#1 in Key A25-54 and A18-49 Demo Viewers in August
#1 Among Total Viewers and Key A25-54 Demo Viewers This Past Sunday
#1 in Key A24-54 Demo Viewers Season-to-Date
September 2, 2026 – Meet the Press with Kristen Welker was ranked the #1 Sunday public affairs show among younger audiences in August, winning both key A25-54 and A18-49 demo viewers, according to Nielsen.
In addition to the month’s win, Meet the Press ranked #1 among total viewers and in the key A25-54 demo for this past Sunday, August 30. Meet the Press averaged 2.612 million total viewers, leading ABC by +114,000 (+5%). Also this Sunday, Meet the Press averaged 404,000 A25-54 viewers, leading ABC by +56,000 (+16%) and outperforming ABC for five of the last six weeks.
In August, Meet the Press averaged 372,000 key A25-54 demo viewers, leading ABC by +43,000 (+13%) and CBS by +104,000 (+39%). Meet the Press has outperformed ABC for 24 consecutive months and has led CBS—which continues to rate for just 30 minutes of its hour-long broadcast—for seven of the last eight months, with the largest August lead vs. CBS in five years. Compared to last month, Meet the Press significantly improved its A25-54 lead vs. ABC (+43,000 vs. +2,000 prior month) and more than doubled its A25-54 lead vs. CBS (+104,000 vs. +48,000 prior month).
Meet the Press was the only show to increase A18-49 viewership compared to last month, averaging 253,000 A18-49 viewers in August, leading ABC by +5,000 (+2%) and CBS by +52,000 (+26%). Meet the Press has outperformed ABC for three of the last four months. This is also Meet the Press’ third consecutive month leading CBS, and compared to last month, Meet the Press improved its A18-49 lead vs. CBS by more than 6x (+52,000 vs. +8,000 prior month).
In August, Meet the Press averaged 2.466 million total viewers. Meet the Press was the only Sunday public affairs show to increase total viewership vs. last month and vs. last year.
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 also never lost a month in the Washington, D.C. market among total viewers.
August’s broadcasts featured conversations from NBC News’ “Common Ground” town hall at the National Governors Association’s summer meeting with Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.) and Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.) and Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah). The month’s broadcasts also featured interviews with Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.)
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NATIONAL AVERAGES – AUGUST 2026
| Show Name | Network | Duration (minutes) | Total Viewers | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Viewers |
| MEET THE PRESS | NBC | 249 | 2,466 | 372 | 253 |
| FACE THE NATION | CBS | 90 | 2,585 | 268 | 201 |
| THIS WEEK | ABC | 252 | 2,499 | 330 | 248 |
| FOX NEWS SUNDAY | FOX | 300 | 852 | 146 | 98 |
NATIONAL AVERAGES – AUGUST 30, 2026
Note: Face The Nation was retitled.
| Show Name | Network | Duration (minutes) | Total Viewers | A25-54 Viewers | A18-49 Viewers |
| MEET THE PRESS | NBC | 50 | 2,612 | 404 | 227 |
| FACE THE NATION HALF- HOUR | CBS | 30 | 2,599 | 275 | 211 |
| FACE THE NATION HOUR | CBS | 60 | 2,397 | 274 | 196 |
| THIS WEEK | ABC | 54 | 2,498 | 348 | 254 |
| FOX NEWS SUNDAY | FOX | 60 | 886 | 155 | 103 |
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For more information, contact:
Catherine Morris
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.
