NBC Today ratings rocket and surge past rival Good Morning America as hunt for anchor Savannah Guthrie’s kidnapped mother Nancy continues
Ratings for NBC’s ‘Today’ show have spiked in the days since the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Overall viewership for the week that ended on February 6 surged an astounding 23 percent equivalent to 624,000 viewers over the year-earlier period, according to new data from Nielsen.
In total, ‘Today’ won an average audience of nearly 3.32 million viewers, surging ahead of the 2.91 million for ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ and 1.84 million for CBS’ ‘CBS Mornings’.
The results put it in front of Good Morning America by a full 30,000 total viewers.
The figures are a five percent jump from last week, with former fixture Hoda Kotb now filling in for Guthrie along with co-host Craig Melvin.
Both chose to stay behind and man the desk instead of going Italy to cover the Winter Olympics as they had been slated to.
Last-place CBS Mornings, meanwhile, is down three percent in total viewers and down 13 percent in the key demo compared to last week. The show – which just lost anchor Tony Dokoupil – is down from last year with a 14 percent drop in total viewers.
‘Today’ also leads both its main competitors in overall viewers and the coveted 25-54 audience.
‘Today’ ratings have spiked a full 23 percent – or by 624,000 viewers – over the year-earlier period, according to new data from Nielsen, as regulars Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin (seen on the Today set Thursday) have stepped in amid Nancy Guthrie’s abduction
Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of longtime host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since January 31. She was taken from her Tuscon home in the early morning
Meanwhile, it anchors silently grapple with the unimaginable crisis.
Nancy, 84, has been missing since January 31, taken from her Tuscon home in the early morning.
Savannah, a main anchor at today since 2012, is with her family in Airzona as the search for a suspect continues.
The case has of course affected the Today dynamic – the crime being a story in itself.
The other hosts staying stateside to support Savannah, while following the case and developments, is admittedly an unprecedented situation.
Melvin acknowledged the evolving dynamic at the top of Monday’s show, joined by Kotb and regulars Carson Daly and Al Roker.
‘We know things are far from normal right now, so folks, we are asking for your grace as we continue to do this,’ Melvin said.
The team previously persevered through the death of co-host Sheinelle Jones’s husband and Al Roker’s recent health scare.
Pictured, current Today cast Carson Daly, Kotb, Melvin, and Al Roker at the desk on Monday, navigating a difficult situation in front of millions of eyes
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
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