First Time Ever: CBS This Morning Tops Both NBC and ABC Shows

CBS News’ CBS This Morning was the nation’s #1 morning news program on March 8 in total viewers and the key adult 25-54 demo, marking the first time CBS’ morning news has topped both NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” on a single day, according to Nielsen media research national live + same day ratings dating back to 1991 when electronic records began being collected.

Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil anchored the broadcast, which featured an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey and never-before-seen clips from her extraordinary interview with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry. 

CBS This Moerning delivered 4.793 million viewers with 1.026 million of them in the 25-54 demographic. CBS This Morning was up +74% in viewers and up +54% with adults 25-54, when compared to the same day a week earlier. 

CBS This Morning’s coverage of Oprah with Meghan and Prince Harry has accumulated over 21 million social video views and has delivered the most streamed CBS This Morning clip on Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access, this year.

In addition to the exclusive footage from Winfrey’s Sunday night interview, Monday’s broadcast also featured an interview with Malala Yousafzai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, about a new partnership for the 23-year-old human rights activist to create film and TV projects for Apple TV+. Additionally, the broadcast included an interview with Stacey Abrams and actor/singer Janelle Monáe about their efforts to expand voting rights and fight systemic oppression. 

CBS This Morning has gained momentum this season. In the first 24 weeks of this broadcast season, CBS This Morning has cut the viewer gap with “Today” by 29% and “GMA” by 20%. In the demo adults 25-54, CBS This Morning has narrowed the gap with “Today” by 17% and “GMA” by 22%.