Evening News Ratings Drop: ABC Leads Despite Declines (March 9, 2026)
Viewership for the evening news broadcasts on ABC, NBC, and CBS all declined during the week of March 9, 2026, according to Nielsen ratings data. The drops occurred as the American economy continued to grapple with the effects of instability in the Middle East, and coincided with the annual switch to Daylight Saving Time.
World News Tonight with David Muir, despite a 5% decrease in total viewers and a 6% drop among adults 25-54 compared to the previous week, remained the most-watched evening newscast in the United States. The broadcast averaged 8.478 million total viewers and 1.033 million viewers in the key demographic. Compared to the same week in 2025, World News Tonight saw increases of 13% in total viewers and 1% in the demo.
NBC’s Nightly News with Tom Llamas finished second, averaging 6.514 million total viewers and 946,000 adults 25-54. The broadcast experienced declines of 6% in total viewers and 10% in the demo week-to-week, but showed year-over-year growth of 7% in total viewers and 6% in the demo.
CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil saw the most significant decline, falling below 4 million total viewers for the week with 3.845 million. The broadcast also recorded 468,000 demo viewers. CBS’s evening news program was down 7% in total viewers and 8% in the demo compared to the prior week. It also experienced year-over-year declines of 5% in total viewers and 21% in the demo – the only broadcast to present declines in both measurements.
The viewership gap between World News Tonight and CBS Evening News is now the largest in at least 34 years, with Muir’s broadcast leading by 4.633 million total viewers. The previous iteration of CBS’s evening broadcast, co-hosted by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, had similar viewership numbers, which prompted format and anchor changes following the arrival of Bari Weiss at the network.
Recent reporting from ABC News highlighted several major stories covered during the week of March 16-20, 2026, including attacks on critical energy sites in the Middle East, concerns over unauthorized drones spotted over a U.S. Air Force base, and a dangerous heat wave impacting the Western United States. On March 21, 2026, ABC News reported on severe flooding in Hawaii, with 230 people rescued and potential damages exceeding $1 billion. The same day, the broadcast reported on the death of action star Chuck Norris at age 86.
On Saturday, March 21, 2026, World News Tonight reported that the war with Iran had entered its fourth week. The broadcast also reported on the death of former FBI director Robert Mueller at age 81, and featured a segment on a dog finding a home after being unwanted. On Friday, March 20, 2026, the broadcast covered swarms of mystery drones over a major U.S. Air Force base and the accidental death of a University of Alabama student in Spain.
The White House and Congressional Democrats remained in a funding deal standoff as a potential crisis loomed for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) due to a possible government shutdown, as reported on Thursday, March 19, 2026. On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the broadcast reported on critical energy sites in the Middle East coming under attack, leading to a surge in gas prices.