"The numbers don't lie": Sunrise and Today take their ratings rivalry to the next level
Tensions have reached new heights between Australian networks Seven and Nine, with one broadcaster releasing a public statement in defence of its own reportedly lacklustre breakfast show audience numbers.
According to a new report from the Daily Telegraph, Nine’s Today has been lagging behind Seven’s Sunrise, with year-to-date average audience figures putting Sunrise ahead by 18 per cent.
At a national scale, things don’t look much better for Nine, with Sunrise’s average sitting at 363,000 viewers and 271,000 for Today - numbers confirmed by news.com.au.
The publication also reported that a source claimed executives were concerned about Today’s new line-up of Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, and that it may not be connecting with their audiences as intended.
Nine’s director of morning television, Steven Burling, had plenty to say about the report, calling it a “fabrication and a distortion of the old fashioned and out of date overnight ratings system.”
He also noted that Today was actually in a favourable position with younger audiences, and considered that to be “all important”.
However, Sunrise weren’t too keen on accepting that fact, with a spokesperson for their network informing news.com.au that the ratings that had placed Sunrise at the top of the pecking order were, in fact, accurate.
“The numbers don’t lie,” they stated. “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.”
They also had thoughts about Today being ahead with younger age groups, unwilling to believe it and instead arguing that Sunrise was the leader of the pack with the 25-54 group.
The same couldn’t be said for the 16-39 age bracket, with Today still seizing the win there.
The situation may yet change, as it’s already been in flux for a few years, with the two shows actually managing to narrow their gap in 2021.
2022 and 2023 were a different story, with that divide widening again, leading many to speculate that it may or may not have something to do with each breakfast programme’s chosen line-up.
David Koch has been hosting over at Sunrise for 20 years - with co-host Natalie Barr contributing in some capacity for the same span of time.
Meanwhile, Today has endured shake up after shake up in recent times, with Karl Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo only joining him at the helm in 2023, after Allison Langdon left for a position at A Current Affair.
Images: Sunrise / Seven, Today / Nine