"World News Tonight" Improves in Total Viewers (+3%) from Year Ago Week; "Nightly News is Down (-10%)

"World News Tonight" is Averaging +537,000 More Viewers Per Night Season to Date (+6%); "Nightly News" is Averaging -138,000 Less (-1%)

ABC News' "World News Tonight with David Muir" ranked as the No. 1 evening newscast in Adults 25-54 (2.033 million) during the week of March 9, 2015, based on Live +Same Day Data from Nielsen Media Research. "World News Tonight" led "NBC Nightly News" (1.960 million) by 73,000 news demo viewers to claim its 11th Adults 25-54 victory of the season. In Total Viewers, "World News Tonight" trailed the NBC program by 11,000 (8.120 million vs. 8.131 million) to deliver its closest overall viewer performance in more than 5 1/2 years - since w/o 9/7/09.

"World News Tonight" outdelivered "NBC Nightly News" in Adults 25-54 in 3 of the 5 head-to-head airings: Wednesday (+195,000 - 2.119 million vs. 1.924 million), Thursday (+258,000 - 2.055 million vs. 1.797 million) and Friday (+25,000 - 1.862 million vs. 1.837 million).

In Total Viewers, "World News Tonight" defeated "NBC Nightly News" in 2 of the 5 head-to-head airings: Wednesday (+280,000 - 8.227 million vs. 7.947 million) and Thursday (+401,000 - 8.117 million vs. 7.716 million). Further, "World News Tonight's" Thursday win stands as its largest single-day Total Viewers advantage over a "Nightly News" telecast in more than 2 1/2 years - since 9/28/12, based on regular telecasts.

"World News Tonight" improved on its Total Viewer audience year to year on (w/o 3/9/14) for the 5th straight week (+3% - 8.120 million vs. 7.872 million), while "NBC Nightly News" posted a double-digit loss (-10% - 8.131 million vs. 9.049 million).

"World News Tonight" is averaging 537,000 more viewers, season to date, compared to the same time frame last season (8.851 million vs. 8.314 million). "World News Tonight" is improving versus the same point last season in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 25-54 (+3%). "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%/-1%) and "NBC Nightly News" (-1%/-7%).

Season to date, "World News Tonight" has slashed nearly all of its season margin with "NBC Nightly News" in Adults 25-54 (-86% - 36,000 vs. 266,000), 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% - 533,000 vs. 1.208 million) and Adults 18-49 (-54% - 139,000 vs. 299,000) to its closest performances in 7 years in both measures - since the 2007-08 season.

For the week, "World News Tonight" beat the "CBS Evening News" by 1.213 million Total Viewers, by 419,000 Adults 25-54 and by 277,000 Adults 18-49.

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 9, 2015)

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live + SD weeks of 3/9/15, 3/2/15 and 3/10/14. Most Current: 2014-2015 Season (9/22/14 - 3/8/15) and 2013-2014 Season (9/23/13 - 3/9/14). Averages based on regular telecasts.

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