ABC’s World News Tonight remained the most-watched evening newscast in September. Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News posted its strongest September audience in five years.
What We Know: World News Tonight continued its decade-long run atop the evening news ratings, finishing September 2026 with 8.3 million viewers. ABC’s broadcast has now ranked as the most-watched nightly newscast for 10 consecutive years, dating to the 2016-17 season. NBC Nightly News finished second with 6.6 million viewers, while CBS Evening News averaged 4 million. NBC’s broadcast also continued a lengthy streak of year-over-year growth under anchor Tom Llamas. The network saw a 14% year-over-year increase in September.
What The Numbers Show:
| Newscast | September 2026 Total Audience |
|---|---|
| ABC World News Tonight | 8.3 million |
| NBC Nightly News | 6.6 million |
| CBS Evening News | 4 million |
| Newscast | September 2026 Adults 25-54 |
|---|---|
| ABC World News Tonight | 1.1 million |
| NBC Nightly News | 1 million |
| CBS Evening News | 546K |
What Remains Unclear: The September results don’t indicate whether NBC’s growth will translate into a sustained challenge to ABC across the full 2026-27 season. Additionally, the networks’ ratings can shift based on major news events, scheduling differences, and changes in Nielsen’s measurement methodology.
What It Means: ABC enters the new broadcast season with another year at the top of the evening news race. However, NBC’s September performance gives NBC Nightly News a strong audience-growth story as it continues closing the gap in the key demo. NBC reported that the program averaged 6.6 million viewers during the third quarter, its largest third-quarter audience in six years.
