CBS Evening News was the only major evening newscast to post week-over-week gains in both total viewers and the key demographic for the week of May 11, 2026, according to Nielsen data reported by AdWeek.
While anchors from ABC and NBC traveled to Beijing for live coverage of President Donald Trump's visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil anchored from Taipei after failing to secure a Chinese visa in time.
Nielsen live-plus-same-day data showed CBS Evening News averaging 3.806 million total viewers and 503,000 viewers in the 25-54 age demographic, representing a 3% and 6% weekly increase, respectively.
Despite the growth, CBS still trailed its rivals in overall ratings.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir remained the top-rated program, drawing 7.889 million total viewers and 962,000 demo viewers, though total viewership dropped 4% from the prior week.
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NBC Nightly News anchored by Tom Llamas averaged 5.97 million total viewers and 831,000 demo viewers, experiencing an 8% weekly decline in the key demographic.
Year-over-year comparisons showed long-term growth across all three networks.
ABC was up 13% and NBC up 9% in total viewers compared to the same period in 2025.
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The weekly averages for NBC and CBS were calculated using a four-day model due to network title alterations on Friday, May 15, 2026, which excluded those broadcasts from official Nielsen tracking.
