Sunrise hosts Samantha Armytage and David Koch return full-time as Today ratings soar

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 03:33:40 MSK

Kochie and Sam have returned to hosting Sunrise full-time

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The Daily Telegraph has reported that they were ordered to return to their hosting duties after Nine’s rival program Today has had ratings soar.

“They are back five days a week,” Seven News director Craig McPherson said on Friday.

Both hosts had been on a four-day working week, with their newsreader Natalie Barr filling in for Armytage on Mondays and Koch on Fridays.

Natalie Barr has been filling in for Sam on Mondays and Kochie on Fridays

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43-year-old Armytage had taken a step back in June, while Koch started working four days a week back in 2018.

At the time he had explained that “his work schedule was taking a toll as there were other things he wanted to do.”

Rival’s Karl Stefanovic and co-host Allison Langdon won the East Coast ratings war earlier this month.

Ali and Karl are in a ratings war with Sunrise

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Today beat Sunrise by 14,000 people, which was across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

A week prior to that, Today also won in the East Coast capitals, where they had a combined average of 191,000, beating Sunrise’s 189,000.

It is a huge win for Today, who were previously pulling in 70,000 viewers behind Sunrise back in June.

However, Sunrise is still the most watched breakfast show of the nation, watched over the five capital cities with a viewership of 259,000 compared to Today’s 229,000.

In terms of ratings every week and every day, Sunrise has still won.

Meanwhile, Today co-host Stefanovic has signed a new contract with Nine, locking him into a multi-year deal with Langdon, and the rest of their team.

In 2018, Stefanovic was sacked from the Today show. He was reinstated into his role this year alongside Langdon.