The ratings for the first quarter of 2026 are in, and all eyes are on Tony Dokoupil, who took over CBS Evening News on January 5 in hopes of turning the show’s numbers around. So, did he do it?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, citing Nielsen figures, the fate of CBS Evening News depends on the point of comparison. The program averaged 4.24 million total viewers and 532,000 viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic through March 20. This includes the final week numbers for former anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois.
CBS Evening News was up from the fourth quarter of 2025, which averaged 4.03 million total viewers and 502,000 demo viewers. However, it was down from the first quarter of 2025, which averaged 4.59 million total viewers and 657,000 demo viewers.
Dokoupil was promoted from CBS Mornings to CBS Evening News in December by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. However, he and Weiss have faced criticism for trying to appease the Trump administration.
It should be noted that Nielsen’s first quarter officially ends on Sunday (March 29), so the final averages might change slightly when this week’s ratings are included.
The final averages are unlikely to change the order, as ABC’s World News Tonight continues to lead its competition. The David Muir-hosted news broadcast averaged 8.61 million total viewers and 1.07 million 25-54 viewers across the first quarter.
World News Tonight was up from the previous quarter, which averaged 7.86 million total viewers and 974,000 demo viewers. It was also up from the first quarter of 2025 in total viewers (8.13 million) but down slightly in the 25-54 demo (1.16 million).
NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas held onto second place, averaging 6.93 million total viewers and 1.04 million demo viewers across the first quarter of 2026. This was up from the previous quarter, which averaged 6.22 million total viewers and 848,000 demo viewers. It also increased compared to the first quarter of 2025, which averaged 6.6 million total viewers and 983,000 demo viewers.
CBS Evening News, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
ABC World News Tonight, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, ABC
NBC Nightly News, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, NBC
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