ABC Good Morning America was the most-watched morning show for May 2019 Sweeps, while NBC’s Today show remained No. 1 among the ad-friendly A25-54 demo.
GMA’s May 2019 sweeps win represented its 7th straight May victory (since May 2013) and 26th victory in the last 28 sweeps overall in total viewers.
Today’s May 2019 sweeps win means it has now won the A25-54 demo for 16 consecutive sweeps, its best streak in six years.
When compared to the May 2018 sweeps performance ABC was -4% in total viewers, NBC was -2% in total viewers, while CBS This Morning was -6%. In the A25-54 demo, ABC was -7%, NBC -8% and CBS -12% vs. the May 2018 sweeps period.
Numbers for the May 2019 Sweeps:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 4,013,000 | 3,982,000 | 3,078,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,164,000 | 1,280,000 | 767,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Sweeps based on Live+7/Most Current: May 2019 Sweep (4/25-5/22/19), May 2018 Sweep (4/26-5/23/18) . Averages based on regular telecasts.
WEEK:
Good Morning America was the most-watched morning news program for the week of May 20, and has maintained the top ranking in total viewers for seven consecutive years after finishing as the No. 1 morning newscast for the last 6 seasons.
For the 178th consecutive week, Today was the No. 1 morning show in the advertiser-preferred A25-54 demo. The NBC program also won in total viewers Tuesday and Wednesday.
CBS This Morning debuted its new anchor trio of Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil last week. Compared to the previous four weeks, the revamped show improved its share of total viewers and A25-54 against Today and GMA (meaning its audience grew from the prior week). However, the broadcast also posted the most significant year-over-year audience decline of any of the three newscasts.
A mixed start from a ratings perspective. It’s obviously early days and we’ll see what happens going forward.
When compared with the same week in 2018, ABC was -4% in total viewers, NBC was -4% in total viewers, while the new CBS This Morning was -12%. In the A25-54 demo, ABC was -5%, NBC -9% and CBS -10% vs. the comparable week last year.
Numbers for the week of May 20:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,977,000 | 3,920,000 | 3,066,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,145,000 | 1,248,000 | 760,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD, 2018-19 Current Week (w/o 5/20/19), and Year-Ago Week (w/o 5/21/18). Season to date: Most Current: 2018 -2019 Season (9/24/18 – 5/26/19) and 2017-2018 Season (9/25/18 – 5/27/18). Averages based on regular telecasts.