ABC's “World News Tonight” anchored by David Muir continues to dominate the evening news ratings, maintaining a significant lead over rivals CBS and NBC, according to latest Nielsen data for the week of April 6. The broadcast averaged 8.417 million total viewers and 1.067 million in the key adults 25–54 demographic, marking a slight week-over-week dip of 2 percent in total viewers but a 12 percent year-over-year increase.
“NBC Nightly News” with Tom Llamas came in second, averaging 6.434 million total viewers and 909,000 in the key demo. The broadcast saw a week-over-week decline of 4 percent in total viewers and 13 percent in the key demo, though it posted year-over-year gains of 6 percent and 7 percent respectively.
“CBS Evening News” anchored by Tony Dokoupil lagged behind with 3.807 million total viewers and 477,000 in the key demo, down 8 percent and 16 percent week-over-week. Year-over-year, total viewers were up 2 percent but the key demo fell 3 percent, highlighting ongoing struggles to attract younger audiences.
ABC's standout performance came on April 10 with special live coverage of the Artemis II return to Earth, drawing 9.77 million total viewers and 2.362 million in the key demo, making it the most-watched program of the night. Fox News and CBS News trailed with 4.999 million and 4.585 million total viewers respectively, while NBC News drew 3.912 million.
Internal tensions at CBS News have been reported, with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski clashing over strategy. Cibrowski favours a softer approach aimed at Middle America, while Weiss pushes a digital-first, hard news strategy. Meanwhile, NBC is leveraging Tom Llamas' background and his streaming companion show “Top Story” to broaden appeal among younger viewers.
