Morning television used to be a blood sport. While it's still pretty intense, the battlefield has moved from just total eyeballs to a very specific set of numbers that keep network executives awake at night. If you’ve been following the cbs this morning ratings lately—or "CBS Mornings" as it's been rebranded—you’ve likely noticed things look a bit different. The show is currently navigating a period of significant transition. Ratings for the week ending January 4, 2026, show the program averaging about 1.66 million total viewers.
That’s a drop.
Specifically, it's down about 6% from the previous week. When you compare that to the heavy hitters like ABC’s "Good Morning America" (GMA) and NBC’s "Today," the gap is hard to ignore. For the week of January 5, 2026, GMA pulled in 2.75 million viewers, while "Today" led the pack with 2.82 million. CBS is sitting in third, and honestly, it has been for a long while. But total viewers only tell half the story.
The real currency in television is the 25-54 demographic. This is the group advertisers actually pay for. In this bracket, CBS Mornings recorded 268,000 viewers in early January 2026. For context, "Today" secured 527,000 in that same window. It's a tough climb.
The Tony Dokoupil Shift and CBS This Morning Ratings
You can't talk about these numbers without mentioning the massive anchor shakeup that just happened. Tony Dokoupil, a staple of the morning desk since 2019, officially moved over to lead "CBS Evening News" on January 5, 2026. He replaced Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson. While a promotion for Tony is great for his career, it leaves a gaping hole in the morning chemistry.
Chemistry is everything in the AM.
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Whenever an anchor leaves, ratings usually take a temporary hit. Viewers are creatures of habit. They like their coffee with the same faces. With Dokoupil gone, Gayle King and Nate Burleson are carrying the torch, but the "third chair" remains a point of speculation. Vladimir Duthiers has been filling in frequently, and many insiders think he's the natural successor. Whether he can help stabilize the cbs this morning ratings in the long term is the million-dollar question.
Breaking Down the 2025-2026 Season Performance
If we look at the broader trend for the 2025-2026 season, the picture is a bit more nuanced. Back in December 2025, there was actually a week where CBS was the only morning show to see gains across the board. During the week of December 7, they averaged 2.07 million viewers. They were up 6% in total audience and 13% in the demo.
It was a rare moment of momentum.
But as we hit January 2026, those numbers softened again. The decline reflects a broader trend across all of broadcast TV. People are just moving to streaming. Cord Cutters News recently reported that the big four networks have lost over 3 million viewers in the last five years. CBS has seen its prime-time average drop from 5.6 million in 2020 to about 4.4 million in 2025. The morning slot isn't immune to this gravity.
Is Gayle King Leaving?
This is the big one. Rumors have been swirling for months that Gayle King might be planning her exit. Her current contract runs through May 2026. At 70 years old, Gayle has been the glue for CBS News since 2012. She survived the Charlie Rose era, the Norah O’Donnell era, and the transition to the new "Mornings" format.
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Sources suggest she might move into a more "contributing" role, similar to what Norah O’Donnell did after leaving the Evening News. If Gayle leaves the morning desk, the cbs this morning ratings could face their biggest test yet. She brings a specific audience that is fiercely loyal. Without her, the show has to reinvent itself for a younger, more digital-savvy crowd.
New leadership is also in play. Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief of CBS News, and she’s already shown a willingness to cut costs and pivot strategy. With high-salary talent like King (who was reportedly making $13 million a year before a recent pay cut), the ROI is being scrutinized more than ever.
Nielsen’s "Big Data" Era
It's also worth noting how these ratings are even being counted now. As of late 2025, Nielsen moved to a "Big Data + Panel" system. This isn't just the old-school set-top boxes in a few thousand homes anymore. They are now pulling data from 45 million households and 75 million devices.
This change was supposed to make the numbers more accurate. Ironically, it has also highlighted how much traditional TV is struggling. The "out-of-home" (OOH) viewing—like people watching in gyms or airports—is now fully baked into the numbers. Even with those extra "hidden" viewers, the totals for CBS are still fighting to stay above that 1.7 million mark.
What This Means for Your Morning Routine
So, what’s the takeaway here? If you're a fan of the show, expect more changes. The "hard news" focus that CBS traditionally prided itself on is being balanced with more lifestyle and "talk" elements to try and grab those elusive 25-54 year olds.
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- The Dokoupil Factor: Watch for who takes the permanent third seat. If the chemistry clicks, the numbers will follow.
- The Gayle Countdown: May 2026 is the date to watch. If there’s no contract renewal by April, expect a major rebrand.
- Streaming Pivot: More and more "CBS Mornings" content is being pushed to the CBS News 24/7 streaming channel. The network is essentially training us to stop looking at the TV ratings and start looking at the stream counts.
Honestly, the cbs this morning ratings are less about "winning" against GMA anymore and more about surviving the shift to a digital-first world. The show remains a prestige product for CBS, even if it's in third place. For the network, a smaller, loyal, and affluent audience is often better than a large, fleeting one.
To keep track of how your favorite shows are doing, you can check the weekly Nielsen releases on sites like USTVDB or Adweek’s TVNewser. If you want to support the show, the best thing to do is actually watch it live or via an authenticated stream, as those "Big Data" inputs are now looking at everything you click.
Next Steps for TV Fans: 1. Monitor the Guest List: Often, a spike in ratings correlates with "big gets." Keep an eye on the 8:00 AM hour where the biggest interviews usually land.
2. Check the Demo Trends: If you’re a media nerd, don’t just look at the millions. Look at the 25-54 rating point (the 0.18 or 0.22 numbers). That’s where the show’s lifeblood is.
3. Follow the Anchors on Social: In 2026, an anchor's "social reach" is becoming almost as important as their broadcast rating. Gayle King’s Instagram often breaks news before the show does.
The landscape is changing fast. Whether CBS can stabilize its morning footprint or if it will have to completely overhaul the format by 2027 is the story we’re all watching.