'GMA' On Track to Top 'Today' for Second Week

ABC show leads by 166,000 total viewers for week of April 23

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/30/2012 2:12:16 PM

ABC's Good Morning America is poised to beat NBC's Today for the second time in three weeks, leading by 166,000 total viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen fast nationals for the week of April 23.

GMA drew 5.3 million total viewers to Today's 5.13 million viewers. When GMA first topped Today two weeks ago, breaking NBC's 16-year win streak, it won by a margin of 31,000 total viewers.

Today continues its streak with the key adults 25-54 demo but GMA is narrowing its lead, posting a margin of 94,000 viewers last week (2.23 million viewers v. 2.14 million), its smallest gap since November 1995.

The two shows split the week, with GMA winning Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and Today winning Monday and Friday. While GMA's first weekly win came when Today co-anchor Matt Lauer was on vacation, Lauer hosted every morning last week except for Friday, when CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla filled in.

The seesawing ratings race between the two morning shows has led to them upping the ante in the booking wars. On Tuesday, GMA will feature an interview with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg giving a first look at a new tool for the site with "the power to save lives," while Today has the first interview with Bobby Brown since Whitney Houston's death airing Wednesday and Thursday.