Today’s ratings are in after Georgie Gardner joins the desk
WAS Georgie Gardner’s triumphant return to Today yesterday enough to push the breakfast show above its Channel 7 rival Sunrise? The shocking results may predict the future of the slipping Channel 9 program.
Confidential
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- Viewers rate Georgie Gardner on Today with Karl Stefanovic
- Georgie Gardner plays it safe on Today hosting debut
FANS might have praised Georgie Gardner’s triumphant return to Today yesterday, however it wasn’t enough for the show to beat Sunrise in the ratings.
The Channel 7 breakfast TV show, hosted by David Koch and Samantha Armytage still took out top billing, pulling in a five city metro audience of 281 000 and combined of 480 000.
Meanwhile Today’s five city metro was 256 000 for a combined total of 378 000.
A source told Confidential that they didn’t expect Gardner to impact the ratings immediately. “It will take some time for audiences to get into the new panel of Karl [Stefanovic] and Georgie,” they said.
In April 2017, Sunrise smashed Today on a Monday, with 322,000 viewers compared to the Nine show’s 236,000 following Stefanovic’s marriage breakdown, which saw him taking time off.
At the time, Nine vehemently denied suggestions that a contract deal saw Today plugging Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffries’s wedding venue — as well as the designer of Jeffreys’ dress and Peter’s suit — in a live cross.
News of Lisa Wilkinson’s exit drove the network’s Today show to a ratings win in October after her dramatic departure, which made international headlines.
The program pulled in 307,000 viewers nationally, pushing ratings leader Seven’s Sunrise out of the top 30 programs (with 262,000 people).
At the time, campaign Edge creative director Dee Madigan, a brand and advertising expert for Gruen and Sky News, told News Corp “it was a mistake” for Nine to break up the double-act of Wilkinson and Stefanovic, who was kept in check often by his co-star.
“In terms of advertising dollars, Lisa is very safe. Karl can go over the edge a little bit and that’s why their combination worked. With Lisa, as an advertiser, you’d feel very, very safe anywhere around where she’s performing or presenting on TV.”
