NBC News rides Steve Kornacki to historic election night ratings wins

USA Today • November 5, 2026 • entertainment

Key Points:

NBC News led election night coverage on Nov. 3, averaging over 6.5 million primetime viewers, marking its first midterm victory in total viewers in 24 years.
ABC followed with 5.1 million viewers, while cable networks CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News had close viewership numbers around 4 million each, with CNN narrowly leading.
CBS News lagged behind with 2.63 million viewers, and Fox News highlighted CBS’s "Evening News" as having the lowest-rated midterm audience of the 21st century.
Steve Kornacki's "Kornacki Cam" livestream was a standout success, drawing a record 29 million views across platforms and ranking No. 1 among election livestreams on YouTube.
Kornacki ended his marathon 10-hour election coverage early due to exhaustion, apologizing for not completing his planned 13-hour broadcast.