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Sunrise reportedly in 'crisis talks' after Nine's Today wins ratings
Channel Seven is reportedly holding 'crisis talks' after Sunrise was beaten by Nine's Today show for the first time in three years this month.
The Today show had 248,000 viewers on September 15, while Sunrise only managed 237,000 that day.
It was the first time Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon have managed to win the ratings war since they teamed up early last year.
According to the Daily Mail, the loss is particularly painful as Sunrise had a highly publicised interview with Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, that day.
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The network even paid for the interview, only to have to apologise the following day for some defamatory claims he made on air.
"The gap has been narrowing for a while, and while Seven relaxed and dropped their guard, Nine came along and pipped them at the post!" an insider reportedly told Woman's Day.
"No one saw this coming, least of all Nat and Kochie who thought they were cruising to their fourth year in a row as number one," they added. "It's cutthroat at the best of times, but there's a lot at stake, and ratings being this close calls for drastic measures."
Seven is reportedly hoping to beat Today by airing more edgy content that sparks debate on social media, something Karl and Ally are known for.
Earlier this year, Karl and Ally spoke to TV Week about how they began working together during the catastrophic bushfires, which was closely followed by the Covid pandemic, saying it was the "best thing" for the show.
"The focus was the story, as opposed to us and our relationship," Allison said.
Karl added that it was "probably the best thing for us to try to cement what we were going to be to the Australian public".
He added that if they got the "serious stuff right" then they could have a go at the funny stuff too.
At the time they also spoke of the ratings and how Today was trailing behind Sunrise, with Ally admitting, "We can't really think about it."
"We've had a lot of changes, and a lot of changes aren't great for a breakfast show," Karl added. "For us, it's about getting our thing right and getting a response from viewers – that's all that matters. If we win, we win, and if we don't, we don't. And I'll be off the show again."
Karl was previously sacked following his wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough in 2018, after divorcing wife of 21 years Cassandra Thorburn in 2016.
At the time it was believed female viewers weren't happy with him for leaving his wife for a younger woman.
Karl and Cassandra share three children, with the host also sharing a daughter with new wife Jasmine.
Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Seven and Nine for comment.
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