Good Morning America averaged the most total viewers, while NBC’s Today show averaged the most viewers in the key A25-54 demo during the week of June 28.
According to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, ABC’s morning show averaged 3.26 million total viewers, and 764,000 adults 25-54 for each first-run broadcast this past week. Relative to the prior week (June 21), that’s a gain of +1% in total viewers, but a loss of -6% in adults 25-54. Compared to the same week one year ago, GMA shed -3% of its average total audience and -15% of its adults 25-54 audience.
NBC’s Today averaged 837,000 adults 25-54 during the week of June 28. That’s -4% from the prior week, and a -13% decline compared to the same week one year ago. Today also averaged 3.14 million total viewers this past week, which is -2% from the previous week, and -5% from the comparable week in 2020.
Today’s win in the demo marks 301 out of the last 105 weeks in first place. The program also averaged more total viewers than GMA on Wednesday.
Third-place CBS This Morning averaged 2.44 million total viewers, and 496,000 adults 25-54 for the week of June 28, the show’s best delivery in three weeks. Compared to the prior week, CTM gained +5% in average total viewers, and a solid +11% in adults 25-54. The broadcast shed -6% in average total viewers, and lost -13% of its A25-54 audience from the year-ago week.
As we’ve mentioned in recent ratings stories, the year-over-year Nielsen ratings decline for all of these shows makes sense. Not only were many Americans more likely to watch the morning shows for breaking news coverage of the pandemic and the election campaign at this time last year, but the overall news cycle is far calmer these days than it was at any point in 2020. We should also expect ratings to decline even more as we move further into summer. But that’s true across TV, not exclusively news.
Nielsen Live-plus-same-day numbers for the week of June 28, 2021:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 3,257,000 | 3,138,000 | 2,569,000 |
| • A25-54: | 764,000 | 837,000 | 496,000 |