🔥 Trending July TV Ratings: Who Led the Evening News?

July 2026 TV Ratings: ABC Secures Significant Wins, NBC and CBS Show Varied Performance

The July 2026 television ratings saw ABC achieve notable success, particularly around the Fourth of July celebrations, while NBC and CBS experienced mixed results. ABC's strategic programming, including extensive coverage of America's 250th anniversary and a primetime special, contributed to its strong performance ³⁴.

ABC's Dominance in Fourth of July Programming

ABC's "Disney Celebrates America: Nashville's Star-Spangled Bash" on July 4, 2026, was a major ratings success. This special, broadcast live from Nashville, garnered 5.4 million viewers ⁸. This marked the first time in 16 years that any network outperformed NBC's primetime July 4 programming ⁸. The event was part of a larger 24-hour programming block that contributed to a significant ratings bump for ABC ³⁴. Nearly 50 million viewers tuned in for ABC's epic 24-hour "Disney Celebrates America" July 4th programming event ⁵.

Evening News Performance

In the realm of evening news, ABC's "World News Tonight with David Muir" continued its strong run, maintaining the top spot for the 12th consecutive week in July 2026 ⁶. The program attracted 8.128 million viewers and was the only evening news show to see a rise in total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic at the start of July ⁶⁹.

NBC's Performance

While ABC took the lead on July 4th primetime, NBC's annual fireworks show still performed well, achieving an eight-year high in ratings ¹⁰. However, it was ultimately outdrawn by ABC's special ¹.

CBS Ratings

Specific detailed ratings for CBS's overall July performance were not as prominently highlighted in the available data compared to ABC's significant gains and NBC's strong, albeit outranked, Fourth of July showing. However, in the evening news segment, while ABC saw a rise, the available information suggests that NBC and CBS experienced different trends in their July ratings, with ABC being the standout performer ⁹.