The Scoop
ABC appears to be keeping its flagship morning show team together, at least for the moment.
Earlier this year, NewsNation reported that Good Morning America host Michael Strahan was likely to leave ABC when his contract wrapped up. The story was the result of widespread rumors within the television news industry as the former NFL star has mulled his future with the network. But Strahan is now expected to sign a new deal and stay at the network, Semafor has learned, though one person familiar with the situation cautioned that the situation remained formally unresolved.
An agreement with Strahan would, however, likely represent a reduction in his daily hosting duties. Strahan’s new deal is likely not going to be a longterm contract, and could see him regularly hosting less than five days a week. In recent years, the former NFL star has increasingly hosted fewer than five days a week in order to accommodate his NFL coverage duties with Fox and spending time with family.
ABC declined to comment. A representative for Strahan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Know More
Strahan is just the latest major television personality to explore a shorter contract arrangement and step back from some daily duties while remaining on the air regularly enough to attract viewers.
In 2021, MSNBC ratings juggernaut Rachel Maddow stepped back from her show into an arrangement where she would only appear once a week. In his return to Comedy Central last year, Daily Show host Jon Stewart also agreed to appear just once a week and initially only agreed to hosting for a few months before extending the deal after the presidential election.
But while television network executives of generations past would have scoffed at these arrangements, the rapid decline of linear television viewership and simultaneous migration of news viewers to YouTube and podcasts has put pressure on the networks to compromise for well-liked talent who many viewers have habitually tuned into for years. The networks have overwhelmingly found that releasing expensive talent and replacing them with lesser-known, cheaper hosts has resulted in permanently declining ratings almost everywhere outside Fox News.
Television ratings for Stewart’s Monday appearances have increased The Daily Show’s ratings and bolstered its YouTube presence, with viral clips released weekly and downloads of Stewart’s podcast, which is also produced by Comedy Central parent company Paramount, spiking.
Similarly, Maddow’s appearances on Monday and during important election evening broadcasts have also improved MSNBC’s ratings, though they have proved a difficult act to follow for other hosts attempting to step into the Tuesday-Friday role.