NBC's "Today" show "clawed its way back to the top of the ratings last week," though it "took all the power of the Winter Olympics" to get it there, according to Bill Carter of the N.Y. TIMES. "Today" topped by an "average of 211,000 viewers a day the now-consistent morning leader" in ABC's "GMA." NBC's show also "won in the more important category of viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 -- the group that news advertisers pay to reach." The win for "Today" is "newsworthy, even if it took the added attraction of NBC’s coverage of the Games from Sochi, Russia, to get it done." The average daily audience for "Today" last week was 6.2 million viewers compared with 6.0 million for "GMA," which "had a significant victory during the week in that it won a single morning, Tuesday." Even a "daily victory had never happened when NBC has based the 'Today' show at the site of the Olympics" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/19). The AP's David Bauder notes the win by "Today" is its "first weekly victory" since the '12 London Games. However, it "would have been a major blow if it hadn't taken advantage of being in Sochi" (AP, 2/19).
MEASURING UP THE MORNING SHOWS: With the second week of the Sochi Games underway, THE DAILY examined the extent of coverage network morning shows have been delivering to audiences since the Opening Ceremony. "Today," which is broadcasting on site in Sochi, predictably has been leading the way, featuring athlete interviews, reports on Russian culture and food and fun segments where the hosts attempt a sport or interact with the athletes. "Today" also has been the place for breaking Olympics news, including last week's announcement that Bob Costas was going to come off the primetime broadcast due to an eye infection. The latest example came Monday, when U.S. skier Bode Miller defended the post-race interview Christin Cooper conducted with him that caused him to break down. Despite broadcasting from their regular N.Y. studios, both "GMA" and "CBS This Morning" have had a steady stream of Olympics reports. Both programs have reporters in Sochi -- Matt Guttman and Mark Phillips, respectively -- that have provided updates throughout the Games, often early in their shows' telecasts. There also have been periodic medal counts and Olympic updates from the shows' in-studio hosts (Paul Sanford, Television Editor).
