Network Ten’s Ratings – What are they doing? Seriously.
It seems that, like me, many people were put off by the terrible advertising for the OC, with only 0.79 million people tuning in. While the figure is roughly in line with the ratings from the previous season, I expect that figure will continue to fall as the weeks go on.
I’ve been thinking – why is it that a show that rates as badly as the OC gets a primetime slot and loads of promotion? The huge amount of advertising for the show obviously isn’t doing Network Ten any favours. The fact is, numbers are important, and the OC just isn't delivering.
Ten seems to be engaging in a lot of this behaviour lately. Several of its shows rate appallingly, yet still screen at a reasonable hour and are given a significant amount of backing. Smallville, David Tench Tonight and Ronnie Johns all fall into this category, with the latter two usually gaining an audience of less than half a million.
Then, on the other end of the scale, shows with a cult following such as Veronica Mars are the 4400 are banished to the obscurity of night, often disappearing for weeks at a time without so much as a warning. While I don’t think that these shows necessarily deserve a prime time slot, I just can’t work out what Ten’s game plan is. Leaving poorly-rating shows in major time slots is doing nothing to help their audience share. Thank God You’re Here can only drag them up so much.
Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to Ten’s strategy and way of thinking. Otherwise, I guess it will remain one of the great television mysteries of our time, along with why Bert Newton continues to get work, or how Eddie McGuire became CEO of Channel Nine.
*Image courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under fair dealing for identification and critical commentary
I’ve been thinking – why is it that a show that rates as badly as the OC gets a primetime slot and loads of promotion? The huge amount of advertising for the show obviously isn’t doing Network Ten any favours. The fact is, numbers are important, and the OC just isn't delivering.
Ten seems to be engaging in a lot of this behaviour lately. Several of its shows rate appallingly, yet still screen at a reasonable hour and are given a significant amount of backing. Smallville, David Tench Tonight and Ronnie Johns all fall into this category, with the latter two usually gaining an audience of less than half a million.
Veronica can't understand it either*
Then, on the other end of the scale, shows with a cult following such as Veronica Mars are the 4400 are banished to the obscurity of night, often disappearing for weeks at a time without so much as a warning. While I don’t think that these shows necessarily deserve a prime time slot, I just can’t work out what Ten’s game plan is. Leaving poorly-rating shows in major time slots is doing nothing to help their audience share. Thank God You’re Here can only drag them up so much.
Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to Ten’s strategy and way of thinking. Otherwise, I guess it will remain one of the great television mysteries of our time, along with why Bert Newton continues to get work, or how Eddie McGuire became CEO of Channel Nine.
*Image courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under fair dealing for identification and critical commentary
but i adore veronica mars to no end (which is why i download it instead of having to rely on ten) and will employ myself as a tactic in your favour for any wars that need to be fought against our shoddy tv stations. i can wave my hands around in a totally fierce and threatening manner!
The Devil & I
Majikal Mysterium
The Devil & I
Majikal Mysterium
But understandably, Ten being a very young network (only ten years old or something?) targets exclusive the younger, hipper market and perhaps they're happy to explore that niche` down the road.
Personally, I think Bert Newton is pretty funny and entertaining. But I supposes that's down to each person's sense of humour and taste and a lot of people must find him funny still, for him to be still working.
Not really surprised about Eddie's CEO role at Nine. He's a very influential personality. But I find that in Australia, a lot of celebs take on different roles in varying industries: newscaster/football club coach/cricket captain/game show host/jazz musician/jockey.
I don't know why, but I just don't like Bert Newton. Each to their own, I guess.
Celebrity Obsession
I don't get what they're doing at 10.
Mediated
My educated guess is that they're still revelling from the death of reality TV. After such a big hit (in RTV) we've seen it drop off with numerous sacrifical spinoffs, and what's the big next thing....
Hence the falling back to old favourites (epitomised in Bert) especially when you look at how 9 is just reinventing old favs like family feud and sale of the century, even Hey Hey its Saturday is getting re-runs now.
Quite simply we're in a creative void because no-one is willing to throw money and support Australia talent other than tried and true formulaic drizzle.
Now for what I really think....
If a show like Tripping Over had been a runaway success, I think that the other networks would be more inclined to produce Australian dramas. However, with the show not rating particularly well, and with local content quotas to fill, I'm really not sure what they networks will bring to the screen. Nostalgia programmes are losing their appeal, rip-offs of popular ABC shows (such as You May Be Right ripping off Spicks and Specks) don't translate well, and 'comedy' such as the Wedge and David Tench isn't holding anyone's attention.
I think the networks will have to take some risks, such as with shows like Thank God You're Here, to come up with programmes that people actually want to watch.