War between Sunrise and Today explodes as networks go head-to-head with latest ratings

The battle for ratings between Sunrise and Today has escalated today, with both networks releasing very different public statements about the latest audience numbers.

Channel 7 has declared “the numbers don’t lie” after rival network Nine made a defiant statement about its struggling breakfast show ratings.

The long-running war between Sunrise and Today has escalated today, with Nine forced to defend the program’s declining numbers following a report in the Daily Telegraph, in which a source said executives were worried the new look line-up with Karl Stefanovic joined by Sarah Abo “wasn’t connecting with viewers”.

The publication cited ratings for this year as the root of the concerns, with year-to-date average national audience numbers showing Sunrise holds a 34 per cent lead on Today with 363,000 average viewers compared to Today at 271,000. News.com.au has seen data to confirm these numbers.

But Nine swiftly hit out at the report, with director of morning television Steven Burling claiming the story was “fabrication and a distortion of the old fashioned and out of date overnight ratings system.” Burling added Today was in a “good position” in the “all important younger demographics.”

The statement has raised eyebrows over at Sunrise’s camp, with a Seven spokesperson telling news.com.au the ratings positioning Sunrise on top were accurate.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

Sunrise hosts David Koch and Natalie Barr.

“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.”

The spokesperson also debunked one of Today’s claims that it was well placed among the key younger demographics, arguing Sunrise leads in the 25 to 54s bracket. However, Today pips Sunrise among viewers aged between 16 and 39.

Abo joined Stefanovic at the start of this year after Allison Langdon accepted a job at A Current Affair.

There have since been several reshuffles on the Today desk, including newsreader Alex Cullen being relegated to just reporting on sport, while entertainment reporter Brooke Boney took over the news segment from him.

Sarah Abo joined Karl Stefanovic as Today co-host in 2023. Picture: Mark Stewart

In the Nine statement, Mr Burling said the team was “working brilliantly” for Today, and that the audience response to the line-up “couldn’t be more positive”.

Sunrise has long come out on top in ratings against Today. Today celebrated a rare win over Sunrise in the five-city metro ratings on February 27 thanks to the domino effect of Married At First Sight’s prime time success.

The gap between the rival brekky shows was growing narrower throughout 2021, though ratings for last year and into 2023 appear to show it widening again.

Sunrise’s loyal viewership undoubtedly has a lot to do with its popularity, with David Koch having hosted the program for over 20 years. His co-host, Natalie Barr, has been on the desk in varying capacities for the same amount of time.