‘TODAY’ WINS RATINGS GOLD AGAIN

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

TODAY’s Total Viewer Gap Over GMA Was 3 Times Higher than the Same Week in Sochi and Its Key Demo Gap Was 4 Times Higher

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 23, 2016 — NBC’s TODAY scored ratings gold again with live broadcasts from Copacabana Beach during the second week of the Rio Olympics. TODAY was the number-one morning program in total viewers and all demos.

For the week of August 15, TODAY averaged 5.104 million total viewers beating GMA by +976,000 (+24%) and CBS This Morning by +1.909 million (+60%).  TODAY posted 2.038 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming GMA by +673,000 (+49%) and more than doubling CBS This Morning by +1.143 million (+128%).  Versus the same week of the Sochi Olympics, TODAY’s total viewer gap with GMA was three times higher, and its key demo gap was four times higher.  TODAY also posted double digit gains in total viewers (+22%), A25-54 (+30%), and A18-49 (+31%) while GMA was down double digits in total viewers (-13%), A25-54 (-14%), and A18-49 (+10%) versus the same week last year.

In A18-49, TODAY posted 1.554 million A18-49 viewers, +574,000 (+59%) more than GMA and more than doubling CBS by +926,000 (+148%).  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 50 out of the last 51 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 15

TODAY averaged 5.104 million total viewers, outperforming GMA by +976,000 (+24%) and CBS This Morning by +1.909 million (+60%)

•  Vs. the second week of Sochi ’14, TODAY had a stronger advantage over ABC – TODAY’s advantage over ABC was +723,000 (+286%) greater

TODAY averaged 2.038 million A25-54 viewers, outperforming GMA by +673,000 (+49%) and more than doubling CBS This Morning by +1.143 million (+128%)

•  TODAY has ranked #1 among A25-54 viewers for 34 consecutive weeks and 50 of the last 51 weeks
•  TODAY increased its season-to-date daily win total to 214 out of 229 rated broadcast days
•  TODAY delivered a 1.72 A25-54 rating, +0.61 points ahead of GMA and +0.96 points more than CBS
•  Vs. the second week of Sochi ’14, TODAY had a stronger advantage over ABC – TODAY’s advantage over ABC was +539,000 (+402%) greater

TODAY averaged 1.554 million A18-49 viewers, +574,000 (+59%) more than GMA and more than doubling CBS by +926,000 (+148%) higher than CBS

•  TODAY’s 1.23 A18-49 rating led GMA by +0.45 points and CBS by +0.73 points
•  Vs. the second week of Sochi ’14, TODAY had a stronger advantage over ABC – TODAY’s advantage over ABC was +208,000 (+57%) greater

Versus the same week last season, TODAY generated the largest growth in total viewers (+22%, or +913,000), A25-54 viewers (+30%, or +469,000), and A18-49 viewers (+31%, or +370,000).  TODAY also:

•  Posted a 1.377 million viewer turnaround in total viewers (+976,000 win last week vs. a -401,000 loss last year)
•  Posted a 710,000 viewer turnaround in its A25-54 lead over GMA (+673,000 win last week vs. a -37,000 loss last year)
•  Increased its A18-49 lead over GMA by 455,000 (+574,000 win last week vs. +119,000 win last year)

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

•  TODAY averages 1.786 million A25-54 viewers, leading GMA by +12% (+188,000) and CBS by +71% (+738,000).  TODAY’s A25-54 advantage over GMA represents a 290,000 viewer turnaround from a -102,000 deficit at this point last season
•  In A18-49, TODAY averages 1.341 million and tops GMA by +18% (+199,000) and CBS by +80% (+595,000).  TODAY’s A18-49 lead over GMA has quintupled versus last season (+199,000 vs. a +39,000 lead a year ago).
•  Among total viewers, the gap between TODAY and GMA is -71% narrower than last season (-156,000 season-to-date versus a -545,000 deficit at this time last season).

During the two full weeks of the Olympics, TODAY saw a +33% lift in total viewers, a +35% lift in A25-54, and a +43% lift in A18-49 compared to the two weeks prior

• TODAY’s two-week  P2+ advantage over GMA was larger than Sochi ’14 (+929K larger than the +188K advantage seen in 2014)
• TODAY’s two-week A25-54 advantage over GMA was larger than Sochi ’14 (+607K/4x larger than the +139K advantage seen in 2014)

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