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Don’t mention ‘the A word’

Amazing Race, Beauty and the Geek -what shows were not yet renewed by Seven for 2015? Or is it too soon to call?

2014-07-17_2155Readers, and even some media, have already been speculating about what unnamed Seven shows may or may not be returning in 2015.

Now that we’re two days out from the Upfronts and the dust has settled, it’s time to delve a little more deeply into network strategy.

At Seven’s Upfronts it wasn’t hard to notice the absence of such titles as The Amazing Race, Beauty and the Geek and The Big Adventure.

In the case of The Big Adventure it’s clearly too soon to make that call after just 3 outings. If a decision had been made after 3 outings of House Rules, it would have been axed long ago. Now it’s primed for not one but two seasons.

Similarly Beauty and the Geek is also underway -now in its sixth season. If it turns out to be the last, that’s still a respectable output for what has basically been Thursdays in the back end of the year.

But in the case of The Amazing Race, it is disappointing that an International Emmy winner did not match previous seasons when the show had such positive branding under activeTV. It’s pretty clear the show is in doubt for 2015.

“They’re still on our slate, we don’t have to make calls on them now,” said Head of Production Brad Lyons. “We don’t come here and throw out 30 shows like Channel Nine does. We want to give you the new stuff and show you what’s coming, what’s fresh.”

“Nothing ever goes away,” CEO Tim Worner added.

More concerning could also be the future for Dancing with the Stars.

At the Seven Upfronts it was barely impossible to spot in a showreel. For a show that was once such a tentpole it feels like it is no longer a priority (but again, who can begrudge a whopping 14 seasons?). Officially the show is confirmed to return, via the network press release, yet those words did not match the presentation to media buyers.

Given the show is hardly cheap -and there are now two seasons of House Rules plus Restaurant Revolution, MKR and X Factor- it’s hard not to be sceptical.

I am also reminded that Seven once announced a renewal for Australia’s Got Talent at Upfronts only to backflip on it just 2 weeks later.

But hey, Nine also confirmed AGT‘s return to a journalist only to backtrack from that at its 2014 announcements.

14 Responses

  1. maxxdude – “I will never forgive Seven for trashing TARAu & condemning TAR to late on a Fri night.”

    Same here – really poor form.
    Especially when they are replaced wih inferior junk.

  2. When producers continue to put an unbalanced number of cringe-worthy bogans, or participants who know the format so well that they believe they are some how Australia’s gifts born from reality central casting to rule these shows before our viewing eyes, we have good reason to start turning off.

  3. The trouble with DWTS is that it may have run out of stars. This current season has stars that most of us haven’t heard of.
    Plus it’s a boring show that drags on too long – and it skews old. I certainly won’t miss it.

  4. Nothing mentioned about Bringing Sexy Back either, hopefully that show had disappeared from our screens forever. Such a shame that a quality format such as The Amazing Race has been tarnished so badly by Seven Productions. Two seasons of House Rules next year is just crazy, they say they don’t want to be like Channel Nine yet are trying to compete with The Block and are just going to saturate the House Rules brand, which I for one will not be watching.

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