NBC Nightly News Hits Three-Year High in First Quarter Viewership
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas posted its strongest first-quarter audience in three years. Filmogaz.com analysis of Nielsen data shows broad gains across key demos.
Quarterly gains
The program averaged about 7.0 million viewers in the first quarter. That placed it among the top five most-watched regular programs for the period.
Nightly was the only evening newscast to grow versus both last year and the prior quarter. Total viewers rose by roughly 748,000 from the previous quarter.
Key first-quarter demo lifts
- A25-54 averaged 1.037 million, up by about 87,000 versus last year.
- A18-49 averaged 727,000, increasing roughly 79,000 year-over-year.
- The show beat CBS by large margins in total viewers and younger demos.
NBC Nightly News recorded first quarter viewership at a three-year high. The program narrowed its demo gaps with ABC significantly.
March performance
March delivered the program’s largest month in three years. Total average viewers in March were about 6.609 million.
Year-over-year demo growth was strong in March. A25-54 rose by roughly 13 percent and A18-49 by about 14 percent versus last year.
Week of March 23 momentum
For the week of March 23, Nightly averaged 6.3 million viewers. The broadcast showed the second straight month of A25-54 year-over-year growth.
The show narrowed its demo gap with ABC over multiple weeks. It was the only evening newscast to grow across the board versus last season.
Nielsen breakdown
Below are the average audiences reported by Nielsen for the specified periods. Figures reflect regularly-titled telecasts only.
| Period | Network | P25-54 (000s) | P18-49 (000s) | P2+ Imps (000s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter (12/29/25-3/29/26) | NBC Nightly News | 1,037 | 727 | 6,934 |
| CBS Evening News | 535 | 409 | 4,247 | |
| ABC World News Tonight | 1,078 | 789 | 8,665 | |
| March (2/23/26-3/29/26) | NBC Nightly News | 979 | 673 | 6,609 |
| CBS Evening News | 493 | 368 | 4,052 | |
| ABC World News Tonight | 1,070 | 778 | 8,697 | |
| Week of 3/23/26 (3/23/26-3/29/26) | NBC Nightly News | 927 | 616 | 6,329 |
| CBS Evening News | 446 | 312 | 3,911 | |
| ABC World News Tonight | 1,078 | 766 | 8,629 |
Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, L+SD. Filmogaz.com compiled averages from Nielsen reporting. Periods cover 12/29/2025–3/29/2026, 2/23/2026–3/29/2026, and 3/23/2026–3/29/2026.
Notes: Some telecasts were retitled due to MLB prime-time coverage. CBS averages reflect a three-day window during NCAA Tournament coverage. ABC retitled one broadcast during the period for unknown reasons.
