"World News Tonight" Wins Key Demo 2 Weeks in a Row and for the 12th Time This Season

"World News Tonight" is Averaging +510,000 More Viewers Per Night Season to Date; "Nightly News" is Averaging -167,000 Less

"World News Tonight" is the Only Evening Broadcast to Improve in Both Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 25-54 (+2%) Season to Date While NBC is Down (-2%/-7%)

ABC News' "World News Tonight with David Muir" ranked No. 1 in Adults 25-54 (1.941 million) during the week of March 16, 2015, based on Live +Same Day Data from Nielsen Media Research. Winning back-to-back weeks in the key adult news demo, "World News Tonight" beat "NBC Nightly News" (1.935 million) by 6,000 news demo viewers to post its 12th Adults 25-54 victory of the season.

NOTE: *NBC's stated averages now include both its 6:30 p.m. E.T. airings and re-broadcasts on some stations between the hours of 2-4 a.m. E.T. NBC News has not publicly stated the markets in which the re-airs occur nor how many additional viewers they are claiming as a result.

"World News Tonight" ranked No. 1, beating "NBC Nightly News," in Adults 25-54 on Wednesday (+165,000 - 2.082 million vs. 1.917 million) and Thursday (+165,000 - 1.943 million vs. 1.778 million). The ABC evening newscast also ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49, ahead of "Nightly News," on Wednesday (+2,000 - 1.379 million vs. 1.377 million) and Thursday (+97,000 - 1.286 million vs. 1.189 million).

"World News Tonight" slashed its year-to-year gaps with "NBC Nightly News" by more than half in Total Viewers (-57% - 561,000 vs. 1.311 million) and Adults 18-49 (-77% - 61,000 vs. 261,000).

"World News Tonight" is averaging 510,000 more viewers, season to date, compared to the same time frame last season (8.814 million vs. 8.304 million). "World News Tonight" is improving versus the same point last season in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 25-54 (+2%). "World News Tonight" is averaging its largest overall viewer audience in 8 years and strongest in the key adult news demo in 4 years - since the 2006-07 and the 2010-11 seasons, respectively. In addition, "World News Tonight" is improving the most in Total Viewers and standing as the only evening newscast to grow in Adults 25-54 compared to "CBS Evening News" (+2%/-2%) and "NBC Nightly News" (-2%/-7%).

Season to date, "World News Tonight" has slashed nearly all of its season margin with "NBC Nightly News" in Adults 25-54 (-87% - 34,000 vs. 264,000), delivering its closest news demo performance with the NBC program in 7 years - since the 2007-08 season. In addition, "World News Tonight" cut its season gaps with "NBC Nightly News" by more than half in Total Viewers (-56% - 535,000 vs. 1.212 million) and Adults 18-49 (-54% - 136,000 vs. 297,000) to its closest performances in 7 years in both measures - since the 2007-08 season.

For the week, "World News Tonight" defeated the "CBS Evening News" by 1.027 million Total Viewers, by 403,000 Adults 25-54 and by 296,000 Adults 18-49.

NOTE: "CBS Evening News" aired with low coverage and was broken out on Thu 3/19/15 (78%) and Fri 3/20/15 (76%) due to NCAA Basketball and was retitled "CBS-Evening-Nws;" ratings for both days are excluded from the average. "CBS Evening News" averages are based on 3 days (Mon-Wed), while "World News Tonight" and "Nightly News" are based on 5 days.

ABC "World News Tonight with David Muir" airs at 6:30 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network. Almin Karamehmedovic is the executive producer of the broadcast. Follow David Muir and the "World News Tonight" team online: @DavidMuir; @WNTonight; facebook.com/DavidMuirABC; facebook.com/WorldNewsTonight.

EVENING NEWS (Week of March 16, 2015)

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live + SD weeks of 3/16/15, 3/9/15 and 3/17/14. Most Current: 2014-2015 Season (9/22/14 - 3/15/15) and 2013-2014 Season (9/23/13 - 3/16/14). Averages based on regular telecasts.

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