Trump Trial Begins: ABC World News Tonight Takes the Lead

ABC World News Tonight with David Muir continued its dominance in the evening news landscape during the week of April 15, thanks in part to the start of former president Donald Trump’s hush money trial. The newscast remained the top program, winning in both total viewers and the key demographic of Adults 25-54.

With 281 out of 280 weeks at the top spot in total viewers and 208 out of the last 212 weeks in the Adults 25-54 demo, WNT saw week-to-week gains in total viewers, averaging 7.563 million for the week. The Thursday edition, which covered the seating of the full jury and alternates at the Trump trial, enjoyed its biggest lead over NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt in eight months.

NBC Nightly News came in second for the week, with CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell ranking third. Both programs saw declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo compared to the previous week and year-ago numbers.

The Nielsen live-plus-same-day averages for the week of April 15, 2024, showed ABC leading with 7.563 million total viewers and 1.034 million in the Adults 25-54 demo, followed by NBC with 5.942 million total viewers and 814,000 in the demo, and CBS with 4.409 million total viewers and 647,000 in the demo.

ABC’s strong performance during a week marked by the start of the Trump trial underscores the network’s continued appeal to viewers seeking comprehensive and reliable news coverage.