‘Today’ Dominates Thanksgiving Week Ratings, Extends Winning Streak to Five Weeks
Table of Contents
A strong performance fueled by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage propelled NBC News’ Today to another week of ratings dominance, marking its fifth consecutive week as the leader in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic.
The week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday proved exceptionally successful for Today, capitalizing on the annual tradition of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which consistently boosts viewership for NBC News’ morning program. According to national live+same-day big data plus program ratings from Nielsen, the program’s success underscores its continued appeal to a broad audience.
Today Reaches Record Thanksgiving Day Audience
Today’s Thursday edition, coinciding with Thanksgiving Day, delivered an impressive 4.422 million total viewers – its best Thanksgiving Day performance on record. This figure also represents the largest single-day audience the program has seen since April 6, 2020. The surge in viewership demonstrates the program’s ability to draw a massive audience during major national events.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a significant driver of viewership for Today,” a senior media analyst stated. “It’s a tradition for many families, and tuning in to Today is part of that experience.”
Morning Show Landscape: Gains and Declines
While all three major morning shows – Today, Good Morning America (GMA), and CBS Mornings – experienced week-to-week gains in total viewers, ABC News’ Good Morning America faced a decline in the highly sought-after Adults 25-54 demo.
It’s important to note that Nielsen’s coding practices varied across the networks during this period. Good Morning America was categorized as a “special” on both Thursday, November 27th, and Friday, November 28th, while Today was coded as such on Wednesday, November 26th, and retitled as Today-TS on Friday. CBS Mornings was similarly coded as “specials” from Wednesday through Friday. These classifications impacted the calculation of weekly and season averages, with CBS’ averages based on only Monday and Tuesday, and ABC and NBC utilizing three days each.
Key Ratings Breakdown: November 24th Week
Here’s a detailed look at the performance of each morning show for the week of November 24th:
- Good Morning America (GMA): Averaged 2.908 million total viewers and 469,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. The program saw a +2% increase in total viewers compared to the previous week, but a corresponding -2% decrease in the demo. Compared to the same week in 2024 (November 25th), GMA was up +4% in total viewers but down -1% in the demo.
- Today: Secured its position as the No. 1 morning show with 3.458 million total viewers and 803,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. This represents a +19% increase in total viewers and a +30% jump in the demo compared to the previous week, largely attributed to the Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage. Looking back to the same week in 2024, Today also experienced growth, up +8% in total viewers, but saw a -5% decline in the demo.
- CBS Mornings: Attracted 1.953 million total viewers and 321,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo. The program saw an +8% increase in total viewers and a +15% increase in the A25-54 demo compared to the previous week. Compared to the same period in 2024, CBS Mornings grew by +1% in total viewers but experienced a -10% decline in the demo.
Here’s a quick comparison of the key metrics:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Viewers | 2,908,000 | 3,458,000 | 1,953,000 |
| A25-54 | 469,000 | 803,000 | 321,000 |
The continued success of Today demonstrates the power of live event coverage and the enduring appeal of its established format. As the television landscape evolves, the morning show battle remains a key indicator of network performance and audience engagement.
Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Women 25-54 and Women 18-49 Live+SD Current Week (w/o 11/17/25), Previous Week (w/o 11/3/25) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 11/18/24). Season to date: Most Current Data Stream: 2025-2026 Season (9/22–11/23/25) and 2024-2025 Season (9/16–11/18/24).
