Katie Couric Tops New Talkers, Pulls Best Daytime Premiere Ratings in a Decade

Round one goes to Katie Couric. Monday’s Metered Market ratings give her a rather decisive win in the battle of new daytime talk shows, beating rookies hosted by Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst and Ricki Lake by wide margins.

THR Poll: Daytime Viewers More Likely to Watch Steve Harvey Than Katie Couric

The first outing for Katie pulled a 2.8 household rating and an 8 share in the top 56 markets. That ties the 2006 premiere of Rachael Ray for the biggest premiere numbers for a daytime talker since Dr. Phil in 2002.

For a week, Steve Harvey — which bowed Sept. 3 — had held the title of best premiere since Dr. Oz in 2009, posting a 1.5 rating in households and 4 share. Harvey’s syndicated talker ranked a strong second to Katie on Monday.

The Jeff Probst Show came in third, with the longtime Survivor host’s daytime entry earning a 1.0 rating and a 3 share.

STORY: From Katie Couric to Ricki Lake: A Guide to Daytime’s New (But Familiar) Faces 

Falling behind was The Ricki Lake Show. The host, whose previous talker ran from 1993 to 2004, pulled a 0.8 rating and a 2 share. It should be noted, though, that Ricki Lake is the only daytime freshman affected by Cablevision-Tribune carriage dispute, which meant WPIX New York not air the show.

Couric, who built on the lead-in from the recently displaced General Hospital by 12 percent, also bested the second-season premiere of Anderson Cooper‘s talk show. Anderson returned to a 1.3 rating and 4 share.