“This Week with George Stephanopoulos” achieved a remarkable milestone on February 15, 2026, by surpassing CBS’ “Face the Nation” by 640,000 total viewers, marking its most significant lead in viewer numbers in over a year and a half. The ABC program averaged 3.016 million total viewers and 412,000 viewers in the key Adults 25-54 demographic, based on Live+Same Day ratings from Nielsen Media Research.
The ratings reflect an impressive year-over-year increase for “This Week,” which saw total viewership rise by 6% from the previous year—up from 2.858 million. In the Adults 25-54 category, the program also experienced a solid 3% growth, climbing from 400,000 to 412,000 viewers. In comparison, CBS’ combined ratings for “Face the Nation” reflected a viewership of 2.376 million and just 253,000 in the same demographic, showing the competitive landscape of political Sunday shows.
Season-to-date figures revealed that “This Week” is outperforming NBC’s “Meet the Press,” leading by 119,000 viewers in total and by 16,000 in the Adults 25-54 demographic. It’s worth noting that NBC’s program was temporarily off-air due to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The success of “This Week” can largely be attributed to the accomplished team behind the show, with George Stephanopoulos serving as the anchor alongside Martha Raddatz as chief global affairs correspondent and Jonathan Karl as chief Washington correspondent.
In this evolving landscape of Sunday morning news programming, the significant viewer lead indicates not only a victory for “This Week” but also highlights the dynamic shifts in audience preferences and the continued relevance of insightful political dialogue on TV.