Broadcast Nets Lose Viewers In Morning

A trend has emerged in the morning show ratings race: ABC’s Good Morning America is No. 1 in total viewers, NBC’s Today show is No. 1 in the ad-friendly A25-54 demo. However, ABC, NBC and CBS This Morning are all losing viewers relative to this point in 2017.

In Q2 2018,  GMA, despite being No. 1 in total viewers for the 6th consecutive year, was -4 percent compared to its Q2 2017 total viewer delivery. According to TV Newser citing Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the ABC morning show was also -7 percent in the A25-54 demo, which actually is less of a year-over-year drop off than its competitors.

NBC’s Today show finished No. 1 among adults 25-54 for the 11th consecutive quarter, but the show was -3 percent in total viewers and -11 percent in the key A25-54 demo versus Q2 2017.

CBS This Morning remains No. 3 in all relevant audience categories, and was down -10 percent in total viewers, -14 percent among adults 25-54 in Q2 2018 vs. Q2 2017.

The averages for Q2 2018:

Total Viewers: ABC:  4.112M / NBC: 3.927M / CBS: 3.191M

A25-54 viewers: ABC: 1.234M / NBC: 1.338M / CBS: 831K

GMA held steady as the top morning show for the week of June 25, and was less than -1 percent in total viewers from the comparable week in 2017. The program saw a little more of a decline among adults 25-54, -5 percent year-over-year.

Today was the No. 1 morning show among adults 25-54 this past week, and has now ranked No. 1 in the demo for 131 consecutive weeks (the morning show’s best streak in almost 6 years) and for 147 of the last 148 weeks. But as continues to be the case, Today is losing audience relative to 2017: -4 percent in total viewers and -16 percent in adults 25-54 from last year. Despite its demo victory, that -16 percent figure isn’t good.