Channel Ten’s gamble in hiring Lisa Wilkinson to co-host The Project appears to have paid off big time with the show enjoying its biggest audience ever.
Ratings from Sunday night’s show that at once stage 1.21 million people tuned in to see the former Today Show host make her prime time debut.
The show averaged an impressive 583,000 viewers, a massive leap from last year when the Sunday edition struggled to pull more than 300,000 viewers at any one time.
The gamble paid off: Lisa Wilkinson’s debut on The Project pulls in the show’s biggest ever audience
In a statement Network Ten’s Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey, said they are ‘delighted’ with the figures.
‘We are delighted with how viewers have responded to Lisa Wilkinson’s first night as host of The Sunday Project, which had its biggest audience ever last night,’ she said.
‘Lisa did a wonderful job and we look forward to her joining the rest of The Project team on Thursday and Friday nights.’
Viewers were quick to praise the Network’s decision to hire Lisa, taking to Twitter to heap love upon the new co-host.
Despite the boost the Network couldn’t compete with Channel Seven’s Australian Open Tennis coverage, with the men’s final between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic pulling in a whopping 1.73 million viewers.
They lover her! Ratings from Sunday night’s show that at once stage 1.21 million people tuned in to see the former Today Show host make her prime time debut
Big thumbs up: In a statement Network Ten’s Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey, said they are ‘delighted’ with the figures
The good news didn’t end there for the Network, with the debut I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here also pulling in a big crowd.
More than two million Australian’s tuned in to see celebrities including Bernard Tomic and Shannon Noll parachute into the South African jungle.
The viewership up a healthy 14 percent on the year before.
Keep the good times rolling: The good news didn’t end there for the Network, with the debut I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here also pulling in a big crowd
So happy: ‘We are very pleased with the response of viewers to the first night of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and we can’t wait to bring the rest of this fantastic show to Australia,’ Ms McGarvey said.
‘We are very pleased with the response of viewers to the first night of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and we can’t wait to bring the rest of this fantastic show to Australia,’ Ms McGarvey said.
‘The celebrities are amazing, the challenges and tucker trials are incredible, and we are set for the show’s biggest and most exciting season ever.’
Things meanwhile are not looking quite so rosy for Lisa’s former workplace at Channel Nine.
Gone girl:Things meanwhile are not looking quite so rosy for Lisa’s former workplace and co-host Karl Stefanovic (seen) at Channel Nine
Bad start: Georgie Gardner’s (seen) first week as co-host of Today with Karl Stefanovic failed to topple their Channel Seven breakfast rival Sunrise in the ratings.
Georgie Gardner’s first week as co-host of Today with Karl Stefanovic failed to topple their Channel Seven breakfast rival Sunrise in the ratings.
According to a Monday report by The Daily Telegraph, Channel Nine is reportedly ‘not impressed’ with Sunrise’s David Koch and Samantha Armytage beating Today by up to 40,000 viewers across five cities daily last week.