Big Networks See Huge Ratings Decline with Jan. 6 Hearings

CBS, NBC, and ABC, which switched their regular prime-time programming to air the House Select Committee on Jan. 6's first public hearing Thursday evening, saw a huge ratings decline, according to Nielsen figures.

ABC, whose fall schedule normally includes Grey's Anatomy at 8 p.m., took in the largest haul of viewers with 4.8 million, while NBC and CBS carried 3.5 million and 3.3 million, respectively.

The three outlets typically average 18 million collectively during prime time, according to AdWeek's analysis of weekly TV ratings for the week of May 30, reports The Federalist.

ABC World News Tonight with David Muir averaged 7.4 million total viewers for the week of May 30, while NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt averaged 6.06 million total viewers for the same week.

President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in March drew 6.3 million viewers for ABC, 4.86 million for CBS, and 4.71 million for NBC.

The committee asserted that former President Donald Trump was at "the center" of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results.

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