Press release - Ratings
January 23, 2026
ABC NEWS’ ‘NIGHTLINE’ RANKS NO. 1 IN TOTAL VIEWERS
‘Nightline’ Posts Double-Digit Increases Week to Week in All Key Demos
ABC News’ “Nightline” ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers (760,000) for the week of Jan. 12 based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research, leading NBC’s “Seth Meyers.”
- “Nightline” posted double-digit increases week to week in Total Viewers (+13% – 960,000 vs. 850,000), Adults 25-54 (+41% – 174,000 vs. 123,000) and Adults 18-49 (+48% – 114,000 vs. 77,000).
- Season to date, “Nightline” (997,000) leads NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (970,000) in Total Viewers.
- This week, “Nightline” covered the Golden Globes®; the first week of testimony in bombshell au pair case; actor Timothy Busfield appearing in court, denying the charges of child sex abuse; Columbus police charging a man with murdering his ex-wife and her husband; Maury Povich reminiscing on his eponymous talk show, as profiled in the new ABC docuseries “Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV” and more.
ABC News’ “Nightline” is late-night television’s prestigious, award-winning news program featuring the most powerful, in-depth stories that shape our lives and the world around us. It is anchored by Juju Chang and Byron Pitts. Eman Varoqua is executive producer. The program airs weeknights from 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET on ABC. “Nightline” has also produced numerous original documentaries available on ABC News’ digital platforms, Disney+ and Hulu.
WEEK OF JAN. 12, 2026:
| PROGRAM AVERAGES | TOTAL VIEWERS | A25-54(000)/RTG | A18-49(000)/RTG |
| ABC’s “Nightline” | 960,000 | 174,000/0.1 | 114,000/0.1 |
| NBC’s “Late Night” | 821,000 | 175,000/0.1 | 131,000/0.1 |
Source: Nielsen, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 National Live + Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings. Current Week (w/o 1/12/26), Previous Week (w/o 1/5/25) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 1/13/25). Season to date: Most Current Data Stream: 2025-2026 Season (9/22/25 – 1/18/26) and 2024-2025 Season (9/23/25 – 1/19/26). Season averages based on Big Data Plus Panel ratings start with the 2023-2024 season. Beginning 12/26/22, averages are based on Big Data Plus Panel ratings. Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.
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