June 2 officially marked a changing of the guard atNBC Nightly Newsafter long-time anchorLester Holthanded the reins over toTom Llamas. In the wake of the seismic shift in news, the ratings for the new host are in, and it’s been a mixed bag so far. For his first few shows settling in, Llamas came in behindABC’s ever-dominantWorld News Tonight with David Muir, which topped both it andCBS Evening Newson the charts per TV Insider. Moreover, he underperformed Holt in the early ratings, significantly trailing Muir by 17% in total viewers and a staggering 157% among adults aged 25–54 during Holt’s final week on air. However, the newly-titledNBC Nightly News with Tom Llamasdelivered the best year-over-year audience retention of any other newscast, pointing to a positive future ahead, even with a new face.
Overall, for Llamas’s debut week, Muir’s news desk led NBC’s program by 28% in overall ratings, with about 1.548 million more viewers tuning in and an 18% difference among the adults 25-54 demographic.Nightly Newsis still far outpacingCBS Evening News, however. Muir is nearly lapping the eye network’s program, garnering 79% higher ratings overall. The early viewer count for the week has ABC leading the pack with 6.997 million viewers, though NBC’s results were still respectable,with 5.449 million viewers tuning in and, notably, 524,000 adults in the 18-49 demo, which reflects its growth among younger viewers.CBS Evening Newsended with 3.903 million viewers for the week.
Capturing younger viewers may be the key to success for NBC compared to its competitors. Beyond seeing the best audience retention,NBC Nightly Newswas the only newscast to grow its audience among adults ages 18-49. That’s no small feat in an age where people are continuouslyturning to other sources for their informationover traditional broadcast networks. It’s very early and Llamas is still settling in, but there’s reason to feel positively about him as Holt’s successor so far, even if he has a long way to go to establish the same reputation. With experience onWorld News TonightandTODAY, as well as onNightly Newsas a substitute, among other things, he’s built a resume worthy of the desk.
‘NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas’ Has Big Shoes to Fill
Holt is still a tough act to follow for Llamas. Not only did he helm the program for ten years starting in June 2015, followingBrian WilliamsandTom Brokawbefore him, but he also made history as the first Black man to lead a major broadcast network’s newscast and was at one point ranked the most trusted news anchor in the U.S. He’s been a steady hand at the wheel since then, guiding viewers through three presidential elections at a contentious time in the country’s history, as well asthe COVID-19 pandemic. His decision to step back and expand the scope of his work atDatelinemarked the end of an era, something Llamas, a multi-Emmy-winner and veteran anchor himself, fully understood when he accepted the job. Back in March, he shared both his gratitude to be the next face ofNightly Newsand deference towards Holt for his years of reporting:
“AnchoringNBC Nightly Newsis a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility. Lester Holt is a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time. Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth.”
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamasairs weeknights at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
