ABC Good Morning America started the 2018-2019 season in a familiar spot, as the No. 1 morning show in total viewers. That’s now seven consecutive seasons for GMA as the most-watched morning show during premiere week.
GMA extended its lead over Today show from the comparable week in 2017 (+121 percent; vs. +48,000). Still, GMA was -6 percent in total viewers and -12 percent in A25-54 viewers vs. the same week in 2017.
NBC Today show continues to defeat its ABC and CBS competition among younger news demographics, including the A25-54 set. Today averaged roughly 1.37 million A25-54 viewers, which is +183,000 more than GMA and +617,000 more than CBS This Morning. Additionally, Today has now ranked No.1 among A25-54 viewers for 144 consecutive weeks (best streak in six years) and 160 of the last 161 weeks
On the downside, the NBC morning show was -10 percent in total viewers, and -8 percent in total viewers vs. the same week last year.
CBS This Morning continues to post the most significant year-over-year audience losses. The program was -17 percent in total viewers, and -20 percent among adults 25-54 vs. the same week in 2017.
Editor’s note: Due to the Senate hearing on Thursday, Sept. 27, Good Morning America was retitled to “Good Morning Amer,” while Today was retitled to “Today Show TS.” In addition, CBS This Morning was coded as a breakout. As a result, each Thursday telecast is excluded from the weekly averages, and the network’s weekly morning show ratings are based on only 4 days (Mon, Wed & Fri).
Week of Sept. 24, 2018:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,925,000 | 3,819,000 | 2,941,000 |
| • A25-54: | 1,188,000 | 1,371,000 |
754,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 9/24/18, and 9/25/17. Averages based on regular telecasts.