David Muir is BEATEN by young rival in key ratings metric...as he's mocked for wearing tight t-shirt to floods
Muir, 51, was watched by 891,000 viewers in the 25-54 age group Tuesday night, while Llamas, 46, pulled in 904,000 viewers in the same demographic.
That age group is particularly prized by advertisers because of their relative youth and disposable income.
A sustained victory for Llamas - who only started at Nightly News on June 2 - could lead to advertisers switching their cash from Muir's World News Tonight to Llamas Nightly News.
An industry insider told Daily Mail Tuesday that execs at ABC News were already unsettled by Llamas's impact during his first month as host.
Muir - whose World News Tonight remains the most popular nightly news broadcast in America overall - also found himself mocked for his choice of attire.
Journalist and podcaster Megyn Kelly laughed at the star for donning a 'teeny tiny' black t-shirt to report from devastating floods in Texas.
While black tees are a mainstay among male TV anchors reporting on location from warm locales, Muir's was particularly tight and showed off his sculpted body to eye-popping effect.
Kelly claimed Muir had purposely tightened his shirt to show off his 'super, super tiny in the waist [and] super muscle-y in the arms.' She pointed to what she framed as more professional attire from Llamas.
Llamas black t-shirt was notably less clingy than the tee worn by Muir, who is known for posting smoldering photos of himself on his Instagram page.
In the end, the former Fox firebrand branded Muir 'the most vain man at ABC News'.
Some of Kelly's followers supported her criticism of Muir - but others suggested she was being petty and that the attacks on the ABC star were unwarranted.
In terms of ratings, Llamas is still a distant second to the more established World News Tonight host Muir.
He took over from the well-liked Lester Holt and must now build his own loyal audience.
Llamas has seen a small ratings drop since taking over. But that dip is far smaller than the apocalyptic slump witnessed at CBS News, which viewers have deserted in droves since Norah O'Donnell quit as anchor in January.
Muir's show averaged 7.09million viewers Tuesday compared to NBC's 5.81 million.
For the month, Muir reeled in 7.31 million viewers to NBC's 5.67 million.
June was ABC's biggest ratings win in three decades, continuing a trend of dominance started by Muir after he succeeded a then second-place Diane Sawyer.
But Llamas' strides against Muir with winning over younger viewers will unsettle ABC News bosses who regard Muir as the network's crown jewel.
Muir recently emerged victor in a years-long feud with fellow ABC star George Stephanopoulos, who is best known for hosting Good Morning America.
New figures also show that Llamas is gaining viewers among 18 to 49 year olds.
The gains for Llamas are more impressive given they've come during a quieter news cycle after last year's presidential election and Olympics, which help drive bumper ratings to news shows.
A media source Friday told Daily Mail that NBC News are quietly confident Llamas has got what it takes to topple Muir from his no.1 ratings perch.
'There's a quiet optimist that Tom has what it takes to eventually edge out Muir in the demo but no one's taking a victory lap just yet,' the source said.
'The team is taking one day at a time and is focused on putting on the best newscast each night.'
Llamas, 46, told The Washington Post in June something similar, while explaining how he 'want[s] to be number one' in primetime.
'It's not easy,' Lamas said. 'But it's something I think we can do.'
He admitted, 'It's not going to happen in a month.'
Another insider sought to pour cold water on Llamas success - and Kelly's targeting of Muir.
That source said: 'Honestly, the reality is Muir just had the biggest win over NBC in 30 years in June with Llamas as anchor.
'It took a month and a half for NBC to get a night in the demo, something Lester Holt occasionally used to do, too - but Holt didnt try to get headlines for it. It's silly.'
'It's clear the way Megyn Kelly gets attention is by trashing others, the source added.
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