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Sports Tonight to end in October?

A Sports Tonight senior reporter appears to have confirmed the inevitable.

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What’s the future for Sports Tonight?

Since network cuts by Lachlan Murdoch there has been much speculation, not helped by the network’s moves away from sport on ONE and a decision to exit AFL after this season.

Many observers expect the programme to end once the AFL season is over.

Officially, the network hasn’t made any statement about Sports Tonight.

Yesterday a TEN spokesperson told TV Tonight, “We’ll have more to say about shows over the next few weeks.”

But on the weekend Sports Tonight senior reporter Paul Cochrane appeared to have already tweeted the outcome:

#videohits is ending with Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” What should we use 2 sign off @sportstonight1 in October?

For the record, Video Hits was a show TEN denied had been axed on July 4th, but was confirmed as axed on July 5th.

TEN’s 2012 Programming Launch is being held next week.

35 Responses

  2. Considering Australia’s collective obsession with sport, it amazes me that there is nothing on FTA that compares to ST – namely, a sports news program. Instead, we get lumped with repeated (bad) attempts at AFL panel shows and NRL panel shows… Offsiders at least acknowledges other sports, but it’s still much more discussion-oriented.

  3. Lachlan Murdoch should p*** off and go back to where he comes from. Ever since he got involved with TEN, the channel has gone down hell including ONE which was great last year but now pfft.

  4. Jimbo K is right – they killed this show when it became just an extended segment of the late news. Shame. In Timmy Webster’s day, it was required viewing.

  5. Lachlan Murdoch does realize that programming on Channel Ten isn’t just about stuff he likes right….?

    This is the second worst decision he’s made since he took over, the first was passing on airing AFL next year.

    Lachlan, don’t let the door hit you in the a** on the way out. Seriously.

  6. Ten’s Late News also needs to be axed. From a cost cutting point of view, it actually makes sense to axe Sports Tonight, as One HD covers sports news with a daily sports news show and hopefully Mr. Tim can move over to that, if he hasn’t already. Plus if Ten are going to do a 7 day week breakfast show, Tim can be the sports news guy and maybe the weekend host.

  7. This is a little off topic but a system needs to be developed where one commercial network gets the rights and priority to a dedicated Sport.
    This would ensure cashed up carnivores like 7 and 9 don’t just get to pay the big bucks and do whatever they like, Bathurst last year was a joke and constant clashing with the AFL means Motorsport will always lose out.
    Ten does Motorsport the best the others really are not interested let them do a good job.
    Seven get’s AFL and all associated content.
    Nine does the NRL although it’s current system where it decides when and where to play games is a joke, count the televised games that Melbourne Storm have had this year and you will see that even being the best and leading the Comp by a mile will never beat corporate cronyism.
    SBS and ABC for all the rest, horseracing can be divvyed up like it is now.
    This of course is just a dream I had once in a perfect world and I realise the corporate bidding and gesticulating process would never let something as sensible and simple as this ever happen.

  8. Does anyone know when Brad Mcewan’s contract is up? Channel 9 should grab him, they seem to have more sports related coverage and news for him to be a part of. Maybe Today Show or WWOS?

  9. Lovely to hear so many of you lamenting the loss of the Programme I launched and loved..and yes, it was 1993. No official word, it’s true..but, I think it’s a done deal.

    I did it for 13 years…Bill Woods, Matty White..now Brad McEwan and Rob Canning..and many other journos who contributed over the years…too many to mention who launched their careers via Sports Tonight.

    A great Show, a great brand for the TEN Network..it will be sad.

    How about using the phrase we used to use…for the last time..” If it happened in Sport today..you’ve seen it on Sports Tonight”

    Tim Webster

  10. It is the best sports info program on TV…just enough info…to let you know what is going on….without a truckload of discussion on the whys and wherefores.

  11. Politics aside, what may get thought about TEN and Mr M. Maybe Video Hits as it was, had had it’s day. I think it is more a shame that a new lite version of a Music show wasn’t considered in it’s place, not so much in same time spot, but somewhere on TEN at least. Very little Music to be found on FTA tv.
    With ST, not to be rude, because it will have it’s followers, but to me, Sports is one thing that isn’t in short supply on FTV, correct me if wrong, but between, Games shown, Sports-News, and Sport themed shows, FTA doesn’t have it too bad when it comes to Sports in general.

  13. Does this mean there will actually be more ‘News’ on TEN Late News?

    There are nights where it’s 3 mins of news then 15 mins of sport and then another 2 minutes for finance and weather with commercials in between.

  17. Ten stuffed this show around when it was merged with the Late News in 2006 (apart from Fridays show where it airs around 12.30 in the morning!), axing it from the weekend schedule this year, and the constant change-slot changes on ONE HD.

    A shame that it is ending. TEN = Shame shame shame!

  18. If it is true – another show that is cheap to produce gets the axe! The content is mainly what is shown in the earlier news bulletins around the country. Sounds like another show that is a threat to the Murdoch owned Foxtel gets the boot. So if you want to watch a nightly sports show – you have to get Foxtel.

  21. Is it just Sports Tonight that will end as a separate show in October, or is it Sports Tonight the brand that will disappear altogether? If it is the latter, will it be back to plain old sports reports on Ten News?

  22. “Will the last person to leave turn out the lights…”

    They can’t keep cutting long running shows like this and now arguably their biggest sports show, so much for the network with the first 24/7 FTA sports channel in this country.

    How long has ST been around?

  25. When is Sports Tonight on these days? Apart from a full show following the late news on Friday’s, isn’t it just merged with Ten news? Seeing it end will be a shame. ):

    David don’t you mean TEN’s 2012 Programming Launch is beind held next week?

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