Today show ratings dive as executives question what to do, blame out-of-date system

Everything’s fine at Today, Nine’s morning TV head insists, hitting back at suggestions all is not right on set. It’s the ratings system, he says, that can’t keep up.

Beleaguered breakfast TV show Today has hit back at suggestions all is not right on set and behind the scenes.

Sharing a statement to the shows official Instagram account, producers stated Confidential’s ratings story was a “distortion of the old-fashioned and out of date overnight ratings system”.

“We are in a good position with Today and Today Extra in metropolitan and east coast audiences, and in all the important younger demographics,” the statement from Nine Director of Morning Television Steven Burling continued.

“Our team is working brilliantly together and our audience response to the line up couldn’t be more positive.”

Strangely, comments were disabled on the post, meaning any further debate on the show ratings was shut down there.

Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo have suffered in the ratings. Picture: Mark Stewart

The caption for the post read: “We usually don’t respond to this rubbish, but it’s time to draw a line in the sand”.

Confidential understands though that feathers have been ruffled following news presenter Alex Cullen’s move to reading sport. And it seems viewers are not happy either.

Alex Cullen wasn’t happy with being booted from news. Picture: Today/Channel 9

Official Australian television ratings figures show Today is well behind market leader Sunrise, which has won 18 out of 18 weeks this year so far.

Year-to-date average audience numbers for the five city metro markets indicate Sunrise has an 18 per cent lead on Nine’s Today, which underwent a reshuffle on the bench earlier this year.

Sunrise average audience is sitting at 213,000 viewers compared to Today at 181,000.

Nationally, it is a more grim picture, with Sunrise at 363,000 viewers compared to Today at 271,000.

A Seven spokesman said: “The numbers don’t lie. Sunrise has been number one for 19 years and is number one again this year, across the capital cities and nationally. Sunrise wins in Sydney, New South Wales, Victoria, Adelaide, South Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. It is growing well in Melbourne. Today is ahead in Brisbane.”

Karl Stefanovic was earlier this year joined by Sarah Abo as co-host on Today.

This followed Alli Langdon moving to A Current Affair after Tracey Grimshaw’s departure from that show.

Cullen was reading news as well as sport but was strangely relegated to just sport, while entertainment reporter Brooke Boney added news to her brief.

At the time, he is understood to have made his feelings known to management, and viewers.

Steve Burling is the head of morning television at Nine and is understood to have discussed the issue with Cullen at the time in a closed-door meeting.

Some in the industry attribute the ratings decline to the shake-up.

Others say it is due to Nine wrapping reality TV juggernaut, Married At First Sight, which boosted the network across the board.

“Nine bosses are seriously worried and since MAFS ended, there have been daily meetings trying to figure out what to do with Today,” one well-placed executive noted.

“The Karl/Sarah combination clearly isn’t connecting with viewers.”

Seven’s The Morning Show, meanwhile, hosted by Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur, is also substantially ahead in the ratings over Nine’s Today Extra.

That show is hosted by David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys.