ABC leads evening news as only network up in abc nbc cbs july
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir was the only major network evening newscast to grow in the abc nbc cbs july ratings week, averaging 8.128 million total viewers and 964,000 Adults 25-54 for the week of June 29. NBC and CBS both declined week over week as a shortened Fourth of July schedule reshuffled the competitive picture. Nielsen live+same-day data shows ABC extending a dominant run while rivals slipped during the lead-in to America's 250th birthday.
The week of June 29 delivered the first snapshot of summer 2026 evening-news momentum, and the headline is clear. David Muir's broadcast was the sole gainer in both total viewers (+8%) and the key news demo (+1%) compared with the prior week, according to ADWEEK. ABC also ranked as the most-watched newscast in total viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49 across broadcast and cable for a 12th straight week, per an ABC News press release.
Key Takeaways
- ABC World News Tonight averaged 8.128 million viewers and 964,000 Adults 25-54, up 8% and 1% week over week.
- NBC Nightly News placed second at 6.16 million total viewers and 856,000 in the demo, down 3% and 4% from the prior week.
- CBS Evening News fell below 4 million viewers with 3.765 million total and 501,000 in Adults 25-54.
- Holiday scheduling meant ABC averaged two days, NBC four, and CBS three, complicating straight comparisons.
- Year over year, ABC was up 13% in total viewers while NBC gained 12% in both measured categories.
Which network had the hottest start to July?
ABC unquestionably owned the opening stretch. World News Tonight led NBC by roughly 1.97 million total viewers and CBS by about 4.36 million, based on Nielsen figures reported by TV Insider and ADWEEK. Compared with the same week in 2025, ABC was up 13% in total viewers, even as its Adults 25-54 audience dipped 3%.
For audiences tracking where mass-reach news still concentrates, ABC remains the anchor. The broadcast was the only program across all three networks to post simultaneous week-over-week gains in total viewers and the key demo, a distinction that matters to advertisers weighing premium news inventory.
How did NBC and CBS perform in the short holiday week?
NBC Nightly News finished second but cooled off. Tom Llamas was off for the week, with Hallie Jackson anchoring all four counted broadcasts. The newscast averaged 6.16 million total viewers and 856,000 Adults 25-54, down 3% and 4% week over week. Still, NBC was up 12% in both measures versus the same week in 2025.
CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil had the roughest immediate comparison. After topping 4 million viewers the prior week, CBS slid to 3.765 million total viewers and 501,000 in the demo, down 6% and 13% sequentially. Year over year, CBS actually grew 1% in total viewers and 8% in Adults 25-54, so the drop looks more like a July 4 scheduling bump than a structural collapse.
Why do the abc nbc cbs july ratings come with an asterisk?
The Fourth of July holiday compressed the sample. ABC's weekly average reflects only Monday and Tuesday broadcasts; NBC counts Monday through Thursday; CBS averages Monday through Wednesday. Wednesday and Thursday editions were retitled and coded as specials, then excluded from weekly and season averages when the July 3 holiday landed.
That uneven calendar is why analysts treat this as a short week rather than a clean three-way horse race. Even so, ABC's status as the only network to post simultaneous gains in total viewers and Adults 25-54 is notable. For more media and market crossover coverage, browse our Fintech & Crypto Alerts section.