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Returning: The Biggest Loser

TEN shifts The Biggest Loser back to 7pm following confirmation The Project will switch to 6pm and TEN News reverts to one hour.

The Biggest Loser will return to its 7pm weeknight timeslot from Monday January 23.

This follows confirmation that The Project will air from 6pm, with a half hour edition on Sundays from January 22nd. TEN News returns to a one hour bulletin from 5pm.

Now in its seventh cycle, The Biggest Loser this year also returns to a cast of single contestants.

Returning The Biggest Loser to 7pm signals a likely return to entertainment formats at 7:30pm, on evenings where there isn’t a one hour edition. It’s also expected to go head to head with Nine’s new weight loss series Excess Baggage.

Network TEN Chief Programming Officer David Mott said: “Being true to our brand, I couldn’t think of a better way to start primetime than with The Project. Their innovative style in presenting the news of the day, broader stories and fierce and funny debate has been a refreshing alternative to the competition’s traditional news and current affairs hour and in keeping with the irreverence TEN is known for.

The Project has already made significant headway in building our news hour audience with its recent shift to 6.30pm and this final move of 6pm to 7pm, led by Carrie, Charlie and Dave, will firm up the show’s place as a true contemporary alternative news offering.”

“Starting our entertainment schedule earlier at 7pm with reality TV giant The Biggest Loser, positions TEN to be competitive across primetime and dramatically improves three hours of television every night.”

Network TEN CEO, James Warburton added: “This announcement continues our focus to set the agenda in 2012. We’re back where we should be, an hour of news at 5pm and shifting The Project to 6pm – 7pm is the perfect contemporary news offering against traditional competition.

“Early evening stripped entertainment programming at 7pm was a space TEN introduced to the TV landscape and previously dominated. We see this move as an opportunity to reclaim that space and we have the shows to do it.

“TEN have some of the best big franchise shows in the market with The Biggest Loser and MasterChef Australia and we must make more of what we’ve got. These changes compliment our recent Super Sunday programming line-up announcement and take a step closer to resetting that connection point with our viewers by offering bold and exceptional programs throughout the evening and the entire week.”

23 Responses

  1. This will either come as a blessing or a curse for TEN… If the project numbers continue to dwindle (500k-600k), Biggest Loser won’t have a decent lead in audience.. Hopefully BL will go out on a ledge and be adventurous this year, so people turn on TEN at 7pm just to watch it

  2. Have to agree with David Knox….
    And I have not watched any TEN for a long time….other than a quick glimpse when passing by to another channel….and not likely to….as they are targeting a ‘younger’ audience and are not interested in me anyway…..
    It was my favourite channel and News for many years…..just too much messing/moving around of programs and people I liked and enjoyed watching.

  3. good thinking in moving it back to 7pm, but i would like to see it kept succinct like last year’s season – no longer than half an hour a night thanks ten!

  4. “See it First” NIne News. One could apply that to Excess baggage on Nine. Only to have TEN launch first and then have MC to follow. Much like 2009 before “7PM” now “The Project”.

    Good luck with this. And note H&A on Seven has to compete now. two reality programs against a soap can really make it hard for Seven to get figures.

  5. ““TEN have some of the best big franchise shows in the market”

    Well truth is they used to have all the best but now with SYTYCD obviously staying on the shelf, along with Aus Idol as well as letting Big Brother slip through… all that is left is TBL and MC. I too am interested in what TEN have in store come August..

  6. @Nick exactly. Word from a reputable souce also suggests Ten Late News is about to reappear. It will be interesting to see if Sandra Sully moves back to the Late News of if they keep her at 5pm. She Is Ten Late News.

  7. The problem is what to do when TBL isn’t on for a 7pm offering that isn’t a done to death US sitcom.All their old sitcoms Other than the Simpsons all belong to 11 or Go or Gem now so the obvious solution is the something new approach.how about reinventing a 2012 Perfect Match.I have played the game on Cruise Ships and it’s fun.

  8. Can’t wait, love biggest loser, I have a strong feeling that Excess Baggage will last 2 weeks then put to a later time slot or on a Multi-channel…. (Gem or Go!)

  9. “Being true to our brand…”
    Talk about massive spin. People appreciate honesty and engagement so it’s a shame that you don’t have the balls to admit that you made big mistakes in 2011. You not only took your eye off the ball, you walked off the pitch. Irreverence is not what TEN is known for. The word is irrelevance.

  10. It’s going to be interesting to see how this pans out. TBL have indicated it will be an hourly show for the four nights it airs (Mon – Thurs), so it seems that the 8pm timeslot is also going to be a crucial one for TEN this year.

  11. Nine are probably going “oh shit” right now. Their whole plan is going to backfire. They thought we are smart we will strip reality. Now TEN goes back to its roots and now Nine are going to lose out. Seven will be the real winner in this. Did Nine think TEN would just sit on their hands and let them get ahead? No Warburton has made 2 good moves this year, Sunday night although it should be 2 weeks later, and stripping reality shows again.

  12. It will be intresting to see which show wins if they are both on at the same time i am hoping and tipping the biggest loser to win but i will be taping TBL and watching it at the time it is on an taping excess baggage and watching that after TBL excess bagage has a few things working against it

    1 it is on nine which i along with many others i would think dont trust nine i will give it a go but how many others will

    2 it will be up against TBL which is a sucessfull show

    3 it has celebrities which may not be to everyones taste some people may like seeing ordinary people only and not a mixture of ordinary people and celebritys

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