ABC World News tonight with david muir it was the number one nightly newscast for the fourth and final quarter of 2022.
Based on live plus same-day data from Nielsen, ABC’s evening newscast averaged 8.34 million total viewers and 1.40 million adults 25-54 in the fourth quarter. ABC’s nightly newscast has now averaged the highest total viewership over the past 23 quarters, going back to the second quarter of 2017.
Additionally, World News Tonight won Q4 for the third consecutive year and led for the 11th consecutive quarter in all key demos, including A25-54 (since Q2 2020).
World News Tonight saw a gain in total viewers since Q4 2021, +2% in total viewers. However, the newscast dropped A25-54 for that quarter (-5%), as younger viewers continue to shy away from the evening news on TV. However, compared to Q4 2018, the most recent midterm election quarter, WNT finished -4% in total viewers and -21% among adults 25-54. Since the most recent quarter (Q3 2022), WNT gained +13% in total viewers and +11% in A25-54.
On NBC, Nightly News with Lester Holt averaged 7.06 million total viewers and 1.22 million for the key demo A25-54 in Q4 2022. That’s -1% on total viewers and -4% on A25-54 viewers for Q4 2021, -16% in total viewers and -34% in Q4 2018 A25-54 viewers. However, NBC Nightly News experienced the largest increases compared to the other evening newscasts compared to the summer, up +14% in the total viewers and a remarkable +21% on demo A25-54 compared to Q3 2022.
NBC’s flagship newscast was the sixth most-watched television program in the fourth quarter (excluding sports, specials and syndication). It also outperformed its late-night competition in terms of digital viewing.
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell averaged just over 5 million total viewers and 812,000 adults 25-54 in Q4 2022. That’s -2% total viewers, -8% among adults 25-54 Q4 2021 and -18% among total viewers, -35% on A25-54 vs. Q4 2018. CBS Evening News gained +12% in total viewers and +11% on A25-54 since Q3 2022.
The three evening newscasts averaged a combined 20.40 million viewers in Q4 2022, a +13% change from Q3 2022, flat from Q4 2021, but -12% from Q4 quarter of 2018. However, the story is weaker in the demo. The three newscasts averaged a total of 3.43 million adults ages 25-54, which is +14% from the third quarter, but -6% from the prior-year quarter and -30% from four years.
The averages for the fourth quarter of 2022:
| The net | abc | nbc | CBS |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total viewers: | 8,338,000 | 7,059,000 | 5,004,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,402,000 | 1,217,000 | 812,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD Current Week (without 12/19/22), Previous Week (without 12/12/22), and Week of Previous Year (with or 12/20/21). Most current data flow: Season 2022-2023 (19/9 – 25/12/22), Season 2021-2022 (20/9 – 26/12/21). 4T22: 09/19/22 – 12/25/22, 3T22: 06/27 – 09/18/22 and 4T21: 09/20/21 – 12/26/21. Nielsen ratings for ABC, NBC and CBS include additional broadcasts in select markets. As of August 31, 2020, the national rankings also include out-of-home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular streams.
