CBS Evening News suffered a sharp 23% drop in its latest week, falling from 5.4 million to 4.17 million viewers year-over-year, marking the lowest debut for a CBS anchor in recent history.
The decline signals ongoing distress in broadcast news amid shifting viewing habits.
The prior year’s comparison week included the start of catastrophic California wildfires on January 7, 2025, which likely elevated baseline viewership compared to normal weeks.
Ratings Decline
Total viewers fell from 5.4 million to 4.17 million during Tony Dokoupil’s debut week of January 5-9, 2026, compared to the same week in 2025.
The key 25-54 demographic dropped 23% from 690,000 to 533,000 viewers, amplifying financial pressures in broadcast news.
This year-over-year comparison reflects regression from an exceptional prior week dominated by wildfire coverage, rather than necessarily indicating audience rejection of editorial direction.
Evening News Legacy
CBS Evening News has trailed rivals for years, with 2024-2025 season averages at 4.171 million viewers. Norah O’Donnell anchored until January 23, 2025, when John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois took over briefly in a co-anchor format starting January 27.
Long-term audience declines continue testing the network’s competitive position as all three major evening newscasts face structural audience erosion.
Leadership Transformation
Paramount Skydance acquired The Free Press in October 2025, installing Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief.
This reshaped editorial direction amid anchor transitions as Dokoupil moved from CBS Mornings to the evening anchor chair.
The changes came amid ongoing viewer migration to digital platforms and cable news alternatives, affecting the entire broadcast news industry.
Dokoupil’s Challenging Start
Tony Dokoupil anchored CBS Evening News starting January 5, 2026, but the week averaged 4.17 million viewers compared to 5.4 million a year prior.
Dokoupil’s first night (January 5) drew 4.4 million viewers, up 9% from the 2024-2025 season average but down 22% from the prior year’s exceptional news cycle driven by California wildfire coverage.
Third-Place Position
CBS now trails ABC’s 8.08 million and NBC’s 6.73 million viewers, drawing approximately half of ABC’s audience in the week of January 5-9, 2026.
This widens the competitive gap in a broadcast market where evening news ad revenue depends heavily on audience size and demographic composition.
The third-place position reflects multi-year structural challenges rather than short-term fluctuations.
Anchor Scrutiny
Dokoupil drew criticism for his coverage approach during his debut week. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the January 6 anniversary report on January 13, characterizing it as overly balanced and comparing CBS Evening News to “LindellTV.”
The critique highlighted tensions around editorial choices as the network attempts to broaden its appeal.
Rivals Maintain Lead
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir led at 8.08 million viewers, down 9% year-over-year but maintaining dominance.
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas averaged 6.73 million, also down 9%. All three networks face industry-wide linear TV audience erosion, but competitors maintain substantial leads over CBS despite comparable year-over-year declines.
Digital Migration
CBS Evening News YouTube views surged 58% week-over-week during Dokoupil’s debut, signaling an accelerating audience shift from linear TV to digital platforms.
Evening news viewership has declined dramatically since 2006 peaks—Katie Couric’s debut drew 13.6 million viewers. Streaming and cable news continue to fragment traditional broadcast audiences nationwide.
Demographic Weakness
The key 25-54 demographic plummeted 23% to 533,000 viewers from 690,000 last year—the metric advertisers value most for pricing commercial inventory.
CBS’s Q4 2025 average was 502,000 in this demographic, meaning Dokoupil’s debut week showed only modest improvement despite initial curiosity factors surrounding the anchor change.
Newsroom Tensions
Critics have questioned Dokoupil and Weiss’s editorial approach, with some characterizing it as an attempt to appeal to conservative audiences.
Dokoupil pledged to prioritize “average Americans” over elites in a New Year’s video.
Internal and external observers debate whether this direction serves journalism standards amid heightened political polarization.
Weiss’s Vision
Bari Weiss, hired following CBS News’ October 2025 acquisition, is driving editorial repositioning at CBS News in New York.
Her appointment followed Norah O’Donnell’s departure and preceded Dokoupil’s transition from CBS Mornings.
Leadership appears focused on differentiating CBS’s approach to appeal to audiences seeking alternatives to existing network news perspectives.
Strategic Direction
Dokoupil has emphasized accountability to viewers, aiming to refocus on everyday concerns. CBS noted the debut week averaged 4.17 million, beating Q4 2025’s 4.03 million average while touting digital platform gains.
Long-term recovery depends on sustaining both linear viewership and digital audience growth amid broader industry fragmentation.
Industry Skepticism
Analysts note that Dokoupil’s 4.17 million weekly average trails historical debuts significantly. Norah O’Donnell’s 2019 debut drew 5.6 million, Jeff Glor’s 2017 premiere attracted 7 million, and Scott Pelley’s 2011 launch averaged 5.72 million.
While all evening newscasts face declining linear audiences, CBS’s third-place position appears entrenched without significant format innovation.
Uncertain Outlook
CBS faces critical questions about balancing linear broadcast declines with digital growth.
The network must determine whether Weiss’s editorial vision can retain core news audiences while attracting new viewers, or whether repositioning accelerates audience fragmentation.
Industry observers will track whether initial curiosity translates to sustained viewership as 2026 unfolds.
Political Context
Editorial changes coincide with the start of Trump’s second administration, fueling debate about network news positioning.
Jeffries’ critique of the January 6 coverage highlighted partisan tensions, with Democrats questioning whether CBS’s balanced approach on contentious events creates false equivalencies or serves audience understanding.
Coverage Focus
Dokoupil anchored breaking news coverage early, including the January 3, 2026, U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
CBS’s domestic-focused pivot may limit its international appeal compared to rivals like ABC, which maintain a broader global news focus.
The network’s ability to balance domestic accessibility with comprehensive international coverage remains uncertain.
Revenue Pressures
Advertising revenue tied to the 25-54 demographic performance creates financial pressure for CBS, particularly as the parent company, Paramount, navigates post-merger integration challenges.
The 23% demo decline threatens tens of millions in annual ad revenue at a time when broadcast news divisions face cost pressures and digital transformation investments.
Generational Divide
Younger audiences increasingly favor YouTube and streaming platforms over traditional linear TV, creating demographic challenges for all evening newscasts.
Dokoupil’s stated focus on “average Americans” contrasts with his elite media background, potentially raising questions of authenticity among audiences skeptical of mainstream media institutions.
Broadcast News Crossroads
CBS’s ratings challenge reflects broadcast news’s broader existential pressures: maintaining relevance as audiences fragment across platforms, balancing editorial positioning amid polarization, and demonstrating value to advertisers despite declining linear viewership.
Success requires authentic audience connection beyond format changes—CBS’s trajectory will test whether editorial repositioning alone can reverse structural audience declines.
Sources:
Nielsen ratings data via Vanity Fair, MSN/Raw Story, Deadline
TheWrap, Mediaite coverage of Hakeem Jeffries critique
Hollywood Reporter, NBC Right Now reporting
AdWeek evening news season ratings analysis
BarrettMedia commentary on Tony Dokoupil strategy
CBS News official announcements on Bari Weiss hire