Matt Shirvington’s new Sunrise salary revealed
While Matt Shirvington may have landed the biggest break of his breakfast television career, he still has an uphill battle ahead if he wants a salary that reflects his predecessor, David Koch.
As a senior executive told The Daily Mail, Kochie was earning over $1.5 million for his hosting role on the hit show Sunrise, despite only working four days in each week.
Shirvington, on the other hand, reportedly signed a contract with the Seven network promising him an initial salary of $400,000 each year.
And while this is said to be subject to an increase if things are looking favourable at ratings time, it’s a starting point that doesn’t even scrape the halfway mark of Kochie’s earnings.
“Kochie was a big part of Seven’s overall success,” the source told the publication. “And that’s why he was taking home about $1.5 million.
“Shirvo is young, good looking, and charismatic, but he's still relatively untested, which is why he's getting paid half of what Kochie earned.”
That same source noted that they anticipated seeing former-Olympian Shirvington’s salary rise to roughly $750,000 if the feedback to his tenure was positive, with solid ratings to back it up.
“If he can maintain or even boost ratings, the sky's the limit,” they said.
Shirvington - and curious minds - won’t know for sure until November, when Australia’s ratings year draws to a close, which gives the new host almost six months to get on top of winning viewers’ hearts.
It won’t be an easy feat, as audiences adjust to the change after losing departing host Kochie - who happened to be the longest-serving breakfast television host in Australia’s entertainment history, leading the charge for an impressive 21 years.
“While he is a talent, he's not a professionally trained journalist,” the source added. “He may struggle in the fast-paced world of live television.”
And while Shirvington may be eagerly awaiting the end of the year to see how he’s landed with fans, he won’t be the only one, with Sunrise’s home network holding high stakes in the whole matter, too.
As the executive explained, “success at breakfast underpins the success of the entire network, and can't be underestimated.
“If you watch breakfast on one particular network then you also watch the 6pm news bulletin, and Seven will be hoping those viewers stick.”
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