Samantha Armytage has failed to revive ratings for Channel Nine breakfast program Today following her return as a temporary co-host on Australian television.
Nine recruited Armytage to bolster morning viewership while regular co-host Sarah Abo is away on maternity leave. However, recent audience data shows Today continuing to drop in ratings, expanding the viewer gap behind main rival Seven Network broadcast Sunrise.
Today and Sunrise have engaged in a fierce battle for morning television dominance in Australia for decades. Nine's Today show has struggled to consistently top the ratings against Seven's Sunrise, where Armytage previously spent eight years as co-host before stepping down from the network in 2021.
Over the past month, Sunrise maintained a national television audience averaging 438,000 viewers. In comparison, Today attracted an average audience of 304,000, with Sunrise exceeding Today by more than 200,000 viewers on several individual broadcast days.
Breakfast television turmoil
The ratings slump follows major structural changes at Today after Nine abruptly punted long-time co-host Karl Stefanovic earlier this year. The network chose to delay appointing a permanent replacement, leaving the main hosting desk vacant during a volatile period for breakfast television ratings.
In response to Abo's maternity leave and Stefanovic's departure, Nine paired presenter Tom Steinfort with Armytage to helm the program. Despite the temporary co-hosts' efforts to engage viewers, ratings for the morning broadcast have continued to fall.
Armytage's guest stint on Today marked a high-profile return to morning television after her lengthy tenure at Sunrise made her one of the most recognizable figures on Australian commercial television.
Her on-air return was further disrupted by a physical setback when the 49-year-old host was forced to take time off from her guest slot following an injury sustained at her home.
Armytage fractured her ankle while taking out her household rubbish, tearing ligaments away from the bone along with a portion of bone. "I wish I had a sexy story for you, but I don't. I was taking the rubbish out over the weekend one morning and I just missed the bottom step and twisted it," Armytage said.
"And I was wearing runners, I wasn't even wearing heels, so I have torn all the ligaments away from the bone and part of the bone away," she added.
Dating show delays and future plans
Beyond her breakfast television appearance, Armytage's television slate has encountered delays with reality dating series The Golden Bachelor Australia. The production has suffered its third scheduling pushback, moving its expected premiere from later this year to March next year.
According to the Daily Telegraph, sources close to the production reported that executives opted to delay the premiere after the reality show exceeded expectations during early development. Producers reportedly decided against rushing the series to air, preferring to launch the franchise in a more competitive viewing window next year.
However, industry whispers suggest the schedule change may be tied to Armytage's potential long-term future on morning television. Armytage has reportedly emerged as a frontrunner for a permanent hosting role on Today, leading executives to manage her overall network presence.
Network strategy for morning and prime time
If Nine secures Armytage for Today on a permanent basis, postponing The Golden Bachelor until March avoids competing commitments across different time slots. Television insiders noted that network bosses would be reluctant to have a presenter appear every morning on breakfast television while simultaneously starring in a high-profile evening reality series during the crucial launch period of a permanent hosting role.
