Read our preview for tomorrow’s INSIDE MAIL – the must-read media and politics column from Daily Mail Australia political editor Peter van Onselen and acclaimed reporter and TV insider Steve Jackson.
Earlier this month we revealed Samantha Armytage had split from her Southern Highlands horse whisperer husband Richard Lavenderjust shy of their fourth anniversary.
Sam, the human head, has been at the center of a publicity storm since signing for Nine in September after more than two decades at arch-rivals Seven.
And all eyes were on her after she slipped into the saddle on Monday’s Today show for a two-week fill-in stint alongside the weatherman Dan Astley, while the A-team, Karl Stefanović And Sarah Abare going to enjoy the summer to the fullest.
Well, maybe not all eyes.
According to the OzTam ratings, most viewers this week still tuned into Sunrise – the old Armytage stomping grounds – where a newcomer is on the block David Woiwod has co-hosted with Monique Wright.
Wright is of course the seven stalwart who replaced Armytage at Weekend Sunrise in 2014 when she was promoted to the main show alongside David Koch.
It seems most people really enjoy having Woiwod and Wright on their televisions during breakfast – and why not? He’s a nice guy and she’s a real professional.
Everyone might have been talking about Samantha Armytage’s Today debut alongside weatherman Dan Astley on Monday… but they watched Sunrise instead
The pair are so attractive to viewers that they cleaned up the ratings, winning with 979,000 to Today’s 754,000 in their total national reach on Monday.
Furthermore, the dynamic duo extended their lead the following day, claiming victory with 980,000 viewers to just 749,000.
Yes, despite all the headlines Today has been generating since Sam started filling in, she hasn’t made a significant impact on the ratings. And TV is a numbers game.
Still, the real question we wanted to ask (and we did) is what Woiwod and Wright’s colleagues at Sunrise think about seeing their old presenter Armytage on Today.
Well, it turns out… not much.
“It’s all been a bit of a train wreck, all the publicity and drama they’ve created around Sam, and yet people really aren’t that interested,” a well-placed Sunrise source told us.
‘Everyone was talking about Sam being on Today… but no one was looking.
‘Meanwhile, the viewing figures for Woiwod and Mon are great – it shows people are ready for something fun and new. Sam really is yesterday’s hero.’
Dynamic duo Monique Wright and David Woiwod have wowed viewers this week
Over the Harbor Bridge and across town at Nine’s North Sydney headquarters, they’ve chosen to read the tea leaves rather than the official figures – and who can blame them?
“Look, sure, the numbers were soft… but they’re non-ratings and people are already on holiday, so you don’t want to read too much into that,” a Nine insider tried to assure himself as much as we did .
“If you’ve been watching this week, you’ve seen that Sam has a lot of energy and a sense of fun. She certainly lights up the screen and she is a star.
‘Obviously there will be a temptation to place her with Karl in the New Year, but there is no suggestion we would continue with Sarah. [Abo] – she is very popular with our audience.
‘But the feeling is that everyone is satisfied… that should come as no surprise: Sam has always tested very well.
‘She’s versatile too – she has a journalism background and when she was at Seven she did everything from breakfast TV to Today Tonight and Sunday Night – you never know where she’ll end up.’
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