'ABC World News With David Muir' Sees Ratings Improvement

David Muir's ratings are going up at ABC News.

Since Muir took over the weekend edition of "ABC World News" in February, the program has grown its total audience by 9% and its audience in the advertiser-friendly 25-54 demographic by 3%. Its the only weekend newscast that saw an increase in its overall audience over the past six months.

Muir gained attention for his coverage of the famine in Somalia in July, as well as his reporting from Cairo during the revolution in Tahrir Square and from Japan after the earthquake and tsunami in February.

While these developments represent a newly competitive edge for ABC, the network still runs second to its “NBC Nightly News" with Lester Holt -- though it has cut the viewer margins by around 30% for both its Saturday and Sunday editions.

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Comments

[Stephen Thorpe]

11:03 AM on 08/26/2011

Good,...maybe he can bump Diane Sawyer.

[iconico62]

07:14 AM on 08/26/2011

I like his stints covering hard news, e.g Cairo, Somalia. Very compelling without theatrics.

[nbb]

07:09 AM on 08/26/2011

Muir is a lightweight, no doubt about it. Makes me think about the movie Broadcast News. Check it out, see what I'm referring to. Over the years I've liked Diane Sawyer a lot, but there's a certain sappiness that's crept into the ABC evening news in recent months. DS and Muir represent the essence of it. A level of emotion along the lines of "Extreme Home Makeover", can you believe??

Good looking, sure. Lots of substance? Not so much.

[phoebequeen]

09:49 PM on 08/25/2011

He's got Syracuse proud.

[standish]

08:14 PM on 08/25/2011

I have this fantasy about David Muir and Anderson Cooper..........

[Ifeomamn]

08:01 PM on 08/25/2011

David Muir is not only good at his job. He is so Fine looking, definitely, an added bonus.

I watch him just as much as I watch NBC and CBS weekends. I DVR the shows now.

[andrc657]

04:11 PM on 08/25/2011

David Muir is an excellent journalist who covers important stories like the famine in Somalia. He also has excellent TV presence.

[nbb]

07:56 AM on 08/26/2011

Thank you, Mama Muir.

[crayola 08b]

02:01 PM on 08/25/2011

he's hot stuff.

[Kim Visan]

01:37 PM on 08/25/2011

This cat does have nice hair! I'd watch him solely for that! ;)

[1Troubles]

01:28 PM on 08/25/2011

anyone at ABC would improve it except Tapper, get rid of him and keep Muir

[Clevelandinwi]

10:09 AM on 08/25/2011

Who is he?

[scorpioleidy]

09:57 AM on 08/25/2011

He's good looking & articulate ... hey, it works for me! :)

[Hutchcopy]

09:45 AM on 08/25/2011

This is depressing. I was hoping the sappy emotionalism and celebrity worship he and Diane Sawyer are so prone to would fail and ABC could revert to the harder news ethos of Peter Jennings. I've been hanging on, despite the regular desire to gag, simply in the hope George Stephanopolus or even Dan Harris would get back into the night-tme slots.

Guess we're really going to have to make the switch to CBS, even though it's on at a rotten time slot here. The old ABC is gone for good.

[1Troubles]

01:29 PM on 08/25/2011

NOT George!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wilinot]

10:18 PM on 08/25/2011

I couldn't handle the "sappy emotionalism and celebrity worship" either. I made the switch on the day all the tornadoes hit in the states and all the networks had flown their anchors to England. Brian Williams got on a plane and came back and I've been watching NBC nightly news since.

[bdazz]

07:56 AM on 08/25/2011

Diane is still the best..however he will probably take over for her when she decides to leave.

[masha2009]

12:02 AM on 08/25/2011

prefer him to sawyer on abc world news and to stephopoupou in gma.