It took 879 weeks, but "Good Morning America" has finally managed to top "Today" in the category advertisers crave the most: the A25-54 demo.
ABC News trumpeted the victory in a cheeky release titled "GOOD MORNING AMERICA WINS GOLD," a clear shot at NBC's coverage of the Olympics.
"GMA" won the week leading up to the Olympics, jumping past "Today" by 12,000 viewers in the demo and a whopping 542,000 in total viewers — its largest margin in 17 years. It's the first time the show has won the demo since 1995, abd the victory means that it has now beat "Today" in every major ratings category. "GMA" has also won the total viewer race for five weeks in a row — a troubling sign for "Today" that suggests the possibility of a more permanent viewer shift.
Of course, as the New York Times pointed out, "Today" bounced back this week, boosted by its exclusive lock on Olympic athletes and video. The NBC show won by a staggering 1.3 million viewers on Monday, for instance. The ultimate question will be whether or not the Games can provide enough of a lift to "Today" to bring it out of the weekly dogfight it's currently in with its ABC rival, or whether it is experiencing a temporary respite because of the Games.
Also, Robin Roberts' medical leave will rob "GMA" of its most popular personality for many weeks.
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