TEN dumps TEN Late News and Sports Tonight double
The long-running late night double of TEN Late News and Sports Tonight will end, but Sandra Sully remains and Sports Tonight is merged into evening bulletins.
- Published by David Knox
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More changes at TEN.
The long-running late night double of TEN Late News and Sports Tonight will end on Friday September 30th.
TEN is dropping the pair, but retaining Sandra Sully for its local Sydney bulletin and merging the Sports Tonight brand within its evening bulletins.
Sports Tonight is also axed as a stand-alone show on ONE.
Sully will replace Deb Knight and join Bill Woods at the TEN News desk in Sydney. This means once again, the rest of the nation will miss out on seeing the popular host who had only recently returned to TEN Late News after the failed 6:30pm local news. That short stint notwithstanding, Sully has been the face of the network’s late news since 1995, famously fronting the live coverage of the 9/11 tragedy.
Sully said: “I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time as anchor of TEN’s Late News, having had the opportunity to break some of Australia and indeed the world’s biggest news stories in that time. I’m thrilled that TEN is serious about investing in quality news programming and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of this next exciting phase.”
The Sports Tonight brand will appear within earlier news bulletins around the country with Brad McEwan presenting in the Sydney News. In the newly-announced 90 minute bulletin Rob Canning will present an extended segment. TEN has also announced Toyota has re-signed as a sponsor of the brand.
The ending of Sports Tonight as a stand-alone show had been rumoured ever since interim CEO Lachlan Murdoch initiated a cost review of the network. Its ending comes the day before TEN’s final AFL broadcast.
It confirms the recent tweet by one of the senior reporters that the show would be ending with the end of the AFL deal.
The change also breaks up the presenting duo of Sully and McEwan whose relaxed banter has frequently been noted by viewers, and featured in fan-made YouTube clips of the pair.
A TEN statement says, “These developments, along with the recent announcement of an extended 90-minute national weekend new bulletin are part of TEN’s on-going strategy to deliver audiences a comprehensive news service of the highest calibre day-in and day-out.”
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81 Responses
Another dumb programming move from Ten.
Friday Night Lights is a brilliant show, but would unfortunately rate abysmally for Ten even at 10.30 pm, plus ABC2 are repeating it.
White Collar is too good for a 10.30 pm timeslot.
Blue Bloods is meant to moving to One.
They could show Hawaii Five 0 repeats.
Army Wives still hasn’t found a slot, since it’s about 3 seasons behind.
ahhh, no actually. She’s moving to 17.00 News and Brad will still be presenting the sports segment for the News, so they’ll still be together
Bloody idiots. A very relaxed duo with great banter and an enjoyable news program no matter what the topic of the day. I really wonder who makes these decisions. I am sure they never watch television, just watch a bunch of spreadsheets and figures and go, time to move this to here and this to there and get rid of this. Idiots. Bella says they have lost the plot? Maybe we need to get them a plot to bury the Ten network in.
Bloody Hell TEN.
No more Funtastic Chemistry between Brad & Sandra they are so good together,they bounce off each other (not sexually) in way’s money can’t buy.
big mistakeTEN.
Also Bring back Ron Wilson to 5pm.
TEN minus one= Nine.
That’s what your turning into.
Fingers crossed they use this slot to air shows that do not fit on any multichannel or do not fit on the main channel in primetime . Assuming they have rights to all these shows they have a wide selection of shows they could air.
eg Medium ( 7 remaining eps), Law and Order UK, Law and Order (10 eps) Numbers (3 eps). Undercover Boss USA
Accidentally on Purpose’, ‘
Don’t Forget the Lyrics’, ‘
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad’
‘The Ex List’
‘Mental’,
‘Friday Night Lights’,
‘Expedition Impossible’
‘White Collar’.
Blue Bloods’,
‘In Plain Sight’,
, ‘Bondi Vet’
‘Rules of Engagement’
Very, very, very disappointing TEN.
Your Late News has been a staple of late night TV for decades. Considering you claim to be a network who wants to be taken seriously for its news coverage, ditching the monopoly you have in commercial late night news for yet another breakfast programme is farsical. Stop trying to mimick Seven and Nine and be the ‘seriously ‘ different network you claim to be…
Also, why remove Sandra Sully from a national audience? She has a very loyal following and the banter she has with Brad McEwan is very entertaining. TEN… if you’re reading this, put Sully and McEwan on Breakfast… I’m sure both would work very well with Andrew Rochford and you will have an instant loyal audience from the very first programme.
Very disappointing, I always enjoyed the late news.
I wonder if Nine will revive Nightline (again) to capitalise on the hole in the market?
OK Ryan,nows the time to take a pill and finally buy some batteries for your remote,they’ve dudded you mate!
*clap* *clap* ten, its amazing but you got even s**tier.
If people don’t like it, there’s ABC1’s 7 pm news and SBS’s 9.30 pm news, if you don’t want to watch ABC24. Deb Knight should be made Ten’s proposed morning show’s female co-host.
Personally I would have kept the late news and ditched the 5pm bulletin – with the powerhouse that is 7 and 9 in the 6pm slot, TEN would completely dominate evening news and deliver the right amount of news vs cost savings.. ah but this is why we dont run networks – we think innovatively, not reactionary
When is a TV network going to understand that not everybody gets home before 6.00pm to watch the news. Ten had the late news all to itself. It rated better than Today or Sunrise. But I suppose it was always on the cards…with Breakfast on its way…too costly to have news at the start and end of the day.
So If we want late news – I suppose there is Sky news on the Murdoch owned Foxtel…..hmm funny about that! Sandra..we will miss you around the country. Sydney’s gain in prime time.
I just wonder when there is going to be some good news come out of Ten….and the recent Netball broadcasts announcement is not what i would call …great news!!!
TEN tried news at 6:30 to address the issue of people coming home after 6pm. But it’s clear that there is an audience that feels some affection for the long-running Late Night edition.
Oh yeah, that Fox/one-tel Guy runs the show, how could I have forgotten that, silly me.
Well what happends to Bill Woods and Deborah Night now??
What a shame. I miss the 6pm news so often that Ten Late News was the best and only option to catch-up later in the evening. So apparently late night news is not important to any network any more.
OMFG! F*** you Ten! What a useless scum network! Can someone send lachlan murdoch my way so i can spit in his face.
How can this possibly benifit 10? what show can you put in it’s place that’s gonna rate higher? esp consdering you have totally fkt up your network.
Sandra sully is a 10 icon, the most wanted woman to read the news and what do we get now? Nothing! We know for a fact if anyone is watching 10 @ that time then its only cause of the news with sandra! if the news goes then we will just start our dvd collection earlier in the night.
They could use Cleveland Show weeknights to replace the late news but that sadly now belongs to 11.I am thinking Benny Hill or old Comedy Company episodes as neither cost 10 anything and both went out of production a long time ago anyone got any better ideas?And Please No Police Procedurals
This is very sad.
I love SS.
I love Ten Late News/Sports Tonight. It is basically the only was I get my news via TV nowadays.
I will only switch on to Ten at 10:30 again if they put Letterman into this timeslot. Cmon TEN, at least trial it to see how it performs.
At least i still get to watch Sandra, was worried for a second.
What a crock! Late News now gone. Early News will be gone to make way for Breakfast and there’s no doubt Morning News will also be flicked. Leaving TEN with only 1 national News bulletin. How is that a investing in News?
@Donny – 7pm is entertainment.. it’s also TEN’s highest rating show most nights at this point so don’t knock it too hard.
Oh oh,Ryan won’t be happy when he wakes up!!
So only Sydney gets to enjoy Sandra now… what a shame.
Looks tlike the Late News/Sports Tonight budget is going to be used instead to compete with 7,9, ABC in the mornings with another breakfast news program from next year. Why compete in that timeslot when the late night was all theirs to take? At this rate, TEN will be repeating the Circle as a daily best of in the 10.30pm timeslot to save cash. Now ABC has the timelsot all to themselves with Lateline and no other competition. I don’t count the very dull, stilted and amateur ABC24 as being watchable.
Hopefully this means we can get Letterman at a steady timeslot instead of a different time every damn night !!!