‘We are not concerned. We’re absolutely convinced we will get there’: Nine boss says he’s not worried about Today’s poor ratings and says viewers just need ‘more time’ to embrace new-look show
The new-look Today show may be suffering dismal ratings, but Nine executive Adrian Swift says there’s no need to panic just yet.
Swift, Nine’s Head of Content Production & Development, told TV Tonight on Wednesday that patience is the secret behind achieving lasting results in the ratings battle.
‘The reality is when you change your line-up it takes a long time to bed in,’ he said of the new-look Today panel, which launched mid-way through January this year.
‘We are not concerned. We’re absolutely convinced we will get there:’ Nine’s Head of Content Production & Development Adrian Swift (pictured) says he’s not worried about Today’s poor ratings
‘We’re not concerned. We are absolutely convinced we will get there,’ he added.
Earlier in the interview, Swift spoke about how Married At First Sight’s success has helped other programs advance in the ratings war.
‘But did we think Married At First Sight would come out of the gates as hard as it did? No, we did not. We didn’t think “This is going to change everything”,’ he explained.
All time low: Despite its refreshed lineup consisting of Georgie Gardner, Deborah Knight, Tom Steinfort, Brooke Boney and Tony Jones, ratings for Today have been reach an all-time low
According to Swift, programs such as Bad Mothers, Travel Guides and Australian Crime stories have leapfrogged off the back of Married At First Sight’s success this season.
However, the same cannot be said for Today, which has struggled to grow its audience this year.
Despite its refreshed lineup consisting of Georgie Gardner, Deborah Knight, Tom Steinfort, Brooke Boney and Tony Jones, ratings for Today have been reach an all-time low.
Nine’s trump card: Earlier in the interview, Swift spoke about how Married At First Sight’s success has helped other programs advance in the ratings war. Pictured is Jessika Power on MAFS
Meanwhile, one TV expert has claimed that Georgie should have been sacked at the same time as Karl so the program entered 2019 with a ‘clean slate’.
Kevin Perry, the Media Editor at TV Blackbox, recently told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Nine has made changes to the cast, but the problem is they haven’t gone far enough.’
‘Georgie lacks warmth in the hosting role and there is a perception from some viewers that she has stabbed Karl in the back,’ he said.
Karl and Georgie hosted the Today show together for 12 months, but it is rumoured that they strongly disliked each other behind the scenes.
‘Nine has made changes to the cast, but the problem is they haven’t gone far enough’: Meanwhile, one TV expert has claimed that Georgie Gardner (left) should have been sacked at the same time as Karl Stefanovic (right) so the program entered 2019 with a ‘clean slate’