For the week of February 24, 2025, NBC News’ Today show has taken the lead over ABC News’ Good Morning America, snapping its two-week win streak and gaining 40,000 more viewers on average. The competition, which has become increasingly intense over the years, illustrated the shifting viewer preferences in morning news programming as both shows experienced declines compared to the previous week.
According to Nielsen data, Good Morning America averaged 2.685 million total viewers and 465,000 viewers within the coveted A25-54 demographic during the specified week. Notably, this represented declines of 4% in total viewers and 8% among the demographic from the prior week. Comparing these figures to the same time last year, GMA also saw reductions of 6% and 12%, respectively, highlighting challenges the program faces retaining its audience.
Meanwhile, Today managed to attract 2.725 million total viewers and 679,000 viewers within the A25-54 demographic, maintaining its position as the leader within the viewership demographic category. While this marked a slight dip of 2% from the previous week, it still resulted in gains of 4% among the younger demographic. Looking back to the same week last year, Today experienced declines of 5% and 6% for total viewers and the A25-54 demo, which indicates the competitive struggle remained evident.
On the other hand, CBS’s morning show, CBS Mornings, proved to be the only program to show growth. The show registered increases of 1% for total viewers and 5% for the A25-54 demo, garnering 2.025 million total viewers and 357,000 younger viewers during the week analyzed. It’s worth noting, though, compared to the same week last year, CBS Mornings went down by 10% for total viewers and 22% for its demographic targeting the 25 to 54 age range.
This back-and-forth competition between Today and GMA reflects the nuances of viewership trends and highlights how audiences shift priorities among news consumption platforms. Each show builds its identity and demographic appeal, which can be subject to rapid fluctuations based on the allure of hosts, special segments, and current events shaping public interest.
For its part, Good Morning America has built substantial viewership over the years, yet the latest data suggests the program may need to re-evaluate its strategies to recapture audience engagement. The expected decrease across both total viewers and younger demographics suggests either changing viewer habits, competition with newer media platforms, or perhaps dissatisfaction among current viewers.
The trends can be alarming for network executives who rely on ad revenues tied to household viewership numbers. Advertisers particularly watch these demographics closely, as the A25-54 group is highly sought after for marketing campaigns.
Overall, the morning television ratings are not merely numbers; they reflect significant behavioral trends among American audiences. The competition for the morning slot remains fierce, with all three major networks vying for attention.