TV Ratings: ABC WNT Tops With Total Viewers

“World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.183 million) on all of broadcast and cable for the third time in the last four weeks during the week of May 4, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• “World News Tonight” ranked as the No. 1 newscast across broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.183 million), Adults 25-54 (976,000) and Adults 18-49 (694,000).
• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (6.125 million, 903,000 and 672,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+34%/+2.058 million), Adults 25-54 (+8%/+73,000) and Adults 18-49 (+3%/+22,000).
• For the 11th consecutive week, “World News Tonight” grew its Total Viewer lead over “NBC Nightly News” on the year-ago week (+20% – 2.058 million vs. 1.714 million) by double digits.
• For the 10th week in a row, “World News Tonight” improved year to year in Total Viewers (+8%/+616,000 – 8.183 million vs. 7.567 million) and Adults 25-54 (+3%/+30,000 –976,000 vs. 946,000).
• “World News Tonight” (8.183 million, 976,000 and 694,000, respectively) more than double the performance of “CBS Evening News” (3.702 million, 473,000 and 299,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+121%/+4.481 million), Adults 25-54 (+106%/+503,000) and Adults 18-49 (+132%/+395,000).
• “World News Tonight” widened its lead over “CBS Evening News” compared to the same week last year in Total Viewers (+15% – 4.481 million vs. 3.909 million), Adults 25-54 (+5% – 503,000 vs. 477,000) and Adults 18-49 (+2% – 395,000 vs. 389,000).

CBS Setback: 

CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil is broadcasting from Taipei, Taiwan, this week instead of Beijing, China, after the network failed to secure a Chinese visa for him in time. The development represents a logistical setback for CBS as it seeks a prominent role in covering the week's biggest international story: President Donald Trump's summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

On a CBS morning planning call, executives discussed Dokoupil broadcasting from Taipei. CBS has correspondents traveling with Trump in China, and a network source downplayed the issue by noting Dokoupil's location highlights Taiwan's strategic importance in the summit talks.

Details remain unclear—Reasons could stem from a late application or other factors. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to inquiries. Visa and journalist access issues between the U.S. and China have been ongoing challenges in recent years.