As he pushed “Good Morning America” through a heated ratings competition with NBC’s “Today” show, Ben Sherwood, the president of ABC News, had three goals: first, to win just one week; second, to win one of the television industry’s so-called sweeps months; and third, to win for a full television season. He called it “the trifecta” in conversations with colleagues.
And on Friday, ABC achieved it: a full-season win for “G.M.A.” for the first time since the early 1990s.
G.M.A.’s lead over “Today” has been acknowledged several times already, both by the network and by viewers. Still, the full-season triumph is something that ABC chose to trumpet on Friday as the network news division positioned itself as one that is growing, or at least holding steady, at a time of fracturing television audiences.
The 2012-13 television season, as measured by Nielsen, started in mid-September 2012 and ended earlier this month. The final seasonal viewership figures for the morning shows were released on Friday. They reflected a once-in-a-generation change: “G.M.A.,” which had lost to “Today” for 852 straight weeks before notching a one-week win in April 2012, has taken a decisive lead among total viewers, with an average of 5.3 million viewers on a typical weekday. That is nearly 700,000 more than the “Today” show, which had an average of 4.6 million.
One season earlier, “Today” had 5.1 million viewers and “G.M.A.” had a little under 4.9 million.
“CBS This Morning,” which was rebooted in early 2012 and is now hosted by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, had an average viewership of 2.77 million. For CBS, that is a big improvement: one season earlier, the network had 2.44 million viewers in the mornings.
Among 25- to 54-year-olds, the demographic that really determines success or failure for morning shows, the ratings race remains tight. “G.M.A.” had almost two million viewers, about 85,000 more than “Today.”
According to ABC, “G.M.A.” has not led “Today” for a full season since the 1993-94 season.
Some, though not all, of “G.M.A.’s” gains can be attributed to missteps by the “Today” show, including the dismissal last year of Ann Curry, a longtime member of that show’s cast. “Today” is now trying to lure former viewers back; it has resisted the temptation to dismiss any other cast members, and has instead added two, Willie Geist and Carson Daly. This month it introduced a remodeled studio and a new graphics package.
Some of “G.M.A.’s” gains can also be attributed to content choices. The show has become more entertaining in the last few years, sometimes eschewing serious news for stories about sensational court cases, celebrities and trends, especially after 7:15 a.m. While its rivals dismiss the show as too tabloid-oriented, ABC defends its coverage as a reflection of what viewers want to see when they wake up.
“G.M.A.” has tried not to get too comfortable in first place. Through a spokesman on Friday, Mr. Sherwood said, “Our immediate goals are to keep building on our strengths, to stay hungry and humble, and to keep our eyes on the prize.”
When the 2012-13 season was starting, the “G.M.A.” co-host Robin Roberts was in the hospital, undergoing a grueling bone marrow transplant. In February, she returned to the show on a part-time basis, but it was not until this month that she resumed hosting full time.
While the mornings are the most lucrative part of the day for the network news divisions, the evenings remain essential as well, and there NBC ended the season ahead, as it has for 17 years. “NBC Nightly News” had more than 8.3 million viewers on an average night, 700,000 more than ABC’s “World News.” ABC has crept quite close in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic, however, and in July actually beat the NBC newscast for one week. NBC has avoided a repeat loss since then.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/business/media/gma-beats-today-over-a-full-season.html?partner=rss&emc=rss