The Sunday public affairs ratings show a tight race among the major broadcast networks during the month of August. Face the Nation led total viewers, while Meet the Press delivered the strongest A25-54 audience.
What We Know: The Sunday public affairs programs continued to draw sizable audiences in August, with three shows clustered around 2.5 million total viewers. CBS’ Face the Nation finished first in total viewers, followed closely by ABC’s This Week and NBC’s Meet the Press. Meanwhile, Fox News Sunday remained well behind the broadcast competition in overall viewership. The Fox program, however, still attracted a meaningful audience among adults 25-54.
What The Numbers Show:
| Network | Show | Total Viewers | Adults 25-54 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBS | Face the Nation | 2,585,000 | 268,000 |
| ABC | This Week | 2,499,000 | 330,000 |
| NBC | Meet the Press | 2,466,000 | 372,000 |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 852,000 | 146,000 |
What Remains Unclear: The August figures don’t show how much each program benefited from individual news events or guest lineups. Additionally, the data doesn’t indicate whether longer program durations affected the overall audience totals.
What It Means: CBS can claim the total-viewer win, but NBC has a stronger position among adults 25-54. ABC also remains competitive, keeping the broadcast race close. Meanwhile, Fox News Sunday continues to operate with a smaller total audience but maintains a notable demographic presence.
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