ABC World News Tonight with David Muir maintained its position as the most-watched evening newscast for the week of July 6, 2026, according to Nielsen ratings data. The program led both total viewership and the key Adults 25-54 demographic, while NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News showed varied performance across the same period.
ABC World News Tonight Leads in Total Viewers and Demo
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir secured the top spot in the evening news race, averaging 8.291 million total viewers. The broadcast also led the industry in the critical Adults 25-54 demographic, drawing 1.058 million viewers.
Performance metrics indicate growth for the program compared to the previous week, with a 2% increase in total viewership and a 10% gain in the A25-54 demo. When measured against the corresponding week in 2025, the program saw a 14% rise in total viewers and a 7% increase in its demo audience.
NBC Nightly News Maintains Second Place
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas held the second-place position, recording 6.380 million total viewers and 935,000 viewers in the A25-54 demographic.
The network saw consistent growth week-over-week, rising 4% in total viewers and 9% in the demo. Year-over-year comparisons show a similar trend, with the program increasing its total audience by 14% and its demo reach by 9% compared to the week of July 7, 2025. ABC’s lead over NBC in the demo currently exceeds 120,000 viewers.
CBS Evening News Performance Trends
CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil finished the week with 3.788 million total viewers and 497,000 viewers in the A25-54 category. While the broadcast experienced a 1% increase in total viewers compared to the previous week, it was the only major network evening newscast to see a decline in the ad-coveted demographic, falling by 1%.
Year-over-year data reflects a challenging period for the program, which recorded a 2% drop in total viewers and a 1% decrease in the A25-54 demo compared to the same week in 2025.
Evening News Ratings Summary
| Network | Total Viewers | Adults 25-54 |
|---|---|---|
| ABC World News Tonight | 8.291 million | 1.058 million |
| NBC Nightly News | 6.380 million | 935,000 |
| CBS Evening News | 3.788 million | 497,000 |
Data source: Nielsen NTI, Live+Same Day, week of July 6, 2026.
Methodology and Context
The reported figures reflect national live-plus-same-day data provided by Nielsen. The weekly averages for all three programs are based on four days of reporting (Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 9). Broadcasts from Friday, July 10, were retitled and excluded from these specific weekly and season-to-date averages. Year-over-year comparisons utilize Nielsen’s Big Data+Panel for 2026 against 2025 panel measurements to account for changes in data collection methodology.