Report: Idol out for 2010
Channel TEN will reverse its decision to air Australian Idol this year according to a feature story in today's media.
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Channel TEN will reverse its decision to air Australian Idol this year according to a feature story in today’s Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper claims the show will be “rested” this year despite it being announced as part of the network’s 2010 line-up.
“TEN is going to rest Australian Idol for 2010. They will make a decision towards the end of 2010 as to whether it will return in 2011,” an unnamed source said. “They have asked Fremantle for ideas on how to relaunch in 2011.”
Last year was Idol‘s softest year on record with Sunday night figures barely cracking the 1m margin.
1.47m viewers tuned in to see Stan Walker crowned the show’s winner, down from 1.6m in 2008. The show’s peak era was when Casey Donovan pipped Anthony Callea in 2004 when 3.34m tuned in.
In October Australian Idol was featured as part of the network’s 2010 Programme Launch. While there has already been speculation about who may or may not return as part of the Idol franchise, TEN has refused to comment on the report.
None of the judges have been renewed for the show yet.
In a poll on TV Tonight, 17% of readers voted to replace Jay Dee Springbett, 6% Marcia Hines and just 2% for Andew Gunsberg and 1% for Dicko.
But while 10% voted to get rid of them all, a whopping 63% voted to get rid of the show entirely.
Some readers have suggested a return to a rejuvenated X Factor, which allows for different groups rather than solo singers. Yesterday the Seven Network also announced the 4th season of Australia’s Got Talent.
The reality show has been a “tentpole” part of the network’s programming for seven years. The loss of Idol to TEN will create a major hole to the network’s Sunday programming, particularly after the added exit of Rove. Complicating matters, this year’s Commonwealth Games also falls in the middle of the traditional Idol season, but the boost from the Games may in turn become part of the solution to the network’s final quarter.
As MasterChef proved in replacing Big Brother, major change also brings opportunity. Could TEN move Junior MasterChef to Sundays to make up the difference?
Source: Daily Telegraph
78 Responses
I believe ch10 should come up with an origianl comedy sitcom for 2010.
I think it should air sunday nights where idol was.
A really good sitcom with a great cast is what australian is gagging for. Like Mother and Son in the past or Kingswood Country, Australian’s a dying for another sitcom.
Get rid of all these stupid Australian cop dramas and sitcoms about feel good families who can do nothing wrong.
Put on a comedy sitcom not a sketch show or a send up of a reality show and ch10 will have a huge market on there hands.
Look at Kath and Kim. It’s a situation comedy and people love it. Look at the raitings for kath and kim on channel 7…huge!!!
Come on channel 10. You screen all those American sitcoms “Accidently on Purpose”, “Rules of Engagement”, yet you never seem to want to screen any of your own ideas…come on!!
I totally agree with resting idol for the year. It’s a good decision.
It’s like Kath and Kim. They’ve rested it for a year and will come back with huge raitings as people are waiting to see them.
If it was on every year people would get bored and just give up but a resting a show that has been popular in the past will surely get the old fans back as they’ll realise what they’re missing
If I remember rightly, Ten was looking at reviving Young Talent Time back in October. I’m tipping we’ll get an announcement, within days, that YTT’s back (final run at Nunawading angle perhaps), and Idol’s being rested.
As for 9AM, just hand it back to the individual stations…
What’s on ten in 2010? Seriously. No Rove. No Idol. Please ditch Masterchef 2!
This post just made my day. There is a TV god!
Good on them! It needs a rest this year, otherwise it risks saturation, I think more people will tune in to a 2011 idol, feeling it has been adequately rested and refreshed.
Does AGT returning mean no Red Symons for Hey Hey?
They should do Idol one year, and Big Brother the next, and so on to keep both formats fresh and interesting.
Great decision, now maybe they can make some good dramas and sitcoms this year.
Channel 9 were quite happy to announce this this morning on the Today show. Not sure why they are so happy, where will they source this years Carols By Candlelight singers from!?
Yeah, that’s a great idea, saturate the schedule with versions of Masterchef. After all, that worked for Nine and the various chef Ramsay shows, didn’t it?
Ten really do like to run shows that dominate their schedule, every time you switch over to Ten there’s the reality show du jour, grinding away. Big Bother, or Oidul, and more lately Masterchef.
Good. Now can they do a backflip on the 7pm Project?
thank god for that!
Seven seasons and they haven’t had a winner who’s become successful, yeah I think its high time for a “rest”!
I do not belive that Junior MasterChef will be able to get the rating they need. By the time the real version is over, people will not want a lesser version. Celebrity MasterChef went well, but as people said, they want to see everyday people, not celebrities or niche markets.
I wonder if TEN read all the Idol comments on TVTonight to influence their decision. With all the negative comments, and many many comments telling them how to improve it, it hasnt left them with much time for a full overhaul, and getting it approved by 19 and Freemantle.
X factor all the way. Look how ITV have turned that into a juggernaut in the UK.
If this report is true, Ch10 has lost it 1st Major Draw. ..And they are already at panic stations pulling 6shows in the last 3weeks in an Off-Season!. This Year is gonna be very ugly for Ch10!
🙁 bring back BB!!
*Grins* Late last year TEN begged Kyle to come back for the next one. Of course he turned them down. And this is the result. If Kyle had returned this year they would have had the hype to get the viewers back. Now the show is just limp.
Maybe next time they’ll treat their employees a bit better and stand behind them, instead of bowing to hysterical media and public backlash.
The first year did unearth a talent in Guy,who stills has a good career,and some have had some success………The show was a good way too find unknown talent and some who didnt even win have careers now,but mainly the ones from first few years..Shannon,Anthony,Ricki Lee,Pauline,Jessica,Damien.The last few years no real talent came out of the show.Oh and if story in Telegraph newspaper is actually right………rested in 2010 and might return in 2011,if it does return in 2011 it needs total makeover………..new judges and format l hope
Oh wait I didn’t see you already mentioned that in the article 😉
Appropriate given that lead in the current poll is:
“# Jus ditch the whole show (63%)”
Probably a good move. Comm games take most of its usual slot anyway. 2010 is going to be a turbulant year for Ten.
If Ch10 faces a ‘major hole’ in its 2010 schedule due to resting this “tentpole” programme, there is something seriously wrong with the forward planning in its Programming Dept. Blind Freddy could have told them what TVT’s straw poll has indicated: it is past its use-by date. Why not start planning its replacement earlier instead of continually thrashing a dead format? Surely David Mott has alternatives on his whiteboard?
Now lets hope they reverse the decision on keeping the 7pm project!