NBC's "Today" show audience "got trounced" by ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, marking what could be the "first time 'Today' was beaten in the overall ratings during an Olympics," according to Claire Atkinson of the N.Y. POST. "GMA" coverage had 6.2 million viewers, which was 410,000 more than "Today." The first few days of the Sochi Games had helped "Today" win back its No. 1 position in the "advertiser-sought after demographic" of adults 25-54. But on Tuesday, "the two broadcasts were separated by just 90,000 viewers -- with NBC winning the demographic by a nose." The "Today" show has a "24-hour exclusive window with Olympic athletes, after which other networks can conduct interviews" (N.Y. POST, 2/13). VARIETY's Rick Kissell notes for the first four days of the Olympics, "Today" was beating 'GMA' on average in both total viewers (6.06 million to 5.98 million) and the adult 25-54 demo (2.55 million to 2.27 million). During the Vancouver Games, "it won over ABC by a whopping 1.6 million total viewers, including by 1.1 million viewers in the 25-54 demo." Compared to the "first Tuesday from Vancouver," viewership of "Today" was down 9% while "GMA" shot up by 40% (VARIETY.com, 2/13).
