The jury is still out on the long-term effect Matt Lauer's firing will have on the ratings of NBC's "Today," but viewers were drawn to the program last week as the anchor's sexual harassment scandal unfolded.
According to Nielsen data for Nov. 27 through Friday, "Today" averaged 4.9 million viewers, topping ABC's "Good Morning America," which had 4.4 million. "CBS This Morning" was in third for the week with 3.5 million.
"Today" has long been the top-rated show among viewers ages 25 to 54, the audience advertisers seek when they buy commercials on news programs. But the NBC show typically finishes second to ABC's "Good Morning America" in overall audience.
In the 2017-18 TV season, "Good Morning America" still leads "Today" by a narrow 59,000 viewers. "GMA" is averaging 4.32 million viewers to "Today's" 4.27 million.
The last time "Today" beat "Good Morning America" in weekly viewership was Sept. 4 through 8.
Lauer _ a fixture on "Today" since 1994 _ was fired Nov. 28, after a female NBC employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.
The woman said Lauer engaged in inappropriate behavior throughout 2014. Other women have since reported incidents with Lauer, including one who accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2001.
