ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today show shared the spoils in the ratings race for the fourth quarter of 2021, with GMA as the top morning show in total viewers, while Today earning the No. 1 ranking among adults 25-54. However, the good news ends there for these two-morning shows as they lost viewers from Q4 of the previous year in both categories. CBS Mornings was the only morning show to record viewer gains in both total viewers and the adults 25-54 demo from Q4 of the previous year.
According to the most current data from Nielsen, GMA remained the most-watched morning show in Q4 for the 11th consecutive year, averaging 3.23 million total viewers. It was down by -3% compared to Q4 2021 but was up +8% in total viewers compared to the previous quarter (Q3 ’22). In the adults 25-54 demo GMA averaged 742,000 viewers, a -9% drop compared to Q4 2021 but +10% compared to the previous quarter.
NBC’s Today came in second place in total viewers with 2.97 million viewers and earned first place for the 8th consecutive year in the A25-54 demo, averaging 760,000 viewers for Q4 2022. This was the show’s first quarterly win in the demo since the opening quarter of 2022.
On the downside for Today, compared to Q4 2021, the NBC morning show dropped -8% in total viewers and by an eye-popping -16% in the A25-54 demo. It was the only morning show to record double digits decline in this demo.
CBS Mornings was the No. 3 show in both total viewers and adults 25-54 during Q4 2022, averaging 2.64 million total viewers and 542,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. As stated earlier, CBS Mornings was the only morning show to grow compared to Q4 2021, growing by +4% in total viewers and by +1% in A25-54.
Nielsen averages for Q4 2022:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,229,000 | 2,971,000 | 2,641,000 |
| • A25-54: | 742,000 | 760,000 | 542,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 12/19/22), Previous Week (w/o 12/11/22) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 12/20/21). Most Current Data Stream: Season 2022-2023 (9/19 – 12/25/22), Season 2021-2022 (9/20 – 12/26/21). 4Q22: 9/19/22 – 12/25/22, 3Q22: 6/27 – 9/18/22 and 4Q21: 9/20/21 – 12/26/21. Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.