After losing in the A25-54 demographic the week of April 15, ABC’s “Good Morning America” was back on top in both Total Viewers and the demo for the week of April 22.

“GMA” beat “Today”  by +819,000 Total Viewers and +66,000 A25-54 viewers.

But only “CBS This Morning” showed growth in both ratings measurements compared the same week last year, up +12% in Total Viewers and +3% in the demo. “GMA” was up +8% in Total Viewers but down -2% in the A25-54 demographic, while “Today” was down -4% and -9%, respectively.

The averages for the week of April 22:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 5.739M / NBC: 4.920M / CBS: 2.977M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 2.092M / NBC: 2.026M / CBS: 1.062M

While 2012 was the year that saw “Good Morning America” overtake “Today” in the ratings, 2013 begins with all three shows shedding viewers in the crucial A25-54 demo.

Compared to the same week last year, “GMA” is down -4% in younger viewers, “Today” is down -20% and “CBS This Morning” is down -6% (vs. its debut week last year). But for the second week in a row, “Today” takes the younger viewer crown with a slim 4,000 A25-54 viewer lead, improving from the week prior.

“GMA” was the only show to grow in total viewers: up +3% with a +459,000 viewer lead on “Today,” which is down -18%. “CBS This Morning” was flat in total viewership.

The averages for the week of January 7, 2013:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 5.010M / NBC: 4.551M / CBS: 2.703M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 1.936M / NBC: 1.940M / CBS: 1.042M

NBC’s “Today” may have lost its lead during the week, but the show’s weekend broadcasts are still hanging on to a small lead over the weekend editions of ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

In the fourth quarter of 2012, “Today” had a slight Total Viewer lead on Saturdays, edging “GMA” by +62,000 for the top spot. The two shows are tied in the A25-54 demographic for the quarter.

On Sundays, NBC leads ABC by +34,000 Total Viewers and +22,000 A25-54 viewers, but ratings stalwart “CBS Sunday Morning” has a commanding lead over both “Today” and “GMA.”

The Saturday averages for Q4 2012:

• Total Viewers: NBC: 3.587M / ABC: 3.525M / CBS: 1.769M

• A25-54 viewers: NBC: 1.233M / ABC: 1.233M / CBS: 641K

The Sunday averages for Q4 2012:

• Total Viewers: CBS: 5.505M / NBC: 3.185M / ABC: 3.151M

• A25-54 viewers: CBS: 1.734M / NBC: 1.054M / ABC: 1.032M

The week of the Presidential election was a strong one for ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’ “CBS This Morning,” with both programs seeing substantial ratings increases from the same week last year. There was also some good news for NBC’s “Today,” which placed first in the demo on the three biggest news mornings of the week, Monday through Wednesday.

“GMA” led the way for the entire week however in both total viewers and adults 25-54, followed by NBC’s “Today,” which was close behind, particularly in the demo. CBS was a distant third, but posted its best ratings in more than a year.

“Today” was still down compared to last year while “GMA” was up +6% in total viewers and +5% in the demo, and “CTM” was up +8% in total viewers and +2% in the demo.

The averages for the week of November 5, 2012:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 5.497M / NBC: 5.182M / CBS: 2.954M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 2.106M / NBC: 2.095M / CBS: 1.136M

Not only have ratings reports been delayed due to Hurricane Sandy, but the overall national numbers may be skewed as markets like New York and Philadelphia did not carry the morning broadcasts for much of last week in addition to the millions of homes without power.

As a result, ABC and CBS are not including the week of Oct. 29 in their season averages, but NBC tells me they are. Because of the interest across the county in the coverage of the storm, the three shows put up big numbers. Last Tuesday, “Good Morning America” had its biggest audience (6.05M) since the Royal Wedding in April ’11. CBS had its best week since the week of February 2, 2009. For the week, “GMA” led in total viewers but NBC’s “Today” came out ahead in the A25-54 demo.

“Today” was still down compared to last year while “GMA” and “CBS This Morning” saw a viewership lift: ABC was up +15% in total viewers and +11% in younger viewers while CBS was up +26% / +16%.

The averages for the week of October 29, 2012:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 5.498M / NBC: 5.267M / CBS: 3.167M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 2.160M / NBC: 2.168M / CBS: 1.235M

One of the viewers that has boosted ABC’s “Good Morning America” to an +808,000-viewer lead over NBC’s “Today” is Itay Hod, a broadcast journalist at Fuse TV who made the switch to ABC after more than 18 years of watching NBC in the mornings. Hod details his thoughts on the rival shows on The Daily Beast, concluding that the reasoning behind GMA’s lead is simple — “their show is better … and viewers are noticing.”

I suspect many of them did what I did. In a moment of utter boredom, they reached for the remote to see what was going on over “at the other network”—only to discover that’s where the party’s at.

I’ve been in broadcast journalism for more than 15 years. I was Brian Williams’s first intern. He wrote my letter of recommendation to Columbia University’s J-School. I guess I was just one of those I-prefer-NBC-News kinda guys. Not anymore.

MSNBC’s Willie Geist, a regular fill-in on NBC’s “Today,” and long rumored to be a possible addition to the anchor team there, is making the move official. According to Brian Stelter in the NY Times, this week Geist will be officially announced as co-anchor of the 9 AM hour. He will also serve as a primary fill-in for Matt Lauer.

Mr. Geist will retain a role on “Morning Joe,” likely during the 6 a.m. hour, according to the people with knowledge of his new deal. He will stop hosting “Way Too Early,” the 5:30 a.m. newscast that has preceded “Morning Joe” for the last few years.

Mr. Geist’s existing contract was set to expire at the end of the month. There was talk about his possibly jumping to the lower-rated morning shows on CBS or CNN. But he decided to stay within NBC, where he was hired seven years ago to produce Tucker Carlson’s MSNBC talk show.

As ABC’s “Good Morning America” widens the lead over NBC’s “Today,” the show celebrates a new milestone. Last weekend, for the first time since the show expanded to include both weekend days in 2004, both the Saturday and Sunday editions of “GMA” beat the corresponding editions of “Today.”

“GMA” topped “Today” on Saturday and Sunday in both ratings measurements, coming in first on Saturday and second, behind ratings stalwart “CBS Sunday Morning,” on Sunday. On Saturday, “GMA” won by +300,000 Total Viewers and +100,000 A25-54 viewers. On Sunday, during “Today’”s celebration of the weekend show’s 25th anniversary, “GMA” won by +140,000 Total Viewers and +38,000 A25-54 viewers.

“We have a small, scrappy, happy team and it’s nice to do well,” weekend “GMA” anchor Dan Harris told TVNewser this week. “We definitely respect our competitors and don’t take anything for granted.”

Numbers for Saturday, September 15:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 3.42M / NBC: 3.12M / CBS: 1.59M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 1.19M / NBC: 1.09M / CBS: 517K

Numbers for Sunday, September 16: Read more

“Good Morning America” wins another week in both total viewers and younger viewers: the first time in 17 years the show has had back-to-back weekly wins against “Today” in the demo.

Compared to the same week last year “GMA” is up +10% in Total Viewers and up +8% in A25-54 viewers. While both “Today” and “CBS This Morning” are down double digits in both. NBC is down -19%/-24% and CBS is down -12%/-18%.

Due to the Labor Day Holiday, the networks’ Monday shows are excluded from the average.

The averages for the week of September 3, 2012:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 5.199M / NBC: 4.404M / CBS: 2.193M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 1.925M / NBC: 1.842M / CBS: 808K

Like its weekday counterpart, the Saturday edition of ABC’s “Good Morning America” has continued to make inroads against the Saturday edition of NBC’s “Today.”

For the month of April, Saturday “Good Morning America” pulled ahead of Saturday “Today” in younger viewers, though “Today” won in Total Viewers. This is the opposite of the weekday ratings race, where “GMA” has topped “Today” twice in Total Viewers but still trails in the demographic.

“GMA” is also the only Saturday morning show to improve on its year-ago averages, up +4% in Total Viewers and +2% in the demographic. “CBS This Morning” is down -6% in Total Viewers and -3% in A25-54 viewers, while “Today” is down -17% and -27%, respectively.

The averages for Saturdays in April:

• Total Viewers: NBC: 3.49M / ABC: 3.29M / CBS: 1.68M

• A25-54 viewers: NBC: 1.16M / ABC: 1.20M / CBS: 627K