Since taking the reins as anchor of “CBS Evening News,” Tony Dokoupil still trails significantly behind his competitors, as shown by the latest Nielsen ratings.
The show pulled in about 3.8 million viewers in the week ending April 6, with less than 500,000 in the crucial adult 25-to-54 age group. This sharp decline places CBS well behind both ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News.
In contrast, ABC’s flagship evening news program leads the pack decisively, attracting over 8 million viewers and surpassing 1 million in the key demographic during the same week. This nearly doubles CBS’s figures in those categories.
Meanwhile, NBC is thriving in second place, with “Nightly News” averaging around 6.4 million viewers and about 943,000 in the vital demo, demonstrating consistent year-over-year growth and narrowing the gap with ABC.
Anchored by Tom Lamas, NBC has also become the only evening news show to show profitability compared to last season, emphasizing their positive trajectory while CBS continues to face challenges.
In the midst of Dokoupil’s struggles, CBS News is experiencing significant turmoil behind the scenes. Conflicting executive visions, layoffs, and a broad overhaul have contributed to instability within the department.
Insiders indicate that the news division is somewhat divided, with disagreements among executives regarding strategy, even as flagship programs like “CBS Evening News” hit historic low ratings and staff prepare for potential cuts.
In a statement, CBS News remarked: “Tony Dokoupil and his team are dedicated to developing programming aimed at reaching viewers wherever they consume their news, and we’re enthusiastic about the future of our evening news brand under their guidance.” They emphasized that no amount of speculation or gossip would deter them from continuing their commitment to reporting the news and telling the truth.
On a brighter note for CBS, since Dokoupil took over, the broadcasts have averaged 4.2 million viewers and 539,000 in the key demographic, reflecting a 5% increase in total viewers and an 8% increase in adults aged 25-54 compared to the earlier part of the 2025-26 season.
First-quarter results indicate improvements compared to the previous three quarters, when Maurice Dubois and John Dickerson were co-anchoring the program.
“ABC World News Tonight with David Muir” continues to dominate the evening news competition, attracting nearly 2 million more viewers than NBC and over 4 million more than CBS. This show has reported an increase of 530,000 viewers from last year, marking its largest lead over NBC in 31 years and its biggest advantage over CBS in 34 years.
NBC’s broadcasts have shown consistent growth, increasing by approximately 383,000 total viewers and 103,000 in the key demographic compared to last year, along with week-over-week gains.
“NBC Nightly News” has now achieved 11 consecutive weeks of year-over-year growth in the 25-54 demographic.
The Post has contacted ABC News for a response. An NBC News representative did not reply to inquiries from The Post.
