ABC’s 7.30 presenter Sarah Ferguson has emerged, somewhat surprisingly, as Australia’s most popular television presenter ahead of big names including Karl Stefanovic and Natalie Barr.

Unfortunately, Ferguson may need to content herself with her five Walkley Awards rather that the popular presenter title bestowed on her by Specialist SEO agency StudioHawk this week.

StudioHawk analysed average the monthly search volumes and Instagram followers of more than 100 prominent Australian TV hosts to come up with its ranking.

The problem was there are two prominent Sarah Fergusons and as TV Tonight later pointed out, the StudioHawk data was based on the wrong Sarah Ferguson.

StudioHawk head of marketing Joshua Poole said Ferguson’s 750,000 Instagram followers, as well as numerous searches, made her the clear winner.

“Due to her following and revered career, she has achieved the highest ‘popularity score’,” Poole said.

Sadly, the 762,000 Instagram followers referenced for Sarah Ferguson the journalist actually links to Fergie, the Duchess of York.

ABC ‘s Sarah Ferguson’s actual account has 634 followers.

The Project’s Sarah Harris had a score of 46, followed by Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr at 42. Barr was also the most searched-for female TV host in the top five. 

The Instagram link to Harris also goes to Sarah Harris the UK based Editor at Large  for Vogue.

StudioHawk’s Most ‘popular’ TV presenters

Source: StudioHawk

Ferguson, who has anchored 7.30 since 2022, began her journalism career with newspapers in the UK.

Her career on Australian television began in 2000 with SBS programs Dateline and Insight.

Since then, the 59-year-old winner of five Walkley Award and five Logies has appeared on ABC’s Four Corners and Channel Nine’s Sunday program.

Ferguson has also worked on award-winning documentaries, and written two books.