Evening News Programs Report Rating Declines Ahead of Midterm Elections
Major network evening news broadcasts saw a collective drop in viewership during the week of October 26, according to Adweek. Despite the approaching midterm elections, ABC, NBC, and CBS all experienced week-to-week losses in total viewers and the key 25-54 demographic, even as year-over-year comparisons show significant growth for all three networks.
Context from Industry Pulse
The ratings dip reported by Adweek highlights a momentary cooling in news consumption immediately preceding a major political event. While week-to-week volatility is common in television, the sharp double-digit decline at CBS in the 25-54 demographic suggests a struggle to retain younger viewers compared to its peers. However, the broader trend remains positive for legacy broadcasters. When measured against the same week in 2025, every network saw substantial growth, particularly in the core demographic. This year-over-year surge, reaching as high as 24% for NBC, indicates that while the audience fluctuates weekly, the general appetite for evening news has expanded significantly over the past twelve months.
"CBS Evening News losing viewers by double digits in the prized demo, dropping below the 600,000 viewer mark."
Nielsen data reported by Adweek indicates that every major evening news program faced viewership headwinds in late October. The downturn affected both total audience numbers and the specific demographic of adults aged 25 to 54, which is highly valued by advertisers. These declines occurred just days before the national midterm elections, a period that typically sees heightened interest in political reporting.
ABC World News Tonight maintained its lead in the ratings despite seeing a 4% drop in total viewers. The broadcast averaged 8.454 million total viewers and 1.157 million in the demographic. While its week-to-week performance slumped, Adweek notes the program is still performing significantly better than it did during the same period in 2025, when it saw lower engagement across the board.
NBC Nightly News recorded the most stable performance among the big three networks. It experienced the smallest decline in total audience, dipping only 1% compared to the previous week. The program drew an average of 6.652 million viewers. Like its competitors, NBC saw double-digit growth when compared to its 2025 performance, showing an 8% increase in total audience and a 24% rise in the demographic over the previous year.
CBS Evening News faced the most significant challenges during this reporting period. The network saw a 9% decrease in total viewers and a 14% drop in the prized demographic. This decline pushed the program below the 600,000 viewer mark for adults aged 25 to 54. According to Adweek, the Friday broadcasts for all three networks were excluded from these weekly averages due to retitling, leaving the four-day Monday through Thursday average as the primary metric for the week.
The Industry Pulse Bottom Line
Though weekly ratings slumped before the midterms, the massive year-over-year growth across all networks proves that evening newscasts remain a dominant force for advertisers targeting the core 25-54 demographic.