NBC’s switch from Lester Holt to Tom Llamas as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” appears to be paying dividends in the ratings, particularly among younger viewers.
For the first time since the 46-year-old Llamas took over on June 2, the “NBC Nightly News” episode on Tuesday outperformed ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic, according to Nielsen data.
NBC drew 904,000 viewers in the demo to edge ABC’s 891,000. The milestone marked a 9% year-over-year increase for NBC in the key demographic, while ABC saw an 8% decline.
NBC also captured the 18-49 demo on both Monday and Tuesday this week, bringing in 677,000 and 624,000 viewers, respectively. ABC trailed with 668,000 on Monday and 575,000 on Tuesday, according to the Wrap.
Despite NBC’s demo wins, ABC remains the dominant network when it comes to total viewership.
On Tuesday, “World News Tonight” averaged 7.09 million viewers, compared to 5.81 million for “NBC Nightly News.”
“Honestly, the reality is Muir just had the biggest win over NBC in 30 years in June with Llamas as anchor,” a source with knowledge of the situation told The Post.
“It took a month and a half for NBC to get a night in the demo, something Lester Holt occasionally used to do, too — but Holt didn’t try to get headlines for it. It’s silly.”
The source added that with Muir reporting on the scene from Texas on Monday, “World News Tonight” beat out Llamas by nearly 2 million viewers.
“The nights with major news are really the most telling,” the source added.
Bringing up the rear with 3.875 million viewers was “CBS Evening News,” which has been panned for an overhaul that included dumping longtime anchor Norah O’Donnell for lesser-known, and less expensive, co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois.
In June, ABC averaged 7.31 million total viewers — its biggest monthly win in three decades — while NBC averaged 5.67 million. ABC’s overall ratings were up 1% year-over-year, while NBC’s total viewership increased 0.4%.
In the key 25-54 demographic, “World News Tonight” drew 991,000 viewers in June, outpacing “NBC “Nightly News” (823,000). Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged 669,000, while NBC drew 538,000.
The performance represents the closest June demo gap between NBC and ABC in five years.
CBS came in third across all categories in June, with 3.94 million total viewers, 524,000 in adults 25-54 and 369,000 in adults 18-49.
The Tiffany Network, whose news division has been rocked by turmoil in the wake of parent company Paramount Global’s controversial $16 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by President Trump, has struggled to pin down a winning formula for its nightly newscast.
“CBS Evening News” saw a 10% year-over-year decline in total viewership in June.
The Post has sought comment from NBC and CBS. An ABC spokesperson declined to respond.
Llamas was named Holt’s successor in March after Holt announced he would step away from his nightly duties to focus full-time on “Dateline NBC.”
Holt had served as anchor of “Nightly News” for a decade and held a trusted place among American audiences.
Tapping Llamas was part of NBC’s broader strategy to attract younger and more diverse viewers while maintaining a reputation for journalistic credibility. He continues to anchor “Top Story,” a news program that streams on NBC News Now.
Llamas, who is of Cuban descent, began his journalism career as a teenager and has worked at both NBC and ABC in a variety of roles, including correspondent and anchor. He is known for his investigative reporting and energetic style.
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