It’s that time of year again when things really start to heat up in the brutal brekkie TV wars. But it seems the usual cutthroat rivalry between Today and Sunrise is not the only headache network heavyweights are facing.
According to one well-placed insider, the real battle is just beginning for Seven after loyal Sunrise fans called for regular hosts David “Kochie” Koch and Natalie Barr be sent packing, and replaced with the fun-loving summer line-up of Monique Wright, Mark “Beretts” Beretta and Eddy Bartholomew.
“There’s a golden rule in TV to never disappear off the small screen for too long for fear whoever is minding your spot might just get a little bit too comfortable!” our insider dishes.
Sunrise warned not to underestimate Today!
(Image: Instagram)“There’s clearly something special about the winning combination of Beretts, Mon and Eddy that appeals to the viewers. They seem to have the ability to not take themselves too seriously, yet still deliver the hard-hitting news of the day – they’re a breath of fresh air!”
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FANFARE HEATS UP
With fans going into overdrive, it wasn’t long before social media sites lit up with hundreds of messages of support for the close-knit trio, “I just love [these] guys, it’s so refreshing having them on,” a viewer wrote, while another posted, “Just love this girl, wish Mon was the host every day,” and, “You guys are so much fun!” while another fan chimed in, “Omg these two need to be the new weekday hosts, goodbye Kochie and Nat lol!”
“Beretts has been a reliable sidekick for a very long time – he’s a safe set of hands,” assures the Seven insider.
“In just a few short weeks he and Eddy and Mon have managed to inject a bit of fun into the fold – they’ve successfully resurrected some of the wackiness and frivolity that used to exist on brekkie TV back in the day when Kerri-Anne Kennerley hosted Good Morning Australia in the 1980s.
Who will win the ratings war this year?
(Image: Instagram)“The viewers aren’t stupid – they don’t miss a beat, so when they publicly post for example that they want long-time weatherman Sam Mac replaced with his summer fill-in, the very likeable James Tobin – they mean it. So producers have to take all this feedback into account when they’re making the tough decisions – that’s TV,” says the insider, adding execs view this time as “unofficial auditions” for roles.
Seven insiders admit bigwigs will be seriously considering if Kochie and Nat’s trademark steady and stoic approach has got the right cut-through to keep them in the No. 1 position as they go up against a new-look Today.
“They might’ve won last year’s ratings war, but don’t underestimate Today to pull something special out of the bag.”
NERVES KICK IN
With Nine pinning all its hopes on newcomer Sarah Abo hitting it off with long-time host Karl Stefanovic, our insider believes the former 60 Minutes reporter who is replacing Ally Langdon after she was announced as new host on A Current Affair, has got what it takes to get Today back on top of the ratings.
“Sarah is pure talent – and if producers see that a little lighter and more fun format was working for Seven during the holidays, don’t be surprised if they adopt a bit more of that – which would really suit Karl, who has always been a bit of a larrikin,” says the insider, who admits that the first six weeks of ratings are crucial.
“One thing is certain, there’s going to be a lot of nervous nail-biting over at the Sunrise bunker!”
