Cbs Evening News Ratings Increase Reaches 3% Under Tony Dokoupil
CBS Evening News ratings increase came during the week of May 11, 2026, when Tony Dokoupil’s broadcast averaged 3.806 million total viewers and 503,000 Adults 25-54 viewers. The program rose 3% in total viewers and 6% in the demo from the previous week, finishing above 500,000 demo viewers for the first time since the week of April 27.
That put CBS in a narrow spot inside the evening news race: it was the only network with gains in both measured categories that week. ABC World News Tonight with David Muir still led with 7.889 million total viewers and 962,000 Adults 25-54 viewers, while NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas averaged 5.97 million total viewers and 831,000 demo viewers.
Tony Dokoupil and the May 11 week
Dokoupil anchored the CBS broadcast during a ratings week shaped in part by special coverage of President Donald Trump’s visit to China. ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News reported live from Beijing during the trip, while Dokoupil reported from Taipei after failing to obtain a Chinese visa in time.
The numbers show CBS gaining ground even as it stayed behind both rivals in total viewers and in the Adults 25-54 demo. CBS averaged 503,000 viewers in that demographic, a level it had not reached since the week of April 27.
ABC and NBC lead the week
ABC World News Tonight averaged 7.889 million total viewers and 962,000 Adults 25-54 viewers for the week of May 11, and NBC Nightly News averaged 5.97 million total viewers and 831,000 demo viewers. ABC was down 4% among total viewers and 1% among Adults 25-54 viewers from the previous week, while NBC fell 3% in total viewers and 8% in the demo.
The NBC and CBS weekly averages were based on four days because Friday’s broadcasts were retitled and excluded from the weekly and season averages. On that day, NBC News broadcast as NBC Nitely News and CBS News aired as CBS Evening Nws.
Week of April 27 and after
The week of April 27 is the last time CBS Evening News had finished above 500,000 demo viewers before the May 11 period. For CBS, the immediate task is to hold that level in the next weekly report while competing against ABC’s larger audience and NBC’s separate decline.
Mark Mwachiro’s weekly ratings tracking shows CBS’s gain was real but limited: it improved in both measured categories, yet it still trailed ABC and NBC by a wide margin in total viewers. The only durable takeaway from the week is that CBS moved up while the two bigger broadcasts moved down.
