Karl Stefanovic to return to Today show following major pay cut
Nine is reportedly looking to bring back Karl Stefanovic to Today next year in a bid to save the breakfast show’s ailing ratings.
According to The Australian, Nine’s CEO Hugh Marks is hoping to have Stefanovic return to the program in 2020 amid declining ratings. Last Friday, Today recorded its lowest figures in more than a decade with only 155,000 metro viewers while rival show Sunrise on Channel 7 earned 298,000 viewers.
However, the offer comes with a condition that Stefanovic would have to take a pay cut of “hundreds of thousands of dollars”, the publication said. The 45-year-old’s current contract is reportedly worth more than $2 million a year.
Stefanovic is widely believed to be in talks to return to the breakfast show as a co-host alongside Weekend Today and 60 Minutes presenter Allison Langdon.
The news came after it was revealed that Today Extra host Sonia Kruger would be leaving Nine to rejoin Seven. News.com.au reported that Nine had offered Kruger a three-year contract extension worth over $1.5 million a year, but she agreed to a “seven-figure” deal with her former network.