Biggest Key Demo Win Over ABC in 5 Weeks

Only Broadcast to Grow in Demo Viewers Vs Prior Year

#1 Most Watched Season-to-Date in Key Demo and A18-49

MARCH 12, 2019 – NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the #1 most-watched evening broadcast in the key news demo for the week of March 4, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Nightly News has won the key demo 28 of the last 32 weeks and continues as the #1 most-watched evening newscast season-to-date in the demo most valued by news advertisers. 

The broadcast continues its strong performance in the key news demo averaging 2.0 million A25-54 viewers, besting ABC World News Tonight by +36,000 viewers (+2%) and CBS Evening News by +680,000 viewers (+53%). It was Nightly’s biggest key demo win over ABC in 5 weeks. Compared to the same week last year, Nightly was up 3% (+48,000), while ABC was down -3% (-69,000) and CBS down -9% (-133,000). Nightly also increased in demo viewers compared to last week, up +29,000 or +1% while ABC was down -3%.

Last Monday, Holt anchored the broadcast from Lee County, Alabama after a deadly hurricane devastated the area and killed over twenty people.

For the week of March 4, Nightly News averaged 1.3 million A18-49 viewers topping ABC by +30,000 (+2%) and CBS by +384,000 viewers (+40%). Nightly News has won the younger demo 5 of the past 6 weeks, and increased in demo viewers vs. the prior week by + 34,000 (3%), while ABC was down 8,000 (-1%).  

Nightly News averaged 8.6 million total viewers for the week of March 4, topping CBS Evening News by 2.2 million total viewers (+36%). Nightly increased viewership vs the prior week by +52,000 (+1%), and increased compared to the same week last year by +229,000 (+3%).

Season to date, Nightly News is the #1 evening newscast in both the key demo and A18-49. In the key demo, Nightly leads ABC by 51,000 (+3%) and CBS by +618,000 (+47%). In A18-49, Nightly leads ABC by 50,000 (+4%) and CBS by 384,000 (+41%).

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Week of March 4 – March 8, 2019:

	Total Viewers		A25-54 Rating	A25-54 Viewers	A18-49 Rating	A18-49 Viewers
NBC	8.558		1.62	1.955	1.04	1.338
CBS	6.306		1.06	1.275	0.74	0.954
ABC	9.280		1.59	1.979	1.01	1.308

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For more information contact:

TJ Ducklo
NBC News
o: (212) 664-1913
e: tj.ducklo@nbcuni.com

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ABOUT NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH LESTER HOLT

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is the most-watched evening newscast in America among the key news demo for the past 22 seasons. The broadcast provides the very latest on the day’s top stories going beyond the headlines to uncover 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 Jenn Suozzo is the executive producer.