ABC News leads in the ratings in the nightly newscast category with World News Tonight. It also leads in the Sunday political affairs arena with This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
What We Know: The latest Nielsen Media Research figures tell the story for ABC. This Week with George Stephanopoulos grew 7% from the prior week. Performance in the key Adults 25-54 demographic also climbed, rising 15% week to week. The momentum extends beyond a single week. For the seventh consecutive Sunday, the program grew its total viewer audience year over year — up 3% compared to last year. Currently, the show ranks first in total viewers for the fifth consecutive year, averaging 2.8 million. That gap over Meet the Press is now the widest it’s been in 30 years, since the 1995-1996 season.
What The Numbers Show:
| Program | Total Viewers | Adults 25-54 |
|---|---|---|
| This Week with George Stephanopoulos | 2.5 Million | 338,000 |
| Meet the Press | 2.2 Million | 405,000 |
| Face the Nation | 2.2 Million | 299,000 |
| Fox News Sunday | 886,000 | 173,000 |
What Remains Unclear: It’s not yet clear how long the current streak can sustain its trajectory heading into the summer months, when Sunday morning viewership traditionally softens. Whether any of the competing programs make programming adjustments in response to ABC’s dominance also remains to be seen.
What It Means: The performance by the George Stephanopoulos-led show has increased impressively in recent months. Since the turn of the calendar, the program has seen a steady climb in the total viewership category. The race remains tight between ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News in both total viewers and the key demographic.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
