morning show – New weekly Nielsen-based big data results show Good Morning America and Today gaining momentum, while CBS Mornings falls in both total viewers and its key demo.
Morning show season never stays still—this week’s ratings underline how quickly audience attention can shift from network to network.
Good Morning America (GMA) and NBC News’ Today both posted notable gains for the week of April 20. each improving on the prior week and also moving in a generally positive direction compared with the same period last year.. For Misryoum readers tracking what’s resonating in daily news programming. the central takeaway is simple: two major programs widened their momentum. while one lagged.
GMA averaged 2.924 million total viewers and 508. 000 viewers in the Adults 25–54 demographic—an important slice of the audience that advertisers often target first.. That represented a 1% rise in total viewers and a 5% jump in the key demographic compared with the previous week.. Just as significant for the competitive picture, GMA was also up year over year: +10% in total viewers and +9% in Adults 25–54.
Today held onto its own strong position with 2.996 million total viewers and 639,000 demo viewers for the same week.. Compared with the previous week, the show was flat in total viewership but still increased by 2% in the Adults 25–54 group.. Versus the same week in 2025, Today moved higher as well, with total viewers up 17% and the demographic up 5%.. Notably. Misryoum’s coverage focus here is the closeness at the top: Today remains just 72. 000 viewers ahead of GMA in total audience numbers. making the competition feel tight rather than settled.
In contrast, CBS Mornings struggled across both measured categories.. The program averaged 1.756 million total viewers and 310,000 in Adults 25–54 for the week of April 20.. While it did improve 4% in the demographic compared to the previous week, it declined 2% in total viewers.. More telling for long-term trend watchers. CBS Mornings was the only morning show down year over year in both categories—down 7% in total viewers and down 1% in the key demo.
The ratings swings aren’t just a scoreboard for executives; they reflect how viewers are choosing to spend their early hours.. Morning television competes not only with other networks but also with shifting household habits—short-form video. podcast listening. and the reality that many audiences now sample content across multiple platforms before committing to one live lineup.. When one show gains viewers. it often signals a combination of programming. guest booking. and the sense of “why watch now?” that a given week creates.
Why Adults 25–54 matters more than it looks
The competitive story: closing gaps and holding leads
What the week’s swing could mean next
For viewers, the practical impact is that the tone of the morning lineup can subtly shift week to week.. For advertisers and networks. it’s a reminder that attention is fragile—and that the “morning routine” is being renegotiated daily.. In a ratings landscape this dynamic. even a small swing can change what gets greenlit. what gets tweaked. and what ultimately makes viewers hit play again tomorrow.