CBS Evening News Ratings Plummet Under Tony Dokoupil

CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil has reported a significant decline in ratings, falling below 4 million viewers for the third consecutive week.

For the week of April 20, the show averaged 3.771 million total viewers and 467,000 viewers in the Adults 25-54 demographic.

This marks a 1 percent decrease in total viewers and a 3 percent drop in the demo compared to the previous week.

Additionally, the program’s viewership is down compared to the same period last year, when John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois were anchors.

During this time, CBS Evening News experienced a 2 percent decline in total viewers and a 12 percent fall in the key demo.

Dokoupil became the anchor on January 5 after being promoted from CBS Mornings by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

This April marks CBS Evening News’ second-lowest rating this century and its lowest rating ever in the 25-54 demo.

According to Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter, industry executives are expressing serious concerns about the future of CBS Evening News.

One executive stated, “This isn’t what a turnaround looks like. This is what a train wreck looks like.”

Another remarked that Weiss’s decisions have alienated an already shrinking audience, indicating deeper issues at CBS News.

In contrast, ABC World News Tonight, with David Muir, continues to lead, averaging 8.537 million total viewers and 1.56 million demo viewers for the week of April 20.

This represents a 4 percent increase in total viewers and a 5 percent rise in the demo compared to the week before.

Moreover, ABC’s viewership is up 15 percent in total viewers and 1 percent in the demo when compared to 2025.

NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas maintains the No. 2 position, averaging 6.168 million total viewers and 831,000 demo viewers during the same week.

NBC Nightly News experienced a 4 percent drop in total viewers and a 12 percent decline in the demo compared to the previous week.