We like you better when you stay home: Today on tour just doesn’t rate

THEY’VE spent the week riding bulls, squashing grapes and grooving to Dami Im, but the Today show would have been better off staying at home.

The locals love it, viewers at home aren’t so sure: Karl Stefanovic channels a scene from The Hangover as Today co-host Lisa Wilkinson tries to contain her mirth broadcasting from Airlie Beach. Picture: Today

THEY’VE spent the week riding bulls, soaking up the Great Barrier Reef, squashing grapes and grooving to Dami Im, but a stumble in their ratings reveals viewers would rather tune in when breakfast TV just stays home.

Today has suffered two uncharacteristic early-week losses and a draw with rival show Sunrise in five-city ratings this week.

It seems breakfast TV viewers want their hosts doing their jobs in the studio, not hamming it up on holidays.

Until this week’s glitch, Today has been riding a wave of long-awaited resurgence over Sunrise — overtaking the Seven breakfast show in the ratings for the first time in 12 years.

But the show’s ‘We Love Australia’ tour — a week-long road trip of areas including the Sunshine Coast, regional NSW and Tasmania, so far hasn’t resonated as much as Today has of late.

Grape escape: Today hits the Hunter Valley. Picture: Today

On Monday, Sunrise won the day with five-city metropolitan ratings of 301,000 viewers to Today’s 297,000.

On Tuesday, Sunrise was on top again — 324,000 to Today’s 297,000.

And on Wednesday — State of Origin day, a day Nine as host broadcaster usually owns from start to finish — it was a breakfast TV draw.

Each show had 338,000 viewers in five cities.

Add regional viewing figures to the metro mix, and Sunrise has won all three days so far — Monday 533,000 to 454,000; Tuesday 574,000 to 464,000 and Wednesday 591,000 to 492,000.

In the fortnight before, Today had continued its 2016 run of success, downing Sunrise in the ratings every day expect Fridays to take both weeks convincingly.

Viewer apathy for shows on tour has become a marked trend, industry pundits say.

“It’s because, increasingly, viewers are about ‘me’,” said one expert.

“They don’t want to see what the hosts are up to when they are getting ready for work.

“It’s certainly being talked about in media circles. Viewers want to be informed and entertained, and increasingly are not interested in their hosts in hammocks on an island or hanging out in Disneyland. They rather be on holidays, not watch someone on holiday — and right or wrong, that’s what they feel the hosts are doing with these outside broadcasts and tours. They’ve seen it before and they don’t relate.

“Both shows like getting out to meet and connect with viewers, but unless it’s a new way of doing it, it leaves those watching at home cold.”

Sunrise felt a similar sting just ahead of the Logies in May, when it took its team to Fiji as part of what was billed as a Mother’s Day special event.

Viewers had little love for the broadcast, with Today walloping Sunrise in the ratings on 340,000 to 291,000 viewers.

Meanwhile, Nine has one ratings milestone to celebrate — the highest-rating State of Origin match of all time with 2.598 million viewers in five cities for the first match of 2016 on Wednesday night.

Viewers don’t like hosts on holidays: Sunrise in Fiji in May. Picture: Sunrise/Instagram

Originally published as We like you better when you stay home: Today on tour just doesn’t rate