'GMA' Solidifies Ratings Dominance With September and Premiere Week Wins

10:30 AM PDT 10/4/2012 by Michael O'Connell

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Marking growth over 2011 in both the total viewers and the demo, the ABC News broadcast makes up for "Today's" losses with its best start-of-season showings in more than two decades.

ABC/Fred Lee

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Notching victories not seen in two decades, GMA won premiere week of the 2012-13 season (Sept. 24) in both adults 25-54 and total viewers, besting Today by significant margins. In the key demo, the ABC broadcast topped Today by 254,000 viewers (1.937 million over 1.683 million). And in total viewers, GMA won by a margin of 808,000 viewers (4.957 million over 4.149 million).

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GMA has not won a premiere week by either measure in 20 years, last topping in total viewers at the start of the 1992-93 season and winning the demo for 1991-92. Year over year, GMA's premiere week is up two percent in total viewers and four percent in adults 25-54. Today dropped 21 percent in viewers and 28 percent in the demo.

The ABC morning show, which is currently without co-host Robin Roberts, had been nipping at Today's heels all year. But after a viewership in in April and finally grabbing a rare demo victory in July, not even a strong Olympics boost could give Today its advantage back. The previously dominant NBC broadcast lost to GMA in both viewers and adults 25-54 for the month of September.

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For the entire month, GMA averaged 5.096 million viewers, a 807,000 advantage over Today's 4.289 million. GMA's margin of victory in the demo, 170,000, was somewhat smaller than premiere week, topping Today's 1.748 million with 1.918 million.

Perennially third-placer CBS This Morning, which kicked off the year with rebrand, was actually up in total viewers for premiere week (three percent to 2.526 million) over last year but lost some of its take of the demo, dropping four percent to 932,000.