NBC’s “Today” is reviving its popular “Where in the world is Matt Lauer?” segment, according to two people familiar with the decision. NBC has already informed some media buyers about the programming stunt, which will likely be brought back for November sweeps.
The segment has been on hiatus since May 2008, with NBC saying at the time that with the economy struggling, the time wasn’t right to go globe-trotting. The next installment of the series will be its 10th, and NBC is expected to market it as a “10th anniversary” expedition.
“Where in the World?” has taken years off before–notably in 2003 and 2006–though 2009-2010 was the first time “Today” went two years without presenting an installment.
The segment, which began in 1998, sees Lauer visit a different city or location across the globe every day for a week–usually during sweeps periods.