Week of Sept. 1 Morning News Ratings: No Declines for All Morning Shows

The three morning shows started the first week of September the same way they ended the final week of August, experiencing no week-to-week declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-through-54 demographic.

The post-Labor Day holiday week primarily worked in NBC News’ favor, as Today landed in first place in both measured categories. Buoyed by the kickoff of the National Football League season Thursday night and the return of Sheinelle Jones after a long absence, viewers tuned in to Today, helping it finish the week on a strong note and above its time-slot rival in the total viewers segment.

NOTE: All three morning shows were retitled Monday, Sept. 1, with Good Morning America coded as specials due to the Labor Day holiday. These special telecasts were excluded from the weekly and season averages. ABC, CBS, and NBC’s weekly averages are based on four days (Tuesday through Friday).

According to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, GMA averaged 2.589 million total viewers and 480,000 viewers in the Adults 25-through-54 demo for the week of Sept. 1. Compared to the previous week, ABC News’ morning show was up in total viewers by 1% and by 3% in the demo. Looking at its performance in the same week in 2024 (Sept. 2), GMA was up 2% in total viewers and 12% in the demo—the only morning show with gains in either of the measured categories in this year-over-year comparison.

Today finished in first place in total viewers and in the demo, with 2.607 million and 620,000 viewers, respectively, for the just-concluded week. The broadcast experienced gains of 6% in total viewers and 9% in the demo compared to the previous week. Looking at how it performed during the same week in 2024, Today was flat in total viewers and down 6% in the demo.

Finally, CBS Mornings had 1.793 million total viewers and 311,000 viewers in the Adults 25-through-54 demo. Compared to the previous week, CBS News’ morning show was also up 4% in total viewers and 1% in the demo. During the same period in 2024, CBS Mornings experienced a 10% decline in total viewers and an 18% decline in the demo, making it the only show with double-digit losses within this comparison.

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live+SD Current Week (w/o 9/1/25), Previous Week (w/o 8/25/25) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 9/2/24). Most Current Data Stream: 2024-2025 Season (9/23/24-9/7/25) and 2023-2024 Season (9/25/23-9/8/24). Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.