NBC's TODAY Wins 28th Week in Key Demo

NBC's TODAY was the number-one morning show again for the week of March 14 in the key demo A25-54, posting the widest key demo advantage over GMA in four weeks (since week of Feb. 15). TODAY has now won 28 out of the last 29 weeks in the key demo, and has been within just 200,000 total viewers of GMA for eight of the last ten weeks. TODAY continues as the number-one morning show in both A25-54 and A18-49 for the season.

Last week, TODAY topped GMA by 197,000 in A25-54 and by 144,000 in A18-49. Versus the same week last year, TODAY cut its total viewer gap with GMA by 77% (a whopping 666k). GMA is the only morning show down double digits, with an 18% loss in the key demo and a 13% loss in total viewers versus the same week last year. GMA is also down 17% in the key demo and 10% in total viewers this season, year over year.

*Please note: As of 12/28/15, Nielsen national ratings are based on an expanded sample known as "NPX," which effectively doubles the size of the Nielsen panel through a combination of additional meters and HHs. While NPX is now the official currency of record, all data pre-12/28/15 remains based on the old sample -- so year-to-year and other comparisons are versus pre-NPX data.

TODAY HIGHLIGHTS:

WEEK OF MARCH 14:

TODAY averaged 1.792 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming GMA by +197,000 (+12%) and CBS THIS MORNING by +789,000 (+79%)

TODAY has been #1 in A25-54 for 12 consecutive weeks and in 28 of the last 29 weeks
Season-to-date, TODAY has ranked #1 in A25-54 109 times out of 121 rated days.
TODAY delivered a 1.51 A25-54 rating, +0.17 points higher than GMA and +0.67 points more than CBS
TODAY averaged 1.317 million A18-49 viewers, +144,000 (+12%) more than GMA and +584,000 (+80%) ahead of CBS

TODAY hit a three week high in its A18-49 lead over GMA
TODAY's 1.04 A18-49 rating was +0.11 points higher than GMA and +0.46 points more than CBS
TODAY averaged 4.440 million total viewers, leading CBS by 1.064 million (+32%)

In 8 of the last 10 weeks, TODAY's total viewer gap vs. GMA was below 200,000
Last week, TODAY trailed GMA by narrow margins on Wednesday (-77,000) and Thursday (-29,000).
GMA is the only morning show down double digits in both the key demo and total viewers season to date versus a year ago and versus the same week last year.

GMA is down -18% in A25-54 and -13% in total viewers versus the same week last year
GMA is down -17% in A25-54 and -10% in total viewers this season, year over year
Compared to the same week last season:

The total viewer gap between TODAY and GMA was 77% closer (-132,000 last week vs.-576,000 a year ago)
TODAY posted a 343,000 viewer turnaround in its A25-54 gap with GMA (+197,000 win last week vs. a -146,000 loss a year ago)
TODAY also posted a 140,000 viewer turnaround in its A18-49 gap with GMA (+144,000 win last week vs. +4,000 last year)
Season to date, TODAY is the #1 morning news show among A25-54 and A18-49 viewers

TODAY averages 1.840 million A25-54 viewers, leading GMA by +8% (+134,000) and CBS by +71% (+765,000). TODAY's A25-54 advantage over GMA represents a 282,000 viewer turnaround from a -148,000 deficit at this point last season.
In A18-49, TODAY averages 1.390 million and tops GMA by +15% (+185,000) and CBS by +81% (+621,000). TODAY's A18-49 lead versus GMA is a 170,000 viewer improvement from last season's +15,000 lead.
Among total viewers, the gap between TODAY and GMA is 58% narrower vs. last season (-257,000 season-to-date versus a -607,000 deficit at this time last season).