The race for morning show ratings supremacy last week ended in a draw. Good Morning America averaged the largest total audience, while Today was top dog among adults 25-54.
GMA drew 4.03 million total viewers and 1.16 million A25-54 viewers for the week of April 22, representing the ABC morning show’s largest total audience in 7 weeks and its largest A25-54 audience in six weeks.
In addition to winning the week (and the month of April) in total viewers, season to date, GMA is No. 1 in total viewers for the 7th consecutive year, and is cutting its year-to-year gaps with Today by -23%.
Then, there’s Today. Not only did the NBC morning show win the key A25-54 demo for the week, but it also won in total viewers Wednesday and Thursday. Today also ended the month of April as No. 1 morning show in the key A25-54 demo, the 44th consecutive month it has accomplished that feat, and came within just 9,000 viewers of GMA for the month, its closest April margin in seven years.
Speaking of year-over-year performance — the morning shows lost viewers versus the comparable week in 2018. GMA was -4% in total viewers, Today was -2% in total viewers, while CBS This Morning was -8%. In the A25-54 demo, GMA was -8%, Today -10% and CBS This Morning -10% vs. the comparable week last year.
Numbers for the week of April 22, 2019:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 4,029,000 | 3,943,000 | 3,119,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,155,000 | 1,277,000 | 808,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live + SD, 2018-19 Current Week (w/o 4/15/19), Previous Week (w/o 4/8/19) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 4/15/18). Season to date: Most Current: 2018 -2019 Season (9/24/18 – 4/21/19) and 2017-2018 Season (9/25/18 – 4/22/18). Averages based on regular telecasts.