Sunrise doubles down on Kochie and Samantha Armytage

Lifestyle Team
Updated

It’s been a tumultuous year for the Today show with their new look panel failing to fill the ratings void left by Karl Stefanovic.

The situation has gotten so bad, that ABC’s News Breakfast is pulling in more viewers than Today on some mornings - something that certainly wasn’t happening in the golden era of Karl and Lisa.

Meanwhile over at Seven, Sunrise is enjoying a very comfortable lead over its long-time rival, and it seems they’ve taken note of the landslide Nine’s hosting shake-up has caused.

Sunrise hosts Sam and Kochie
We'll be seeing more of Sam and Kochie, at least for the next year. Photo: Seven

According to the Sunday Telegraph, Sunrise are doubling down on their duo, with David ‘Kochie’ Koch signing on to host the breakfast show for at least one more year alongside Samantha Armytage.

Taking a swipe?

Kochie, who has been on air for 17 years, told the publication that while he didn’t want to ‘have a dig’ at Today, he feels lucky to be surrounded by a team where everyone gets along - which sounded suspiciously like a swipe at his rivals at Nine.

“But I will say that you can’t pretend to be someone you’re not on breakfast TV — viewers will always find you out,” he said.

“We are very lucky that we have a team that genuinely gets along.”

Today hosts Deb and Georgie
Deb and Georgie have a lot of catching up to do. Photo: Nine

Not a sinking ship

Kochie’s contract renewal flies in the face of rumours circulating earlier this week which cast doubt on Sam and Kochie’s future after a number of negative headlines, including those generated by Edwina Bartholomew’s controversial tweet to Nine reporter Seb Costello.

“The show is a sinking ship – there’s a new scandal every week, sometimes every day,” a source, who was not named, told Woman’s Day last week.

“They’re weighing up all the options and one is an all-new team. They think it’s time to revamp the show completely. It could be a bloodbath just like Today, maybe even worse.”

While that may not be true for now, what remains to be seen is how Today plans on clawing back to the top of the table amid growing pressure on hosts Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight.

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