The first full week of September saw no changes as ABC’s Good Morning America remained the top morning show in total viewers, and NBC’s Today was the top morning show in the coveted advertiser demo of Adults 25-54.
The shortened week due to the Labor Day holiday worked to Today’s benefit as it was the only broadcast morning news show to see ratings gains in both total viewers and the key demo. Meanwhile, CBS Mornings was the only morning show to register declines in both key audience measurements.
Note: Labor Day Monday editions of GMA, Today, and CBS Mornings were coded as specials, while GMA’s Tuesday and Friday editions were retitled and excluded from the week and season averages.
For the week of September 4, according to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, ABC News’ GMA averaged more than 2.88 million total viewers and 618,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. GMA was down in total viewers by -3% and was up by +5% in the A25-54 demo when compared to the previous week. Looking at the morning show’s performance to the same week in 2022, GMA was down in total viewers by -4% and by -13% in the A25-54 demo.
NBC’s Today came in second place with 2,728,000 total viewers and 682,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for the week of Sept. 4. Today was up in total viewers and the key demo by +1% and +8%, respectively, when looking at the numbers from the previous week. It is the only morning show to record positive growth in both demos. Compared to the same week in 2022, it was down in total viewers by -2% and by -9% in the A25-54 demo.
Third-place CBS Mornings had 2.155 million total viewers and 459,000 viewers in A25-54 for the week of Sept. 4. Compared to the previous week, the morning show was down in total viewers by -8% and by -5% in the A25-54 demo. Unfortunately, it was the only morning show not to see any week-to-week gains in both measured demos. Looking at the same period in 2022, CBS Mornings was down in total viewers and adults 25-54 demo by -10% and -14%, respectively.
Nielsen live-plus-same-day numbers for the week of September 4, 2023:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Total Viewers: | 2,884,000 | 2,728,000 | 2,155,000 |
| • A25-54: | 618,000 | 682,000 | 459,000 |
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 Live + SD Current Week (w/o 9/4/23), Previous Week (w/o 8/28/23) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 9/5/22). Most Current Data Stream: Season 2022-2023 (9/19/22-9/10/23), Season 2021-2022 (9/20/21-9/11/22). Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.