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Love Child low while Reality takes front seat

Ratings: Network execs are looking to Timeshifted numbers as Drama deals with the new reality of 9pm starts.


Network programmers are juggling with the dilemma of extended Reality shows pulling large audiences but pushing Dramas to later starts, and looking to Timeshifted for a final figure.

Love Child‘s fourth season returned to its lowest season premiere, pulling 624,000 viewers in a 9pm start. But Nine will be hoping it pulls extra viewers north of 150,000 in Timeshifted viewing. There were more viewers for House Rules at the same time, although strictly speaking they weren’t head to head.

The good news was The Voice topped the night at 1.11m viewers for Nine, with MasterChef dipping on its second night at 913,000, but enough to retain 2 demos. Seven had a double episode of House Rules which it strategically split in coding at 788,000 / 767,000 -higher in its second hour.

Seven News and A Current Affair were both timeslot winners.

Nine network won Tuesday with 29.0% then Seven 27.7%, TEN 21.5%, ABC 14.5%, and SBS 7.3%.

The Voice was #1 for Nine with 1.11m then Nine News (994,000 / 975,000), A Current Affair (873,000), Love Child (624,000), Hot Seat (491,000 / 272,000) and Operation Thailand (303,000).

Seven News (1.06m / 1.06m) topped Seven’s night followed by House Rules (788,000 / 767,000), Home and Away (754,000), The Chase (654,000 / 404,000) and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (326,000).

MasterChef Australia (931,000) led for TEN then The Project (635,000 / 401,000), NCIS (550,000), TEN Eyewitness News (504,000), Family Feud (382,000) and NCIS: LA (381,000).

On ABC it was ABC News (781,000), 7:30 (509,000), Diana: Designing a Princess (401,000), Conviction (359,000) and Foreign Correspondent (309,000).

Great Continental Railway Journeys (374,000), Insight (305,000), Dateline (161,000) and SBS World News (152,000) comprised SBS’ night.

Shaun the Sheep shot back to multichannel glory at 244,000.

The Morning Show: 129,000 / 86,000
Today Extra: 124,000 / 79,000
Studio 10: 86,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Tuesday 2 May 2017

26 Responses

  1. I watched a few minutes of Masterchef until they brought out the firecracker crap. I don’t want to watch contestants trying to recreate something no one would order in a restaurant let alone make at home. These shows have jumped the shark. A few minutes made me realise that I was living in a timewarp of past seasons or some sort of groundhog day for desperate tv networks. Yawn’o’rama. I give the networks 5 years max.

    1. How is it jumping the shark when they made the croquembouche and snow egg famous years ago? MKR may do home dishes, Masterchef is undeniably more aspirational. I remember asking about this some time ago and was told the research showed it was what viewers wanted.

        1. I’ve been chuckling since I read this. Please make it comment of the week. I feel like it’s any conversation I have with my kids.

    2. Each to their own. I look at those dishes, and start planning how to do it myself. If you had it in a restaurant, you would need to share between four people, but many would want to try it.

  2. Should be pointed out that the SBS ‘Great Continental…’ ep was a repeat, so its figures are even more remarkable-still a stunning, fascinating series though!

  3. i really enjoyed season 1 & 2 of Love Child but found S3 to be quite slow moving so only got half way through it, i still have unwatched eps on the pvr! The whole slow-mo scenes with the ethereal music in the background thing was getting on my nerves & just not enough seemed to be happening in each episode. But i am a rather impatient viewer, its a completely different sort of show, but i gave up on Dexter for being too slow moving also.So is S4 any better in that regard?

  4. Great episode of NCIS. The episode focusing on Palmer was well done. It was nice to see a side of a character than doesn’t get much air time on the show. Its been a good season so far.

  5. Am enjoying this season of The Voice wasn’t sure about Boy George but wow he’s so funny, generous and enjoyable to watch! Not sure about Seal I don’t understand his comments at times? & I dunno Sonia looks tired on screen.. but am loving the show!

  6. While it was a great episode, House Rules went way, way too long last night. Two and a quarter hours took it nearly all the way through Love Child.

    1. I disagree that it was a great episode. The reveal wa good, the judges harsh but yet fair with valid and some wit.
      The reaction from the home owner and friend was disgustingly ungrateful. I was left feeling awful for those that out in the blood sweat and tears. So disappointed having watched 2 eps a week since series 1, that I will watch the reveal next week and may switch off Permanently!

      1. I think I should have said entertaining rather than great. It was car-crash tv with the two homeowners who were awful – the children showed way more maturity than the mum. Now I want to keep watching to see karma in action.

  7. I think it is a little sad that dramas are considered to be such a lesser element in the programming mix. Ideally they should be on 7:30pm with the reality shows following (if they are still deemed necessary) then the viewers could enjoy something a little more stimulating in my view.

    1. I agree drama was always a must in the earlier time slot. But technology reliant viewers seem to prefer the light reality and the networks feel rewarded by the ratings and advertising!

  8. The networks seem scared to program dramas at 7:30pm anymore but Love Child feels like the type of show that would do really well in an earlier slot. Now is probably the time they could have tried it too since The Voice is not a 5 night a week stripped Reality show.

  9. IMO it was a stellar night for Aussie drama last night. The episode of Wentworth was thrilling form go to woe and one of the best stand alone eps across the entire 5 series. I thought season 4 lost its way a bit but this season has been on par with the outstanding S1 and S2, it is almost like Bea Smith who?!!?!?

    And the return of Love Child was one its best offerings for a couple of seasons as well. The introduction of the new characters was well interwoven with exisiting characters and there were two jaw dropping OMG moments in it as well, we could be on the way for a top season. I really hope they get the time shifted numbers it deserves…

  10. Sadly, those numbers for Love Child are par for the course (for overnight) ratings for Aussie dramas. House Husbands was similar, 800 Words a little better. All the ABC dramas were worse. Hoges & Bond biopics bombed. Wentworth on pay TV is returning lower figures as well.
    The audience for Aussie dramas is still there, but the audience now chooses when it watches. Plus some of this year’s dramas have been less than stellar – looking at the ABC here.

      1. Yes I will be a timeshifted viewer too. After Masterchef I wasn’t keen for another hour of television. 9pm is too late a start for me (if it indeed was 9 and not 9.07…Glad to hear it was a good start to the season. I found last season started without any excitement and it took a few eps to build.

      2. Still got the last four episodes to watch from last year – when they messed around with the nights and played too many in a week I fell behind and never got around to watching them.

        1. I was so surprised when they renewed love child after they aired all those episodes in one week last year. The figures don’t surprise me after the way they treated it last year. I’ve only watched the first part of the episode so can’t say as yet if I like it.

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