MUIR BREAKS ABC NEWS’ RATINGS RECORD SEASON-TO-DATE, ANCHORS ONLY WEEK FOR NET WITHOUT YEAR-TO-YEAR DECLINE
You won’t read this in their press releases, but a stealth weapon has been discovered at ABC News. TMZ has already called him the “Brad Pitt of network anchors.”
TMZ may prove to be way ahead of ABC’s revolving research and management teams.
His name is David Muir and remember that you read it here first: the holiday week Muir filled in for Diane Sawyer, a rare week without an ABC News press release to spin, er tout the ratings, David Muir increased the viewership of adults 25-54 by a whopping 8% over the year before. And that week, the week of December 27th, was the only week of the entire season-to-date (the past 16 weeks) that the demo at ABC News has increased over the prior year.
Some keen observers may say the boost was due to the big snow storm hitting parts of the east coast, especially New York where Brian Williams reported outside in the snow. He was up 10% year to year. CBS News with newly deposed morning anchor Harry Smith filling in for Katie Couric, however, was down 9%.
NEW ABC PRESS RELEASE OUT TODAY
Interestingly, today ABC News issued a press release today lauding the week of January 3rd with the headline: “World News with Diane Sawyer” Draws Second Most Watched Week in Nearly a Year. (The most watched week? Shhhh, David Muir.)
EVENING NEWSCASTS: % CHANGE 2010 versus 2009 | ||||||||
A25-54 | ||||||||
ABC | CBS | NBC | ||||||
20-Sep | -7% | 1% | 5% | |||||
27-Sep | -15% | -4% | -9% | |||||
4-Oct | -10% | 8% | -17% | |||||
11-Oct | -9% | -8% | -16% | |||||
18-Oct | -11% | -13% | -9% | |||||
25-Oct | -12% | -8% | -11% | |||||
1-Nov | -13% | -11% | -13% | |||||
8-Nov | -13% | -4% | -2% | |||||
15-Nov | -4% | 4% | Flat | |||||
22-Nov | -5% | 22% | 7% | |||||
29-Nov | -3% | -10% | -3% | |||||
6-Dec | -8% | -10% | -7% | |||||
13-Dec | -3% | -1% | -3% | |||||
20-Dec | -6% | 8% | -6% | |||||
27-Dec | 8%* | -9% | 10% | |||||
3-Jan | -14% | -15% | -12% |
*David Muir substituted |
Here are the numbers for the week of Jan. 3:
NBC | ABC | CBS | |
---|---|---|---|
• Total Viewers: | 9,910,000 | 8,420,000 | 6,330,000 |
• A25-54: | 2,910,000 | 2,300,000 | 1,920,000 |
WHO’S HAD THE HAPPIEST NEW YEAR SO FAR?
Year to year all three networks were down double digits the week of January 3rd.
Week to week changes in A25-54, NBC is down 70,000, CBS up 90,000, ABC down 230,000.
The week of December 27th, , the demo gap between David Muir and Harry Smith was 700,000 viewers. The following week, January 3rd, the A25-54 gap between Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric was just 380,000.
What a ratings battle, what a story. The big question now: throughout the rest of 2011, will we be seeing more or less of David Muir?
6 comments
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January 12, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Leslie Franks
Well, no surprises here. Diane Sawyer is one giant drama queen. If I wanted the news reported by an actor, I’d watch Comedy Central. Her voice sings like a soprano when she thinks a particular sentence or phrase is important. Since ABC lost Peter Jennings and since Charlie Gibson retired, there really isn’t a compelling reason to tune to ABC anymore. As far as the employee changes noted by the author, isn’t it well known that ABC really stands for Also Been Canned?
January 13, 2011 at 12:25 am
Kortni
Of course viewership would increase! David is hot, intelligent, and his voice is very calming. Did I mention he’s hot as hell?
January 13, 2011 at 5:05 am
World Spinner
A Star is Born: ABC's David Muir Outperforms Diane Sawyer As ……
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……
January 31, 2011 at 8:41 pm
shelley ross
Please share the debate!
December 31, 2013 at 11:53 am
Lisabeth Betten
I think David Muir is the new ABC News! He is good looking, seems very honest, true to his delivery and believable. I really don’t care what people say about his sexual affiliation or his gorgeous face?
David keep doing what you’re doing, its all GOOD!
September 17, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Silvanus Slaughter
David should stick to TV cop show dramatics. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but for anyone to call Sawyer more of a drama queen baffles me.