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The Project to switch to 6pm -six nights a week.

EXCLUSIVE: The Project will move to a 6pm start, including a half hour edition on Sundays, with TEN News back to its one hour edition.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Project will move to a 6pm start on TEN, including on Sundays.

The News-based show will air from 6-7pm weeknights, with a half hour edition on Sundays beginning on January 22nd.

The change comes as TEN faces declining ratings in its early evening timeslot, following its failed News revamp.

TEN News has struggled in its extended 90 minutes, but will now return to its viewer-preferred 60 minute bulletin.

After The 7PM Project dropped “7PM” from its title, TEN doubled the length of its bulletin from 6:30pm.

Now it will retain the sixty minute edition from an earlier start time, as well as adding a half hour edition on Sundays.

The shake-up effectively opens up TEN’s 7pm timeslot for new programming, including the possibility of stripped Reality shows such as The Biggest Loser and MasterChef Australia.

New CEO James Warburton has signalled TEN needs to drive up its ratings on the primary channel.

Time will tell if the latest programming gamble is the right move.

109 Responses

  1. I think the move to cut back the ninety minute news to sixty is a good move – there was never enough content to fill the entire hour and a half without excessive repetition and the 5:00pm slot is the one TEN can call their own.

    Still not sure about The Project. I do think the 6:00pm timeslot is one that can be used to provide some kind of non-news, non-current affairs alternative to what Seven and Nine are doing. An Australian made sitcom (or series of sitcoms alternating) would be a good idea or at least revamp The Project to get rid of the negative elements (primarily the current on screen talent.)

  2. @Christopher, regional news bulletins where dropped by the owners of Southern Cross Austereo(SCA), not the TEN network, who own Metro stations.

  3. I think I watched every 7PM Project from the day it began and always thought it was too rushed. However when it started as The Project 1 hour just seemed to long to spend watching and I now only catch bits of it and usually end up deleting recorded shows. Maybe back to 1/2 hour at 6:00 or 6:30 would be best to settle on.
    I understand TEN needs to make drastic moves with Nine’s The Block / Apprentice / Big Brother line-up coming to 7:00. What are they going to put on that will compete? Surely not Modern Family repeats or something. With TBL already a long way into filming isn’t it too late to convert it to a stripped show?

  5. Death knell. It will be gone by mid-year.
    If they can’t crack the ACA/TT audience at 6:30 then they are doomed against actual news plus The Drum (similar format, but featuring people with brains).

  6. I can see the day when 10 decides to try something completely different – by scrubbing the “news” at 5 and replacing it totally with “The Project” concept.

    By the end of this year – possibly by July 1 2012.

    (Wow, you’ve certainly been busy this morning with the response to the Project shift…) Good job – as always.

  7. People here talking about the Project getting creamed against Nine and Seven news do not understand demographics. It’s not all about raw viewer numbers.

  8. Nobody looks to 10 for comprehensive news coverage. 10 needs to stop trying to win that battle. It’s not going to happen. Just go back to fun, light entertainment and ensure to keep the eps on track.

  10. It should have been at 6pm all along but my dad is not going to be happy as he likes watching the 6pm news, even thought he watches the different news shows from about 4:30pm. Now they can run something like Master Chief from 7pm when it comes back.

    Good move TEN.

  11. I won’t miss The Project when it is finally put out to pasture. The concept in the beginning was good, execution not so good. I could never endear myself to Charlie, Carrie or Dave.

  13. I have been watching 6.00pm news all my life. I love The Project but also like the news. I dont get home to watch 5 pm News. This will be a big shift for me. Maybe The Project then ABC News.

  16. That’s a very dumb move. Why would TEN want to move it to 6pm which I say it’s a rating suicide waiting to happen (will be gone by 6 months or less). Maybe TEN should address their rating problem they have with their news and their early evening schedule. Maybe TEN should have a half hour national news at 5pm (Ron Wilson or Hamish McDonald) then have gameshows (revival of Family Feud or Wheel Of Fortune or else Jeopardy) or Neighbours at 5:30pm then a half hour local news at 6pm followed by The Project. I’m happy the way The Project is at 6:30pm but it needs time before it’s rating increases and gets popular again making this news/current affairs based chat program found it’s feet against those trashy affairs programs on Nine and Seven.

  17. I don’t care what time The Project comes on because I will continue to watch it because it is a great show and I hope fans continue to watch it too.

  18. I know I’ve already commented, but forgot to mention it seems so crazy that they’re supposedly moving it out of the 7PM slot. This was the show that they wanted to fill that slot! Now they want to remove what I thought was the slot for it to put something else there?

  19. Woo hoo! this is an excellent move. They seem really on it so far this year. it hasnt even begun yet and i reckon these changes for sunday and now during the week look great. i have to say, the project is one of the best news show around, it’s smart and freakin funny, they certainly don’t treat me like some stupid viewer. I’d rather watch it at 6pm over the other guys and finally biggest loser ( and i presume masterchef etc) will be back at 7pm, great move, can’t wait.

    looks like we’re in for some impressive times ahead on our tv’s.

  20. My concern is that the majority of the target audience for The Project don’t finish until 6pm. By the time they get home the show is finished.

    And to all those who are saying its garbage and it isnt rating – at its peak, The 7PM Project was rating close to, if not, 1mil viewers and winning its timeslot. The decline in ratings happened when Ten aired the Commonwealth Games. That hurt the project, badly and by the time it came back it was to late. It’s not garbage, it’s a great alternative to what is normally on – smart and funny.

  21. I don’t agree with some of the sentiments that The simpsons and neighbours don’t work in the 6-7 timeslot, it was always a welcome break from the news and there is a strong sentimental attraction, with the right promotion (neighbours is doing well on Eleven) neighbours coupled with the simpsons could be successful again.

  22. I understand the move to free up the 7.00 times lot, but to put it up against the 6.00 news is just silly. Wasn’t the last change not too long ago? It just makes the show seem more unstable. Heck, I’ve still seen billboards around for The 7pm Project, this is just going to confuse viewers more.
    And is a Sunday show that needed? Seems like a plug filler…

  23. And the bell tolls signalling the end of The Project. Yeah I get that the stripped 7pm shows used to work well for TEN with Big Brother and Loser, but you made a replacement for that half hour with Project. Don’t go killing off this show. No one will be watching from 6pm, that’s serious (if you can call it that) news time. If I am home at 6pm, I watch 7 News for the first 12 mins before they go to sport, thats when I’ll flick over to something else.
    They better promote the hell out of this change from today, not wait until its last day at 6:30pm.

  24. Getting rid of the 6pm news is a wise move. It was ridiculous that they would repeat so many identical news stories within an hour of them being aired.. News ‘repetition’ is sure fire way to get a person to pick up the remote. I’m worried for The Project though. I quite enjoy it but the hour long version is way too much – it’s a big ask to expect people to sit through 60 minutes of anything at all at that hour of the day. Strip it back to 30 minutes.

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