Electoral Networks Struggle to Keep Pace with the 2024 Race

In the week of July 21, 2025, all three major evening news broadcasts experienced declines in viewership compared to the week prior and the same week a year ago.

ABC World News Tonight with David Muir maintained its viewership during this period, while its competitors faced losses. The broadcast averaged 7.272 million total viewers and 1 million Adults 25-54 demo viewers for the week. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas finished as the No. 2 evening news broadcast in both categories, with 5.487 million total viewers and 775,000 viewers in the demo. CBS Evening News had 3.615 million total viewers and 495,000 viewers in the demo for the week.

The absence of major news events during the week may have contributed to the lack of viewership gains for all three newscasts. In contrast, the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, a notable global event, likely boosted viewership for the same week a year ago.

Notably, NBC Nightly News experienced double-digit falls of -11% in total viewers and -18% in the demo when compared to the same week a year ago. CBS Evening News also saw double-digit falls, with -18% in total viewers and -19% in the demo.

During the week of July 21, 2025, NBC News and CBS News registered week-to-week losses in both measured categories. The broadcasts were down -4% in total viewers and -1% in the demo for NBC Nightly News, and -2% in total viewers and -8% in the A25-54 demo for NBC News and CBS News.

The week of July 21, 2025, was marked by a lack of significant political and global news compared to the same week in 2024. In 2024, President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election, making Vice President Kamala Harris the party's presidential candidate. The 2024 presidential election was significantly impacted by the withdrawal of President Biden as the Democratic candidate.

In a notable personnel change, Jenn Suozzo, the Executive Producer of NBC Nightly News, left the network around the week of July 21, 2025, to take on a senior role at CNN.

Despite the declines in viewership, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir was the only newscast that did not experience declines across the board during the week of July 21, 2025. The broadcast managed to hold onto its audience, demonstrating its resilience in a challenging week for the evening news landscape.