Channel Seven’s Sunrise has continued its long-running reign as Australia’s number one breakfast show.
Hosted by Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington and Natalie Barr, the breakfast program has beaten Channel Nine’s Today with a 43.2 per cent share of the metro audience on average throughout 2024 – 2.4 points ahead of its rival.
The victory for Seven is especially sweet since Nine was expected to edge ahead in the ratings war after Today played a prominent role in the network’s coverage of the Olympics.
According to TV Tonight, the latest Total TV figures show Sunrise has averaged a national audience of 389,100 in the calendar year to date.
Today, hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, meanwhile has managed a Total TV audience of 325,300 over the same period.
The national Total TV ratings combine the metro survey with viewers in regional centres and fans catching the show using broadcast-on-demand platforms.
Sunrise also scored 3.1 million viewers via social platforms, with 1.58 million YouTube play backs a month to date.
Weekend Sunrise has also produced strong ratings with 383,700 Total TV viewers on average in the year to date against Today’s 287,600.
Seven’s Sunrise has continued its long-running reign as Australia’s number one breakfast show. Pictured: Hosts Natalie Barr and Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington
Meanwhile, The Morning Show also dominates its slot with an average of 3.2 million viewers a month reports TV Blackbox.
Still, Sunrise took a shock last month when Today managed to just edge out the fan favourite for one week.
Channel Nine’s breakfast show scored an average of 231,000 viewers in the metro ratings over a single week in July.
Seven’s Sunrise was close behind with an average of 225,000 viewers.
It was the first time Today managed to bring in the top breakfast TV audience over an entire week across the country’s five major metro centres in seven years.
Sunrise has beaten arch rival Today with a 43.2 per cent share of the metro audience on average throughout 2024. Pictured: Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo
Back in June Matt Shirvington opened up about his experience co-hosting Sunrise, a year after stepping into the role.
The 44-year-old took over David Koch as co-anchor alongside Natalie Barr on June 13 last year, and his first day saw huge ratings from viewers.
Reflecting on his journey, Shirvington shared his gratitude for the opportunity.
‘It’s just been amazing… there has not been a day where I’ve been driving into work in the middle of the night with no one else around, even in the winter time when it’s pouring rain, where I’ve thought, “Do I have to do this again?”‘ he told The Sunday Telegraph.
‘When you’re on air for almost four hours every day, five days a week – and it’s so jam-packed – it’s the most fast-paced show,’ he explained.
‘You don’t get any downtime; it’s been a wild ride, the last 12 months,’ he continued.
The former athlete also expressed his pride in the show’s continued success, maintaining its position as Australia’s leading breakfast program.
