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Biggest Loser struggling against competition

Ratings: TEN will be grateful that Sochi is pulling a crowd on ONE, because it entertainment offering is struggling on the main channel.

2013-12-24_0107There is no hiding from some of TEN’s early evening numbers lately. While Sochi Winter Olympics has seen ONE topping multichannels, viewers are avoiding some of the entertainment content up against Reality alternatives.

Last night The Biggest Loser pulled 329,000 viewers, trailing its afternoon screening of The Bold and the Beautiful. At least network evening share has been reasonable, thanks to Sochi, but next week it lacks the games boost.

Seven network share was 35% then
Nine 27.0%, TEN 17.8%, ABC 15.9% and SBS 4.4%.

My Kitchen Rules dominated for Seven with 1.88m viewers then Seven News (1.07m / 1.07m), The Blacklist (980,000), Home and Away (960,000), Million Dollar Minute (452,000),and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (421,000).

Nine News (1.17m / 1.14m) led for Nine followed by A Current Affair (1.06m), The Block (1.05m), Hot Seat (619,000) and David Blaine: What is Magic? (565,000).

TEN Eyewitness News (601,000) topped TEN followed by The Project (459,000  / 317,000). Next was The Bold and the Beautiful at 356,000, The Biggest Loser (329,000). Sochi evening numbers were split across ONE 302,000 and TEN 297,000.

ABC News (829,000) was best on ABC1 followed by 7:30 (560,000) Mad as Hell (527,000), Spicks and Specks (520,000), The Moodys (370,000). Would I Lie to You? was 271,000.

Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve was 219,000 on SBS ONE then One Born Every Minute (198,000) and World News Australia (143,000).

ONE’s Winter Olympics saw it lead multichannels with a 6.3% share.

OzTAM Overnights: Wednesday 19 February 2014

42 Responses

  1. It’s past it’s use by date.I have seen the promotions and it’s disgusting.Why not put something on we all want to watch.The Ditching of the Comedies and Reality TV on 9 at 7pm must be hurting them though.I knew they are having 7pm problems but will putting ACA on there up against Multi Channel Old School Sitcoms and Home and Away fix it.I mean Bogans,Ferals and Old People aside who watches that piece of Gutter Trash these days.

  2. Another alternative idea with The Project is to have it from 6-6.30pm then a reality show from 6.30-7.30pm as a crazy idea. Not analysed in any way I note. So very dangerous.

    Of course there is the other ideas of 6-7pm plus reality at 7-7.30pm. Unless they chuck a third show in the mix. Although is that affordable. With hour news these days it would be some sort of counter-programming.

    Lastly I am worried what will happen after the Olympics. I hope it isn’t as bad as feared. I did notice the ratings for the News by the way.

  3. Shame – I’m (once again) really enjoying The Biggest Loser. I’ve given up on My Bitchin’ Rules and can’t remember the last time I watched 9 in primetime.

  4. I watch TEN news and then first bit of Grand Designs which I record last part, flick over to Neighbours at 6.30, then flick back to 7YWO for their 7.00 news, then go and play on computer until decent shows start to appear around 9.45 onwards.I do not watch the MKR, The Block, The Biggest Loser, or any other mindless reality show.

    Really I wonder when people are watching MKR and well I know what goes on their knowing a past contestant, and I shake my head and wonder what we have all become.

  5. I agree with the comments about Ten needing a point of difference in the early evenings. Their strengths lie in their scripted offerings and local dramas, and I would look at bringing these forward to 7.30 where classification allows. The Project should be moved to 6-7pm as a lead out of Ten News and bring in an entertainment offering at 7pm which can deliver a stronger lead in to 7.30pm.

  6. TBL can never be a half hour show as some people are suggesting, it needs an hour at least. Ten should have put on last year when they finished filming, or at the very least not against MKR/The Block – wait till one of them finishes then put it on.
    Hopefully Puberty Blues & The Good Wife can pull some numbers that ten needs.

    1. A reminder that I asked Beverley McGarvey about the 7pm slot in recent Programmer’s Wrap. At the time the dust was settling on Nine and Seven still had TT. She indicated she was watching with interest, but that one also has to commission / plan with these in mind. If you put TBL at 7pm you either need to commission it for 90 mins, or have a plan B for another 8pm show. There are always considerations. That said I still the benefits outweigh the negatives in reclaiming Reality at 7pm.

  7. The whole news thing is interesting I think it’s more to do with the style and presentation of news that ties into what Billy C is saying.

    The ‘straight’ to the point news that Seven and Nine present are the most digestible, to the point, just information. They are also broken into categories, leading news, local, world, sport weather and some time features.

    The Project is far more eclectic than that, it’s edgy, has a lot of opinion and is much more of a magazine format. Unfortunately for them the digital spare is similar in terms of magazine style news.

    I think it’s a great show but wrong slot. The Panel’s success was because it had a great time slot. It certainly wouldn’t of worked at 6.30 to 7.30.

    DK you are right, TEN need to reclaim 7pm and take some risks! They really now have nothing to loose.

  8. @ David

    Everyone is saying that The Project hopeless lead in numbers do not help the pathetic numbers for Biggest Loser. They are correct but TBL is failing more so because they have stupidly programmed it at the same time as MKR and The Block. It is a shame Ten programmers don’t read our blogs or they may have been able to rescue Loser but too late now.

    1. I indicated some time ago TEN would be fortuitous to reclaim 7pm Reality given Nine had abandoned it. I thought they might make that move after Sochi.

      VVV: You misunderstand. I did not presume you had suggested TEN doing 6pm News. I was commenting on the theory that “nobody watches Project because we all know the news from our office desks / mobiles” …. using this theory Seven and Nine would not have viewers at 6pm but they do.

  9. @David: of course people wouldn’t watch 6pm news on Ten. They didn’t watch in 2011, and they probably won’t watch now. I am not suggesting 6pm news.

    As for a TBL, discussion being about The Project, that’s because The Project provides the lead-in to Ten’s reality shows, so Project ratings will always be relevant to TBL ratings.

  10. …offer the alternative.

    And as for The Project rating better at 7pm, well that’s obviously because the 7pm Project isn’t competing directly against Neighbours, a show which has a similar fanbase.

  11. If even the Olympics doesn’t help Ten to rate decently, perhaps they should pool all their money together and buy My Kitchen Rules from Seven…

  12. Yes, Ten should just strip TBL at 7pm for now, as it would rate better in that timeslot.

    The problem with Ten is that they are offering the exact same as what Seven and Nine are offering. Their whole problem started when they followed Seven and Nine into the 6pm news war.

    Ten need to stop trying to be like Seven and Nine, and go back to what worked for them in the past (being the “cool alternative network”). The only way Ten can get viewers to switch over from Seven and Nine, is by offering something that those 2 aren’t offering, not a 3rd reality show or a 3rd breakfast.

    Reality worked for Ten in the past, but that was because it provided a welcome alternative to the scripted content on the other channels. Now, it’s the opposite. Seven and Nine already have reality TV covered, as well as news and current affairs. Ten need to look for what is missing in the TV market, and…

  13. The problem with the project is that for a lot of people they can get news during the day at work on the web. Or they get it on their phone, or they listen to the radio in the car on the way home. When you get home you don’t need to hear it again before the news. Networks need to give audience what they can’t get anywhere else and The Project is not different enough from commercial radio or straight news. Mad As Hell as a pure comedy is so much better than The Project which still sits in a weird place between news and comedy with odd tone shifts.

  14. The problem is that even though The Project doesn’t rate, what other options do TEN have to show at that time? And despite it’s poor figures, it is actually a really great show.

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