NBC’s ‘Nightly News’ posts strongest year-over-year demo growth among evening newscasts

NBC’s “Nightly News with Tom Llamas” led all evening newscasts in year-over-year ratings growth among key demographic groups for the week of June 24, according to Nielsen ratings.

The program recorded an 11 percent increase in viewers aged 25-54 and an 8 percent increase among viewers aged 18-49 compared with the same week in 2024. NBC also reported that the program increased its total audience for the second consecutive week.

“Nightly News” averaged 5.7 million total viewers during the week, ranking it as the second most-watched show on television, excluding specials, sports and syndication. The program drew 820,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic and 536,000 in the 18-49 group.

NBC topped CBS in all major categories, surpassing it by 1.697 million total viewers, 294,000 viewers aged 25-54, and 149,000 viewers aged 18-49. Compared with the same week last year, “Nightly News” gained 81,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic and 37,000 in the 18-49 group.

NBC also narrowed the 18-49 demographic gap with ABC by 18 percent. ABC’s averages for the week were based on two days of data due to scheduling impacts from the NBA Finals.

The ratings cover the period from June 16 to June 22 and are based on live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen.