With David Muir anchoring from Beijing, China, last week, “World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (7.889 million) on all of broadcast and cable for the second consecutive week during the week of May 11, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.
“World News Tonight” has been the No. 1 program on all TV for 15 weeks this season (with and without sports).
- “World News Tonight” ranked as the No. 1 newscast across broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (7.889 million), Adults 25-54 (962,000) and Adults 18-49 (709,000).
- “World News Tonight” outperformed “NBC Nightly News” (5.970 million, 831,000 and 586,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+32%/+1.919 million), Adults 25-54 (+16%/+131,000) and Adults 18-49 (+31%/+123,000).
- “World News Tonight” widened its margins over “NBC Nightly News” week to week in Adults 25-54 (+79% – 131,000 vs. 73,000) and Adults 18-49 (+459% – 123,000 vs. 22,000).
- “World News Tonight” built on its lead over “NBC Nightly News” on the year-ago week by double digits in Total Viewers (+26% – 1.919 million vs. 1.517 million) and Adults 18-49 (+18% – 123,000 vs. 104,000).
- “World News Tonight” posted increases on the same week last year across the board: Total Viewers (+9%/+619,000 – 7.889 million vs. 7.270 million), Adults 25-54 (+9%/+78,000 –962,000 vs. 884,000) and Adults 18-49 (+15%/+93,000 –709,000 vs. 616,000). In addition, “World News Tonight” turned in year–to-year gains in overall viewers and in the key Adult news demo for the last 11 weeks.
- “World News Tonight” (7.889 million, 962,000 and 709,000, respectively) outdelivered “CBS Evening News” (3.806 million, 503,000 and 341,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+107%/+4.083 million), Adults 25-54 (+91%/+459,000) and Adults 18-49 (+108%/+368,000).
- “World News Tonight” increased its lead over “CBS Evening News” versus the year-ago week in Total Viewers (+17% – 4.083 million vs. 3.483 million), Adults 25-54 (+5% – 459,000 vs. 437,000) and Adults 18-49 (+25% – 368,000 vs. 295,000).
