Another week, another split decision in the morning show ratings competition.
NBC Today show was No. 1 among adults 25-54 last week, the week of Sept. 16, while ABC Good Morning America was No. 1 among total viewers.
Today marked 193 out of 195 weeks in first place among adults 25-54. The NBC morning show also managed to win in total viewers Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition to winning the final week of the 2018-2019 season in total viewers, GMA slashed its year-over-year A25-54 deficit versus Today by -89% (21,000 vs. 199,000), and increased its total viewers advantage over Today by +11% (+149,000).
GMA also earned a rare across-the-board win on Friday, Sept. 20, beating Today in total viewers (3.93 million vs. 3.55 million), and adults 25-54 (1.23 million vs. 1.16 million). The 1.23 million A25-54 viewer delivery on Friday was the show’s largest A25-54 audience since March 19.
Despite winning the demo, Today was -15% versus the same week last year. The NBC morning show was also -6% in total viewers. GMA was also -6% in total viewers and -2% in the key A25-54 demo. Despite finishing third, CBS This Morning was +2% in the A25-54 demo. On the downside for CBS, the program was -6% in total viewers.
*Note: Due to live coverage with a special report on Cokie Roberts on Tuesday (9/17/19), Good Morning America was retitled to “Good Morning, Amer.” The telecast is excluded from the weekly averages. ABC’s weekly averages are based four days (Mon and Wed-Fri).
Average audience for the week of Sept. 16 2019:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,833,000 | 3,667,000 | 2,822,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,147,000 | 1,168,000 | 761,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD, 2018-2019 Current Week (w/o 9/16/19), Previous Week (w/o 9/9/19) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 9/17/18). Most Current: 2018-2019 Season (9/24/18-9/22/19) and 2017-2018 Season (9/25/17-9/23/18). Most Current – 3Q19: 7/1 – 9/22/19. 2Q19: 4/1 – 6/30/19. 3Q18: 7/2 – 9/23/18. Averages based on regular telecasts.