Tom Llamas, the new primary anchor of NBC Nightly News, has brought about notable gains for the broadcast during the week of June 23. It was the only evening news program to increase its total viewership and earn improvements in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic. This marked NBC Nightly News’ best performance in total viewers in two months and its most favorable showing in the demo since mid-May.
In contrast, CBS Evening News faced challenges, being the only broadcast to experience viewer losses in both categories during the final week of June. In terms of total viewers for the week of June 23, ABC World News Tonight, led by David Muir, averaged 7.352 million viewers, seeing a slight decline of 1%, while maintaining flat performance in the A25-54 demo.
Specifically, NBC Nightly News attracted 5.751 million total viewers and 840,000 in the demo for the same week, reflecting an increase of 1% in total viewers and 2% in the A25-54 demographic compared to the previous week. Despite a year-over-year comparison showing a slight decline of 2% in total viewers, the broadcast improved by 4% in the demo.
On the other hand, CBS Evening News averaged 3.880 million total viewers and 514,000 in the demo for the week of June 23, down 3% in total viewers and 2% in the demo, with significant year-over-year losses of 12% in total viewers and 19% in the demo.
Looking at the second quarter of 2025, all three newscasts faced double-digit quarter-to-quarter declines in both total viewers and the A25-54 demographic. Despite an active news cycle, factors such as the switch to Daylight Saving Time and major sports events like the NBA and NHL playoffs contributed to the lower viewership numbers.
In comparison to Q1 2025, ABC World News Tonight experienced an 11% drop in total viewers and 16% among the A25-54 demographic. NBC Nightly News, which transitioned to Llamas as anchor during this quarter, averaged 5.754 million total viewers, down by 13% from the previous quarter but notably up by 1% in total viewers and 14% in the demo compared to the same quarter last year. CBS Evening News, however, saw a larger decline, averaging 3.827 million total viewers and 520,000 in the demo, demonstrating the steepest losses among the three newscasts.
Overall, while the numbers depict a challenging landscape for evening news broadcasts, NBC Nightly News’ ability to gain viewers and improve its demo performance under new leadership is a positive sign for its future trajectory.