Watch out, Sunrise: The Today show closes the gap with Channel Seven’s breakfast show in the ratings – eight months after Karl Stefanovic’s return
Channel Nine’s Today show is closing the gap with Seven’s Sunrise in the breakfast TV ratings.
The once-struggling program, hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon, is snapping at the heels of the market leader in the all-important five-city metro market, the latest figures by OzTam reveal.
Today is also now firmly back in second place, after falling behind ABC News Breakfast earlier this year.
Watch out, Kochie: Channel Nine’s Today show, hosted by Karl Stefanovic (left), is closing the gap with Seven’s Sunrise in the breakfast TV ratings. Right: Sunrise anchor David Koch
On Monday, Today had a metro audience of 241,000, which was just 30,000 viewers less than ‘Australia’s No. 1’ Sunrise (271,000).
Just a day later, Today crept closer to Sunrise’s 252,000 metro viewers, drawing an audience of 230,000, which represented only a 22,000 difference.
Sunrise has long been the market leader in breakfast television, and has won every week and every day of 2020 so far.
Back in the game: The once-struggling program, hosted by Karl Stefanovic (left) and Allison Langdon (right), is snapping at the heels of the market leader in the five-city metro market
Don’t get too comfortable! Sunrise hosts Sam Armytage (left) and David Koch (right) have been sitting pretty at the top for years, but Today’s resurgence could change all that
After Today placed third in TV ratings for 14 out of 28 weeks this year, Nine’s director of morning television, Steven Burling, said in July that he wouldn’t be happy until they topped the ratings – but he hastened to add that Today was on the right track.
Burling tweeted: ‘I won’t be happy with the ratings till we’re #1, but I’m certainly satisfied with a 10 per cent lift in numbers this year.
‘We have world-class hosts and a committed and dynamic production team – I’m extraordinarily proud of all of them.’
Channel Nine declined to comment.
Ratings loss: Channel Nine’s Today show officially became the third-rated breakfast show in Australia after being overtaken by its ABC rivals (ABC News Breakfast) in July
‘We’re committed’: Today’s Director of Morning Television, Steven Burling, explained that he ‘wouldn’t be happy’ until they topped the ratings – but was ‘extraordinarily proud of his staff’
It comes after Sunrise’s executive producer, Michael Pell, criticised the Today show in an interview with News.com.au in January.
He said: ‘I’m quite surprised at how all of that’s gone down with that show. Not to talk too much about them, but I’ve never seen that many people sacked that quickly for no apparent reason.
‘I think the audience is punishing them for that still. The audience doesn’t like a company that treats people badly.’
Karl, 46, was sacked from the Today show in 2018 before being reinstated as co-anchor in January this year, alongside Allison.
Rocky path: Karl, 46, was sacked from Today in 2018 before being reinstated as co-host in January this year alongside 41-year-old Allison