Leckie on TEN exec: ‘A pain in the arse.’
- Published by David Knox
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Seven Network’s chief executive, David Leckie, has blasted rival networks that have criticised Seven’s 2008 performance as lacklustre.
“I won’t take any crap on this. Yes, our audiences have gone down a bit; we started off slow this year and I did that deliberately,” Mr Leckie told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Are we in danger of losing our position? No way. Are we coming back? Yes we are. Don’t judge me after Easter. Judge me after May. There are just so many interruptions again.”
In the key advertising demographics of 25- to 54-year-olds, Seven’s audience share is down 14.4 per cent compared with an 8.6 per cent rise for Nine and a 9.4 per cent increase for Ten. On an “all people” basis, Seven is down 8 per cent, Nine is up 3.5 per cent and Ten is up 7 per cent.
Network Ten’s sales boss and a former colleague of Mr Leckie at Nine, Vance Lothringer, said programs such as Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Border Security and It Takes Two had all continued their audience slide from last year into this year.
“Seven did a great job of launching them but when you take a dive on some of these things last year of 20 or 25 per cent and it’s continued into 2008, it shows they’re getting tired very quickly,” Mr Lothringer said.
“This will go on for another couple of weeks until Easter and it’s a long way back from there. They may still win [the year] but I don’t think they will get back to where they were last year.”
Mr Leckie fired back, saying, “Look at Nine. Apart from Underbelly, every single show it has put on has failed,” he said.
“Channel Ten as usual snuck under the radar. It’s got two programs holding it up. The rest is crap. And you know what? Vance Lothringer wants to be [Ten’s] chief executive. [Grant] Blackley should watch out. Vance Lothringer has been jealous of me for 33 years. I told him everything he knows and he is doing everything he can to be a pain in the arse. Good luck to him.”
So far this year Nine and Seven have tied ratings weeks two all.
Source: smh.com.au
4 Responses
Jeez, sour grapes much, Leckie telling Blackley to watch out because Lothringer wants his job! Getting a little petty here aren’t we.
In my estimation Seven can trace their problems this year to one show – Out of the Question – if this is what’s coming out of their development processes then they are in for a rough year.
Add to that they cannot coax Primma Donna’s Riley and Turner into another season of their hit show
All their other new shows are fly on the wall take it or leave it fare.
And the audience for all of their big american hits have eroded beyond belief!
I have no doubt Seven will win the year, but they will do so on the same basis that Nine has done for many years prior – on the sole strength of their 6pm News Hour while their Primetime (7.30 – 10.30) schedule slowly withers.
ofcourse they started out slowly this year, as Easter is early there is only 5 week of ratings before the break, not really enough to gain any traction and they would be nuts to do a “full season” launch when theres still cricket finals going on, saying that, Im glad “It Takes Two” is on the slide, its looks like it belongs 1n 1994 and why hasnt someone stood Grant Denyer on a box or something, he looks ridiculous next to Erica Heynatz
LMAO!!
Ahh, yeah, we are on purpose like losing viewers cause its our plan like and then when they come back we can all have cake and eat my mums home made pie….
Started out slow deliberately lol who’s he trying to kid! His hostile reaction speaks volumes about how worried Seven are about the steady downward slide of it’s biggest hits.
Vance is right Seven MAY win this year but will never reach the heights of last year ever again. If the current trends continue Nine will win 2009 and unlike Seven will maintain a stranglehold on the top spot. Seven are on the wane while Nine & Ten are on the rise.