Ryan Seacrest Announcement Leads ‘Live’ to Top TV Rating Since Post-Oscars Episode

If only Kelly Ripa could finally name a new permanent co-host every day. Monday’s announcement of Ryan Seacrest as “Live’s” new dude handed the syndicated Disney-ABC talk show its top household TV rating since the series’ popular post-Academy Awards episode.

With a 3.1 household rating/11 share, the daytime series also topped “Dr. Phil” (a 2.8/8) and “Ellen” (2.6/7) yesterday in the early Nielsen numbers. The inaugural episode of “Live With Kelly & Ryan” also won among women 25-54 — the key demographic for these shows — according to local people meters.

By the way, that 3.1 was 48 percent better than last Monday’s “Live” rating.

Also Read: 'Live With Kelly' EP Michael Gelman on Ryan Seacrest Hire: 'He Was Our First Choice'

Additionally, “Live” was No. 1 in its 9 a.m. time slot in all five of the Top U.S. markets — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas — per Nielsen’s 56 metered markets.

In its home market of New York, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” more than doubled NBC’s competing hour of the “Today” show, with a 4.4 household rating versus a 1.8. We’ll see if the ABC property can keep that gap up in the future, particularly after Megyn Kelly takes over NBC’s 9 o’clock hour.

Ripa tried out 67 guest co-hosts over 195 original episodes before deciding on Seacrest. TheWrap has measured the Nielsen TV ratings of every single one: Click here for the ratings average of each guest co-host, and go here for every individual episode ranked.

Related stories from TheWrap:

10 Reasons Why Ryan Seacrest Is a Smart Choice as Kelly Ripa's Co-Host

Ryan Seacrest Got the Job at 'Live With Kelly,' But Here Are 19 Co-Hosts Who Got Better Ratings

Here's How Ryan Seacrest Has Done Co-Hosting 'Live With Kelly' in TV Ratings

Kelly Ripa's 68 Best and Worst 'Live' Guest Co-Hosts, Ranked by Average TV Rating (Photos)

Kelly Ripa's 200 Guest Co-Hosted 'Live' Episodes, Ranked by TV Ratings (Photos)