NBC may have finished No. 2 in the evenings last week, but the network climbed to No. 1 in the mornings in all relevant measurements.
In addition to beating Good Morning America in total viewers this past week, NBC’s Today has now won 198 out of the past 200 weeks in the key A25-54 demo.
The NBC morning show also posted its largest average total audience (3.83 million total viewers) since May.
The program was undoubtedly lifted by its star-studded October to Remember, which featured special guest appearances by Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Monica Lewinsky, Michael Jordan, Victoria Beckham, Dame Julie Andrews, Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more.
Today will likely embark on a winning streak going forward. Not only did Today win the same week in 2018, it continued to win throughout November 2018 across all relevant measurements. The NBC Sunday Night Football lead-in certainly didn’t (and will not) hurt as we move through the fall.
Anyways, despite a second place finish for the week, Good Morning America hit a season high in average total viewers, and and delivered its largest A25-54 audience in five months.
Additionally, season to date, GMA is still is the No. 1 morning newscast in total viewers for the 8th year in a row.
Yes, CBS This Morning remains in third place, but it’s actually holding onto more of its A25-54 audience from 2018 than GMA and Today are holding on to their’s. So, there’s that.
However, despite the star-studded guest list, the NBC morning show was -6% in the key A25-54 demo, and -9% in total viewers. GMA was -6% in total viewers and -6% in A25-54. CBS This Morning was -8% in the A25-54 demo, and -5% in total viewers.
Week of Oct. 21, 2019:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,803,000 | 3,829,000 | 2,767,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,157,000 | 1,248,000 | 739,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD, 2018-2019 Current Week (w/o 10/21/19), and Year-Ago Week (w/o 10/22/18). Most Current: 2019 -2020 Season (9/23 – 10/27/19) and 2018 -2019 Season (9/24 – 10/28/18). Averages based on regular telecasts.