David Muir’s World News Tonight Remains On Top, But Faces Declining Viewership
Heading into the Thanksgiving weekend, ABC News anchor David Muir continues to dominate as the top-rated primetime news anchor with his show World News Tonight. However, recent ratings data indicates a bittersweet turn of events for Muir.
According to Adweek’s TVNewser, World News Tonight maintained its position as the leading nightly news show for the week of November 13. Yet, behind the scenes, the program has been experiencing a decline in viewership not only over the past week but also in year-on-year figures.
Nielsen data reveals that for the week of November 13, World News Tonight averaged 7.91 million total viewers and 1.09 million viewers in the prime A25-54 age bracket. While these numbers are still impressive, they represent a concerning 5% drop from the previous week and an 11% decline compared to the same week last year. Additionally, the A25-54 viewership saw an even steeper fall, down 6% from the previous week and a significant 28% from the same week last year, surpassing the declines of its main competitors.
In the A25-54 bracket, NBC News’ Lester Holt secured second place with NBC Nightly News, experiencing a slight decline as well. With 1.02 million viewers in the A25-54 bracket, Holt’s overall total of 6.81 million placed him in third position.
David Muir’s career with ABC News spans nearly two decades, beginning in 2003. He worked at ABC-owned WCVB and WTVH-TV, a local network in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, before joining the national news organization.
In 2014, Muir succeeded Diane Sawyer as the anchor and managing editor of ABC’s primetime news show, ABC World News Tonight, making his debut on September 1 of that year. He was recently announced as the lead anchor for breaking news and special event coverage for ABC News in 2021, taking over the position from Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos.
While his professional life has been filled with achievements and accolades, Muir recently celebrated personal milestones as well. This year marked his 20th anniversary with ABC News, and he also turned 50 earlier this month. Muir’s ABC colleagues stood alongside him to commemorate these occasions, with his new 20/20 co-host, Deborah Roberts, sharing a glimpse of a birthday cupcake in his honor behind the scenes of the show. Roberts conveyed her well-wishes, saying, Wednesday wish for the happiest of birthdays. Wishing more joy and happiness.
As ABC News anchor David Muir maintains his reign atop the ratings, his program World News Tonight faces the challenging reality of declining viewership. Despite this setback, Muir’s impactful and trusted reporting continues to make an impression on his audience.
As the news landscape evolves and competition grows, it remains to be seen how Muir and his team will adapt to reverse the downward trend in viewership. Nonetheless, Muir’s dedication to delivering the news remains unwavering, ensuring that viewers can rely on his journalistic integrity to stay informed.
