"GMA" Scores Smallest Total Viewer Margin (-119K) with NBC's "Today" in 7 Years

According to Fast National data, ABC's "Good Morning America" outperformed NBC's "Today" by 87K Total Viewers on Wednesday, April 4.  "GMA" posted 5.236 million total viewers while "Today" posted 5.149 million total viewers.

"GMA" Outperformed "Today" and "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday and Friday

Season-to-Date, "GMA" Grows in Total Viewers and Demo Year-to-Year While "Today" & "CBS This Morning" Decline

ABC News' "Good Morning America" drew 4.861 million Total Viewers and a 1.6 rating/12 share/1.923 million Adults 25-54 for the week of March 26, 2012. "GMA" grew its Total Viewer audience for the 2nd straight week (4.842 million on w/o 3/26/12).

For the 2nd week in a row, "GMA" ranked as the No. 1 morning newscast twice during the course of a week in Total Viewers, outdelivering NBC's "Today" by +107,000 on Tuesday (5.163 million vs. 5.056 million - 3/27/12) and by +89,000 on Friday (4.659 million vs. 4.570 million - 3/30/12).   

For the 3rd straight week, "GMA" shrank its week-to-week gap with "Today" in Total Viewers by double-digits (-13% - 119,000 vs. 137,000).  In fact, "GMA" delivered its narrowest Total Viewer margin with "Today" in nearly 7 years - since w/o 5/16/05.

"GMA" slashed its margins with "Today" from the year-ago week in both in both Total Viewers (-75% - 119,000 vs. 469,000) and Adults 25-54 (-46% - 266,000 vs. 492,000) for the 5th consecutive week.  "GMA" has cut its year-to-year Adults 25-54 margin with the NBC program by double-digits in the last 13 weeks, and in 27 of 28 weeks this season.  

Season to date, "GMA" narrowed its gaps in both Total Viewers (-38%) and Adults 25-54 (-42%) versus its year-ago season gaps.  In fact "GMA" is posting its smallest Total Viewer (512,000) and Adults 25-54 (442,000) margins with "Today" in 16 years - since the 1995-96 Season.

"GMA" more than doubled the Total Viewer count of "CBS This Morning" (+101% - 4.861 million vs. 2.421 million) for the 4th time in the last 5 weeks, while nearly doubling it in Adults 25-54 (+90% - 1.923 million vs. 1.013 million).  

 Season to date "GMA" is the only morning program to grow in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 25-54 (+8%) versus its year-ago averages (NBC's "Today:" -2%/-7%, respectively; CBS' "This Morning:" -10%/-12%, respectively). "GMA" is seeing its largest overall season audience in 5 years, since 2006-07.

Emmy Award-winning "GMA," featuring the anchor team of Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Sam Champion, Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott, airs live Mon.-Fri. (7:00-9:00 a.m., ET) on ABC. Tom Cibrowski is senior executive producer.

WEEK OF 3/26/12 TOTAL VIEWERS ADULTS 25-54 HOUSEHOLDS
ABC 4,861,000 1.6/12; 1,923,000 3.6/14
NBC 4,980,000 1.8/13; 2,189,000 3.8/14
CBS 2,421,000 0.8/6; 1,013,000 1.8/7

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 3/26/12, 3/19/12 & 3/28/11.  Most Current:  2011-2012 Season (9/19/11 - 4/01/12) and 2010-2011 Season (9/20/10 - 4/03/11).  

- ABC -