Maybe it wasn’t Karl Stefanovic after all! The Today show plunges to a new low its ratings – as the new lineup struggles to find an audience
Channel Nine executives were hoping that the new Today show lineup would halt its downward spiral in the ratings.
But it appears that those hopes have been dashed with the release of the latest overnight metro ratings on Thursday.
Nine’s breakfast show drew a five-city audience of just 177,000 viewers on Wednesday, which was 123,000 less than Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
Maybe it wasn’t Karl after all! The Today show has plunged to its lowest ratings since 2001 – as the new lineup struggles to find an audience. Pictured: Deborah Knight and Georgie Gardner
Things are even worse in the national ratings, with Sunrise pulling 550,000 viewers compared to the Today show’s 269,000.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
The new-look Today show has been suffering from dismal ratings ever since its launch in mid-January during the Australian Open.
Number crunch: Channel Nine executives were hoping that the new Today show lineup would halt its downward spiral in the ratings. But it appears that those hopes have been dashed with the release of the latest overnight metro ratings on Thursday. Pictured: Karl Stefanovic
And as executives scramble for answers, one TV expert has claimed that co-host Georgie Gardner, 48, should have been sacked at the same time as Karl Stefanovic, 44, so the program started 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.’
Karl and Georgie hosted the Today show together for 12 months, but it is understood they strongly disliked each other behind the scenes.
Tuning out: Channel Nine’s breakfast show drew a five-city audience of just 177,000 viewers on Wednesday, which was 123,000 less than Channel Seven’s Sunrise
Karl was axed from the program on December 19, before fellow Today stars Sylvia Jeffreys, 32, and Tim Gilbert, 51, were also shown the door.
Georgie remained as the sole survivor of what Channel Nine insiders described at the time as a ‘bloodbath’.
But Kevin claimed this was a mistake, saying: ‘Nine had the opportunity to completely reboot Today with new people and they failed to do that.’
Waking up with Seven: Things are even worse in the national ratings, with Sunrise pulling 550,000 viewers compared to the Today show’s 269,000. Pictured: The Sunrise lineup
The media analyst added that Sarah Harris and Basil Zempilas ‘would have made an excellent alternative to the current lineup’.
Sarah, 37, currently co-hosts Studio 10, while Basil, 47, is an anchor on Weekend Sunrise.
Kevin further claimed that producers should be worried ‘there is a real perception problem that Today is a Sydney show that only reports Sydney news’.
Kevin Perry, the Media Editor at TV Blackbox, recently said that Today co-host Georgie should have been sacked at the same time as Karl so the program started 2019 with a ‘clean slate’