Ratings crisis: Is Karl coming back to Today?
The Today show has been struggling, but now, in what is considered a slap in the face, the breakfast show has recorded its worst ratings in over a decade.
Only 168,000 viewers tuned in to watch the show yesterday which is hosted by veteran journalists Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight.
For comparisons sake, rival show Sunrise which airs on Channel 7, drew 287,000 viewers on the same day.
The numbers are further proof that those at home are not enjoying the new-look Today show.
When less than 200,000 people tuned in on the first show on January 14, industry insiders were surprised at the poor ratings.
The new hosts for the morning program included Gardner, Knight, Tom Steinfort, Tony Jones and Brooke Boney, but despite their efforts, the show seems to be sinking deeper and deeper.
BREAKING: @TheTodayShow drops to an embarrassing 168,000 yesterday. @sunriseon7 had 287,000. This is absolutely shocking news. #ratings
— Robert McKnight (@rob_mcknight) February 18, 2019
Less than a month later, the numbers saw a massive decline, with only 177,000 people watching the program on February 6.
On his 2Day FM radio show, Grant Denyer discussed the reasoning behind the disappointing ratings, saying the numbers were not “sustainable”.
“Breakfast is ultimately entertainment,” said Denyer. “There’s two newsreaders (Knight and Gardner) that are now anchors. Newsreaders aren’t entertainers. They deliver facts.
“To dip below 200,000 is not sustainable. You can’t continue like that because it won’t be profitable. You can try and stick it out … but the damage that’s been done by Karl (Stefanovic) is so significant that I don’t think they can recover from that.”
David Knox from TV Tonight, said that while Nine had a long journey ahead of them, they should still remain optimistic.
“Breakfast TV is notoriously habitual, and it would be easier to turn around the QEII than an underperforming show,” Mr Knox told news.com.au.
“Viewers are rusted on and do not like change. That said, Nine had to respond to a year of poor figures and bad headlines.
“The rapport between Georgie and Deb is good, and Tom’s strength lays in live news reportage. Some viewers have questioned whether Richard Wilkins actually left the show, why Tony Jones is not sitting alongside the team and why Steve Jacobs isn’t on the road more for weather.
“There is still room to tweak but Nine has to hold its nerve,” Mr Knox said.
Also speaking to news.com.au, Nine’s director of morning television, Steve Burling had a few things to say to the sceptics.
“It’s very early days and rating figures will continue to fluctuate, but I’m absolutely thrilled with the dynamic between Georgie, Deb, Tom and the entire on-air team,” he said.
“And, I’m confident that the audience will be turning to us in the weeks and months ahead.”
Do you prefer Today show’s new line-up? Or do you want Karl to come back? Let us know in the comments below.