ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir narrowly reclaimed its position as the most-watched evening newscast in the United States for the week of February 23, 2026, edging out NBC’s Nightly News by 39,000 viewers in the key Adults 25-54 demographic. The outcome followed a period during which NBC’s coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics boosted its ratings in that demographic.
According to Nielsen data, World News Tonight averaged 8.642 million total viewers and 1.028 million Adults 25-54 viewers for the week. While regaining the lead in the demo, the broadcast experienced a 3% decline in total viewership and a 10% drop among Adults 25-54 compared to the previous week. Compared to the same week in 2025, World News Tonight saw a 9% increase in total viewers but a 4% decrease in the demo.
NBC Nightly News secured the second position with 6.788 million total viewers, falling just below the one million viewer mark in the Adults 25-54 demographic with 989,000 viewers. The broadcast recorded an 11% decrease in total viewers and a 16% drop in the demo compared to the prior week. However, Nightly News was the only evening newscast to present year-over-year growth, increasing by 7% in total viewers and 5% in the demo.
The CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil was the only broadcast to record week-to-week gains in either measured category, attracting 4.17 million total viewers and 504,000 viewers in the demo. CBS News’ broadcast remained flat in total viewership but increased by 6,000 viewers in the demo compared to the previous week. Year-over-year, CBS Evening News experienced a 3% decline in total viewers and a 22% drop in the demo.
The ratings calculations for ABC and NBC excluded broadcasts retitled as “WNT-ABC” and “Nitely News” respectively, on February 24, 2026. These broadcasts were excluded from weekly and season averages.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, currently underway, have demonstrably impacted viewership, with NBC benefiting from increased interest during the games. On February 7, 2026, ABC World News Tonight featured coverage of the Olympics, including an update on American figure skater Ilia Malinin. Canada earned its first gold medal at the games on February 15, 2026, as reported by ABC News.
Recent broadcasts of World News Tonight have covered a range of international and domestic issues, including the ongoing conflict in Iran, with reports on February 26th detailing high-stakes nuclear negotiations between the U.S. And Iran. Earlier in the month, on February 27th, the broadcast reported on a tram derailment in Milan, Italy, resulting in two fatalities, and a “heartwarming development” regarding a monkey named Punch and a stuffed orangutan. On March 1, 2026, the program featured a full broadcast covering the situation in Iran, where, according to reports from March 3, 2026, stock markets are experiencing a plunge amid fears of prolonged war.
