Brian Williams‘ “NBC Nightly News” substitute Lester Holt has now won back-to-back weeks in total viewers over ABC’s “World News Tonight” with David Muir after ABC had won for a month straight.
For the week of May 4, Holt attracted 7,569,000 viewers compared to WNT’s 7,468,000. “CBS Evening News” with Scott Pelley ranked third with 6,535,000 viewers.
David Muir’s ABC broadcast won the ad-coveted 25-54 demo, 1,773,000 viewers vs. 1,732,000 viewers for “Nightly News.”
Holt’s second victory in a row following a month-long losing streak comes at an important time for NBC as advertising upfronts were held Monday.
Those advertisers care more about the 25-54 demo, which Muir has been victorious in eight of the last nine weeks. But NBC leading in total viewers while being within striking distance in the demo week-to-week is a stabilizing image the network will want advertisers to see.
Holt’s ability to stay on top in total viewers consistently will play a role in the network’s decision making on whether to bring back Williams or move on permanently from the suspended anchor.