'Entertainment Tonight' Draws 2.99 Million Viewers as Rival Exits

By Marcus Bennett

"Entertainment Tonight" averaged 2.99 million viewers during the week of Oct. 5, according to Nielsen live+same-day ratings, widening its lead as the No. 1 syndicated newsmagazine.

The week carried extra weight for the CBS Media Ventures-produced and distributed show. It coincided with the CBS network's primetime premiere week, which was up 9% versus CBS premiere week in 2025.

The stronger numbers extend beyond a single week. For the first month of the TV season, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 25, "Entertainment Tonight" posted double-digit year-to-year growth in major demos.

What does the growth look like in numbers?

For Season 46's first month in Nielsen live+same-day, "ET" averaged 2.88 million viewers, up 8% from last year's 2.67 million. Among adults 18-49, the show earned a 0.27 rating, up 37% from 0.20. Among adults 25-54, it rose 23%, from 0.32 to 0.39.

The jumps were largest in key women demos:

• Women 25-54: a 0.47 rating, up 32% from 0.36
• Women 18-49: a 0.30 rating, up 38% from 0.22

Does the 'Access Hollywood' cancellation explain it?

CBS Media Ventures has not done that analysis. But the timing aligns with the end of rival syndicated entertainment newsmag "Access Hollywood," which ended its run on Sept. 11 after 30 seasons. Its exit followed NBCUniversal's elimination of its first-run syndication division.

Executive producer Erin Johnson credited the show's daily discipline. "Forty-six seasons in, this team still asks one question every day: Why watch us tonight? The answer is access no one else can get and a half-hour that moves," Johnson said. "Watching a new generation of viewers find us is exciting."

Recognition and the team behind it

The ratings gains arrive as "Entertainment Tonight" just won its eighth consecutive Daytime Emmy for outstanding entertainment news series. The show has won 11 overall in the category.

Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner co-host. Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo and Emily Curl serve as correspondents. Working with executive producer Johnson are co-executive producers Whitney Wallace and Leslie Kawaguchi.

With its closest syndicated rival gone and its demo growth still accelerating into November, "Entertainment Tonight" enters the rest of Season 46 with an open lane in entertainment news.