‘TODAY’ WINS RATINGS GOLD

TODAY Is No. 1 Across the Board for the First Week of the Rio Olympics 

TODAY Posts Largest Total Viewer and Key Demo Gaps Over GMA Since the London Olympics

TODAY’s Total Viewer Gap Over GMA Was 7 Times Higher than the Same Week in Sochi and Its Key Demo Gap Was 5 Times Higher

TODAY Topped the Combined A18-49 Deliveries of GMA and CBS for the Week

TODAY Is Up Double Digits Across the Board While GMA is Down Double Digits Versus Last Year

Season to Date, TODAY is the #1 Morning Show in Both A25-54 and A18-49

NEW YORK – August 16, 2016 — NBC’s TODAY scored ratings gold with live broadcasts from Copacabana Beach during the first week of the Rio Olympics. TODAY was the number-one morning program in total viewers and all demos.

For the week of August 8, TODAY averaged 5.244 million total viewers beating GMA by +1.259 million (+32%) and CBS This Morning by +1.991 million (+61%).  TODAY posted 2.133 million A25-54 viewers topping GMA by +820,000 (+62%) and more than doubling CBS This Morning by +1.218 million (+133%).  TODAY posted its widest total viewer and key demo gaps with GMA since the London Olympics. Versus the same week of the Sochi Olympics, TODAY’s total viewer gap with GMA was seven times higher, and its key demo gap was five times higher.  TODAY also posted double digit gains in total viewers (+23%), A25-54 (+34%), and A18-49 (+42%) while GMA was down double digits in total viewers (-14%), A25-54   (-18%), and A18-49 (+16%) versus the same week last year.

In A18-49, TODAY posted 1.652 million viewers beating the combined deliveries of GMA and CBS.  Season to date, TODAY is the number-one morning show in both A25-54 and A18-49, and TODAY has won the key A25-54 demo for eleven consecutive months, 49 out of the last 50 weeks.

*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 AUGUST 8

TODAY averaged 5.244 million total viewers, outperforming GMA by +1.259 million (+32%) and CBs This Morning by +1.991 million (+61%)

•          TODAY posted its biggest total viewer average since the week of 3/2/2015 and its widest advantage over GMA since the London Olympics (8/6/2012)
•          This was also TODAY’s largest weekly lead over CBS since the week of 3/24/2014 

TODAY averaged 2.133 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming GMA by +820,000 (+62%) and more than doubling CBS This Morning by +1.218 million (+133%)

•          TODAY has ranked #1 among A25-54 viewers for 33 consecutive weeks and 49 of the last 50 weeks
•          This was TODAY’s biggest A25-54 delivery since the week of 3/31/2014.  The program also had its widest demo leads over GMA since the London Olympics (8/6/2012) and over CBS since the week of 2/24/2014
•          TODAY increased its season-to-date daily win total to 209 out of 224 rated broadcast days
•          TODAY delivered a 1.80 A25-54 rating, +0.69 points ahead of GMA and +1.03 points more than CBS
•          ABC was down in the demo week-to-week (-14,000) while TODAY was up (+58,000)

TODAY averaged 1.652 million A18-49 viewers, +728,000 (+79%) more than GMA and more than doubling CBs by +1.018 million (+161%) higher than CBS

•          TODAY topped the combined A18-49 deliveries of GMA and CBS (1.652 million vs. a combined 1.558 million for the competition)
•          TODAY posted its best A18-49 delivery since the week of 3/31/2014, its biggest A18-49 lead over GMA since the Sochi Olympics, and its widest lead over CBS since the week of 3/3/2014
•          Among A18-49 viewers, TODAY has now posted 53 consecutive wins
•          TODAY’s 1.30 A18-49 rating led GMA by +0.57 points and CBS by +0.80 points

TODAY was the only morning news program to see week-to-week gains in total viewers (+33%, or +1.290 million), A25-54 viewers (+36%, or +565,000), and A18-49 viewers (+43%, or +501,000)

•          TODAY more than tripled its A25-54 and A18-49 advantages vs. GMA week-to-week

Versus the same week last season, TODAY generated the largest growth in total viewers (+23%, or +984,000), A25-54 viewers (+34, or +546,000), and A18-49 viewers (+42%, or +492,000).  TODAY also:

•          Posted a 1.622 million viewer turnaround in total viewers (+1.259 million win last week vs. a -363,000 loss last year)
•          Posted a 835,000 viewer turnaround in its A25-54 lead over GMA (+820,000 win last week vs. a -15,000 loss last year)
•          Increased its A18-49 lead over GMA by 666,000 (+728,000 win last week vs. +62,000 win last year)

Season-to-date, TODAY ranks as the #1 morning news show among A25-54 and A18-49 viewers

•          TODAY averages 1.780 million A25-54 viewers, leading GMA by +10% (+176,000) and CBS by +69% (+729,000).  TODAY’s A25-54 advantage over GMA represents a 280,000 viewer turnaround from a -104,000 deficit at this point last season.
•          In A18-49, TODAY averages 1.336 million and tops GMA by +17% (+190,000) and CBS by +79% (+587,000).  TODAY’s A18-49 lead over GMA has quintupled versus last season (+190,000 vs. a +38,000 lead a year ago).
•          Among total viewers, the gap between TODAY and GMA is 66% narrower than last season (-184,000 season-to-date versus a -546,000 deficit at this time last season).

TODAY experienced better week-over-week lifts for the first full week of the Rio Olympics than Beijing ’08. 

•    TODAY’s P2+ advantage over GMA (+1.3MM) was larger than Sochi ’14 (+1.1MM/7x larger than the +165K advantage seen in 2014)
•    TODAY’s P2+ advantage over GMA (+820K) was larger than Sochi ’14 (+658K/5x larger than the +162K advantage seen in 2014)

•     TODAY saw a +33% lift in total viewers, a +36% lift in A25-54, and a +43% lift in A18-49 compared to the week prior
  •    These lifts are better than the ones seen in 2008 (+2pts better in P2+ and A25-54, and on par in A18-49)

RATINGS DATA:

TODAY DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTS:

For 31 consecutive months, Today.com has reached more mobile consumers than GMA on Yahoo for exclusive interviews and the latest lifestyle, parenting and entertainment news, according to recent data from comScore

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NBC’s TODAY is the news program that informs, entertains, inspires and sets the agenda each morning for Americans. Airing live from 7 am to 11 am ET, TODAY reaches more than 5 million people every day through its broadcast, and millions more through TODAY.com, the TODAY app, and social media platforms. Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist, Tamron Hall, Carson Daly, Billy Bush, Hoda Kotb, and Kathie Lee Gifford are the anchors and hosts, Noah Oppenheim is the SVP and Executive in Charge, and Don Nash is the executive producer.

For more information contact:

Megan Kopf Stackhouse
NBC News
e: megan.kopf@nbcuni.com

p: 212-664-6205