Nov. 24 Morning News Ratings: Macy's Parade Coverage Gives Today a Boost

NBC News Today show dominated the ratings in the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, extending its lead in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demographic to five consecutive weeks. This week's strong performance was notably boosted by Todays coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which traditionally drives higher viewership for NBCs morning program.

The Thursday edition of Today attracted 4.422 million total viewers, marking its highest Thanksgiving Day audience ever and the largest single-day viewership since April 6, 2020.

All three major morning shows posted gains in total viewers compared with the previous week, though ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) experienced a drop in the key Adults 25-54 demographic. For context, GMA was classified as a special on Thursday and Friday, while Today was coded on Wednesday and retitled Today-TS on Friday. CBS Mornings also aired as specials from Wednesday through Friday, and these retitled broadcasts were not included in the weekly or season averages.

For the week of November 24, GMA averaged 2.908 million viewers overall, with 469,000 in the A25-54 demographic. This reflected a 2% increase in total viewers but a 2% decline in the demo from the previous week. Compared to the same week in 2024, GMA gained 4% in total viewers while declining 1% in the demo.

Meanwhile, Today reinforced its position as the top morning show with 3.458 million total viewers and 803,000 viewers in the A25-54 category for the week. This represented a 19% increase in total viewers and a 30% jump in the demo from the prior week, largely fueled by Macy's Parade coverage. Year-over-year, Today rose 8% in total viewers but saw a 5% decline in the demo.

CBS Mornings attracted 1.953 million total viewers and 321,000 viewers in the Adults 25-54 demographic. This marked an 8% increase in total viewers and a 15% increase in the demo compared with the previous week. Compared with the same period in 2024, CBS Mornings grew 1% in total viewers but declined 10% in the demo.

Author: Noah Whitman