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Shark Tank’s advice to TEN: “Stay true to your customers”

Shark Tank CEO offers sage advice to network custodians.

The sharks may be circling Network TEN but there are 5 more inside the tank who have some savvy advice for current and future custodians: Stay True to your Customers.

“They produce great TV,” Shark Tank‘s Naomi Simson told TV Tonight.

MasterChef is incredible, Have You Been Paying Attention?, everybody loves The Living Room, The Project is a consistent winner. We all love Family Feud and I know all of the sharks are proud to be a part of the Channel TEN family. They’ve produced a wonderful piece of television that I’m really happy to put my name on.

“But that’s business. They are a commercial enterprise and they need to make money.”

So what would the Sharks tell CEO Paul Anderson if he walked into their tank?

“We kind of jest about things like that,” Simson (pictured second from right) suggested.

“It’s a serious business but I’ve never sat in a business that has 4 billionaires on the Board, so I wouldn’t know what that is like. But what I would say is stay true to your customer. What is it your customer really wants?

“Sometimes these compliance and governance issues are very, very big and that’s where they are caught up at the moment. Their product is wonderful. I enjoy all the people I work with at Channel TEN. They will get through this, but they need to restructure some things.

“I don’t know anything more than what you’ve read in the papers. I’m Talent, I’m not involved with them on a commercial aspect.”

A new series of Shark Tank returns next Tuesday night at 8:30pm and Simson remains enthused about the array of pitches and the single biggest deal the show has yet seen.

“We definitely had fun making the show and we think it’s an important job we do as role models for others.”

9 Responses

  1. Tens strength was airing their reality shows at 7pm, 30 mins before the others who had commitments with regional new services. They need to go back to that in my view. Start it on time and every time.

    1. That sort of falls apart when you realise they’ve mostly always aired their reality shows – MCau, TBLau, TBau, etc – starting at 7:30.

      Even back in 2010 when they were a network on the rise, those shows were on at 7:30 (give or take Sundays, when some started at 6:30pm. 7pm has always been the oddity…

  2. “stay true to your customers”…..the ‘customer’ is the advertiser and not the viewer….advertisers pay the $$$. The advice should be ‘stay true to your viewers’ and then the advertisers will come

  3. Ten’s target demo that they love to crow about simply aren’t watching as much FTA television. Every person on this site (and around my dinner table) would argue the market they aim to win are streaming, downloading and gaming. Plus, unlike the older demo they have no station loyalty. I’d suggest they stop making what they are making and research what will get eyeballs on screens! No matter the age!

    1. I’d also argue that the popular conception of what “Ten’s target demo” is isn’t borne out by the numbers. It actually skews a fair bit older than the popular narrative suggests.

      That said, and although Ten has never really been in a particularly stable position either financially or rating-wise, it’s a hint to the rest as to what coming in the next 5~20 years. There’s a big dip in TV viewer demographics & behaviour that’s going to be bad for the rest, as the potential audience ages into their target demos. 7 will likely be hit next, and hard…

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