Evening Newscasts Remain Profitable, But Audience Is Eroding

Evening news broadcasts, a cornerstone of broadcast network legacies featuring icons like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings, are facing significant challenges as the traditional TV industry evolves, reports The Los Angeles Times.

 
The audience for network evening newscasts is steadily eroding, with Nielsen data showing a drop of nearly 1 million viewers in the 2024-25 season compared to the prior year. This decline has put pressure on network news executives, with two of the three major broadcasts undergoing significant changes.

 
In June 2025, NBC’s Nightly News will replace veteran anchor Lester Holt with Tom Llamas, 45, who hosts the streaming program Top Story on NBC News Now. This marks only the fourth anchor change for Nightly News since 1983. Meanwhile, CBS revamped CBS Evening News in January 2025, replacing Norah O’Donnell with co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. Under the direction of outgoing 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, the program has shifted toward longer, in-depth segments, moving away from its traditional headline-driven format.

Despite the rise of streaming platforms, broadcast networks remain committed to their news divisions, particularly as they compete with ABC World News With David Muir, which holds its largest lead over NBC in 30 years. Evening newscasts face growing competition from cable news, streaming services, and platforms like YouTube, which appeals to both older viewers and younger, digital-native audiences.

Launched in the late 1940s, ABC, CBS, and NBC’s evening newscasts remain a rare source of appointment viewing, averaging 18 million nightly viewers and reaching 71 million monthly, per Nielsen. ABC World News frequently ranks as TV’s most-watched program, often drawing 8 million viewers. However, CBS Evening News has struggled since its relaunch, occasionally dipping below 4 million viewers and losing ground to Fox News’ Special Report With Bret Baier.

NBC is banking on Llamas to revitalize Nightly News, citing his strong performance in the 25-54 demographic during recent fill-in appearances for Holt. Anchor transitions, however, carry risks, with programs typically losing around 500,000 viewers post-change, and a single Nielsen ratings share point drop potentially costing $10 million in ad revenue.

Despite these challenges, evening news remains profitable, with ad spending across the three networks’ evening and weekend broadcasts reaching $669 million in 2024, a 12% increase from the previous year, according to iSpot.tv. The programs continue to define network identities, with a Magid study finding that 50% of viewers watch network TV affiliates primarily for news. The audience skews older, reflected in advertising, with 46% of ad dollars tied to pharmaceutical products, per iSpot.tv data.