In fact, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT had its biggest audience Monday since April 2020, when COVID news prompted ratings surges.
So while CBS's number is accurate, and sampling is sampling, it's not the flex CBS thinks it is: WORLD NEWS benefited even more from NBC's absence.
Specifically, ABC's WORLD NEWS TONIGHT added nearly 3 million viewers Monday vs. its recent averages, jumping to 10.9 million viewers. It was a busy news day and with no NBC NIGHTLY NEWS, the other two newscast divided the audience.