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803,000 as House Rules fails launch test

Ratings: Seven's House Rules underperforms -even lower than Celebrity Splash and The Renovators launches.

2013-05-15_1006On this post-Budget day there are a lot of news headlines about awful set of numbers but none of them relate to the launch of Seven’s House Rules last night.

The show launched with just 803,000 viewers, which in Seven terms is cause for alarm. The show was soundly beaten by Nine’s renovation show The Block (1.3m).

But to put it into other contexts, Celebrity Splash launched to 1.31m. It was even lower than TEN’s Renovators launch in 2011 (939,000) and Excess Baggage on Nine (885,000). Seven’s decision to launch Celebrity Splash out of its My Kitchen Rules appears to have impacted on the network’s momentum. Seven will be hoping for a lift when it gets to its big house reveal episode. Whether that’s enough to lock in new viewers remains to be seen.

Meanwhile moving The Voice to 8pm has also seen its numbers drop to 1.6m, but within a larger plan of partnering with The Block, Nine easily won the night but Seven held onto second thanks to other shows such as Packed to the Rafters.

Nine’s share was 33.4% then Seven 25.8%, ABC 17.7%, TEN 16.6% and SBS 6.5%.

The Voice topped the night with 1.6m for Nine but it also ran 30 minutes over and evening numbers will need to be adjusted.  The Block was 1.3m, Nine News was 1.29m, ACA was 1.07m and Celebrity Apprentice Boardroom was 749,000.

Seven News (1.3m) was best for Seven then Today Tonight (1.09m), Packed to the Rafters (1.08m), Home and Away (891,000), House Rules (803,000), Deal or No Deal (567,000), Border Security: International (470,000) and Travel Unravelled (269,000).

ABC News was 899,000 for ABC1 followed by New Tricks (710,000), 7:30 (663,000), Budget 2013 (620,000), At the Movies (432,000) and Time Team (349,000).

TEN’s night was again under par with TEN News (695,000), NCIS (665,000), The Biggest Loser (627,000), The Project (503,000), NCIS: LA (485,000). The Simpsons was 388,000.

The Rove McManus episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was the highest this season at 583,000 for SBS ONE. Insight was 230,000, World News Australia was 179,000 and Dateline was 155,000.

Shaun the Sheep led multichannels with 337,000.

OzTAM Overnights: Tuesday 14 May 2013

66 Responses

  1. They really should of launched it directly off the back of My Kitchen Rules.

    The big issue I had was the huge number of ads over and over about the show coming soon coming soon coming soon by time it got here I was totally over it.
    And the super funny thing was after all those coming soon ads, was that I missed the one that said exactly when it was actually starting, so therefore I missed the first episode. Then the next day I heard and read negative things about it so I didn’t bother watching the 2nd.

    My mum watched it though and said that it was long and she couldn’t handle all the ads especially those that make it look like the show is back but are actually another ad for Pandalol or the like, she didn’t bother past the 2ep.

    Massive fail by 7

  2. @maxxdude, Seven does to take risks with their programming so I do not agree that they lack originality. They take far more risks than Nine do. Nine would kill for an original Australian drama as successful as the likes of Packed to the Rafters, Home and Away or A Place to Call Home. What have they got? The laughable House Husbands and the occasional Underbelly.

  3. Seven’s lack of original programs is finally coming back to haunt them. House Rules is just a spin on Changing Rooms which was on Nine years ago…
    The Block was always going to win the battle…

  4. Guess this is multiple blunder number two then. Really poor scheduling from Seven though – either should have launched off the back of MKR or be held back till later in the year once The Block is over.

  5. I completely forgot that House Rules was on and didn’t set the PVR. Saw the second episode on the guide tonight but couldn’t be bothered to pick it up after missing the first ep. Tuesday night was a rediculous choice to launch a new high profile show anyway. In even sadder news, this makes Celebrity Splash more successful… oh dear…

  6. @Secret Squirrel I meant that as a compliment to sbs, not a swipe at 7 as such.
    I generally don’t watch much ‘reality’ tv (survivor is the exception).
    I agree its ridiculous to start a show of the exact same type shortly after another one.

  7. Watched house rules tonight again. Nothing else really on. Didn’t mind it again. Its worth watching if there is nothing better on. I’m actually interested to see how the house will look when its finished.

    I forced myself to sit through last nights the voice. I really wish I hadn’t. Really don’t see the point of 2nd and 3rd contestant having a sing off as we have already seen them singing that song. The mind boggles as some of the coaches choices to go through. (I knew already who they were but the reasoning). Its really starting to annoy me how much power the coaches are having over who goes through.

    Against my better judgement I have started watching Arrow. Its still warming up but there is enough in it for me to keep me watching. What I am about to say will fall on deaf ears but I really hope channel nine don’t muck around with it.

  8. Wow – I don’t care for the show but am shocked at how badly it bombed. I figured it would be a respectable kick off but not a blockbuster.

  9. So 800k is way below what was expected of House Rules but night one of MKR back in season one got only 1.1m after a huge promotional push during the tennis. Look they are not great figures but don’t say the show is DOA just yet. Yes the show was slow and it did have flaws but it was night one. Give it a couple of weeks. If it falls even lower then its time to say its a failure. Plus there were a lot of variables last night. Rove on SBS, the budget. Lets see how it goes tonight with no The Voice.

    Plus i was talking about it this morning to a couple of friends and they didn’t even know it started. Right now i say its not great for House Rules but lets see how it goes. Maybe i am an optimist. :lol

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