down -0.4% and CBS is down -4%
  • Nightly has its best key demo delivery ins 13 weeks
Program P25-54
Imps
P18-49
Imps
P2+
Imps
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 1.555 1.041 7.286
CBS EVENING NEWS 0.996 0.729 5.115
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 1.552 1.091 8.142
       

NOTE: NBC was rated all five days, while ABC was rated for three days (Mon-Wed) and CBS was rated for four days (Mon-Thurs). Nightly News ratings are comprised of telecasts with regular titling and include overnight airings on owned stations.

2018-19 SEASON-TO-DATE

  • Nightly News is the #1 evening newscast this season in A25-54 and A18-49
  • Among A25-54 viewers, Nightly leads CBS by +568,000 (+48%) and ABC by +22,000 (+1%)
    • Nightly is #1 among A25-54 viewers at this point of the season for the 12th consecutive season
  • Among A18-49 viewers, Nightly leads ABC by +20,000 (+2%) and CBS by +343,000 (+41%)
    • Nightly is #1 among A18-49 viewers at this point of the season for the 23rd consecutive season

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NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the most-watched evening newscast in America among the key news demo, and reaches over 24 million people every week through its broadcast and millions more through NBCNews.com, the Nightly News app, The Nightly newsletter and social media 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 anchor, and was named the most-trusted television news personality in America, according to The Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult 2018 survey.  Jennifer Suozzo is the executive producer.

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NBC News contact: 

Dana Klinghoffer

dana.klinghoffer@nbcuni.com

212-664-4088