David Muir’s tenure with World News Tonight for nearly 11 years, which began on September 1, 2014, has been one of many incredible highs, hitting another one just earlier this week.

The 51-year-old veteran TV anchor has led the primetime news show to the top of the ratings since he joined, with ABC News announcing in a new press release that World News Tonight is “the most-watched newscast in total viewers for 9th year straight.”

David attended the ESPN event solo smiling
David is on top of the ratings once again

It acquired 7.424 million viewers for the week of July 28, 2025, the no.1 most watched news program for 12 straight weeks. It is followed in second place by NBC Nightly News (now with Tom Llamas) and in third place, CBS Evening News.

In April 2015, World News Tonight became the most watched news broadcast for the first time since 2009, finally beating out Nightly News. It has since remained consistently at or near the top of the ratings, being briefly outpaced earlier this year when Tom made his hosting debut in Lester Holt’s place for NBC.

Speaking with People recently, David stated that he had no intention of leaving his cushy spot anytime soon, feeling more motivated than ever to continue pursuing the world’s biggest news stories and sharing them nationwide.

“I think it’s really important to continue to try being better,” he said. “The moment you stop learning, the moment you’re no longer curious, the moment you don’t believe you can be better than you were a night ago or a week ago, is probably a time to sort of check yourself.”

The Disney Advertising Upfront is a showcase event that brings together all the content corners of The Walt Disney Company on one stage.  On Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at North Javits in New York City, an incredible roster of all-star talent will tout their connections to storytelling, Disney, and each other while showcasing their latest projects for the upcoming year.
DAVID MUIR
World News Tonight is “the most-watched newscast in total viewers for 9th year straight”

“I still feel like I’m that kid racing into that local newsroom all those years ago. I love this job. I love the people that I interview and get to meet, and I think that journalism is more important than ever.”

David began his career in journalism as a teenager, convincing station managers at local Syracuse newsrooms to allow him to intern with them, despite his young age and inexperience.

The Disney Advertising Upfront is a showcase event that brings together all the content corners of The Walt Disney Company on one stage.  On Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at North Javits in New York City, an incredible roster of all-star talent will tout their connections to storytelling, Disney, and each other while showcasing their latest projects for the upcoming year.
DAVID MUIR
David has hosted the primetime news show since September 1, 2014

“I began interning, carrying all the equipment — and back then the equipment was huge and heavy — and I’d jump into the back of the cruiser and I was honestly the happiest kid,” he happily remembered, mentioning how he would write letters to local reporters.

“Most kids were looking forward to summer vacation and I couldn’t wait to get into the back seat of that cruiser all over again,” he joked, particularly citing a childhood love for Peter Jennings on the news, the sole anchor of World News Tonight from 1983 until 2005.

WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH DAVID MUIR - David Muir anchors, "World News Tonight with David Muir,"  weeknights, 6:30pm ET on ABC.
“I still feel like I’m that kid racing into that local newsroom all those years ago. I love this job.”

“All these years later, I look back on that as a defining moment in my life,” David added. “I dove headfirst and I was just lucky enough to have people around me who weren’t turned off by the kid intern.”