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The Voice shifts to Seven

Updated: In a shock move, flagship singing show switches to Seven for 2021.

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In a surprise move Seven has secured  The Voice for 2021.

The singing show from ITV Studios Australia will see Sonia Kruger return when it is “reimagined to capture the spirit of the times” in a new tighter format.

CEO and Managing Director James Warburton said: “This is a coup for Seven. Adding The Voice to our 2021 program slate is another brick in the wall of our content-led growth strategy of using proven, power formats. The Voice is a television megabrand that will deliver on our promise of more tentpoles, audience growth and consistency across the year. It is a strong performer in BVOD and will give audiences what they want: the world’s best television.”

Director of Programming, Angus Ross said: “The Voice remains the biggest entertainment show in Australia averaging over 1.5 million viewers each week – delivering on broadcast, demographics and streaming. We jumped at the opportunity to bring this juggernaut into Seven’s 2021 schedule. Our plans to supercharge the format are well underway.”

“We’re accustomed to working with some of the best production studios in the country to deliver refreshed formats that have new life breathed into them,” said Angus Ross. “We’ve done it with Big Brother and Farmer Wants a Wife this year – and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to responsibly reimagine the format for The Voice 2021. We’ll deliver an established franchise ramped up for newer and bigger audiences, in a lean production format that speaks to modern viewers.”

The announcement follows Nine CEO Hugh Marks flagging a steep $40m pricetag for the show last week.

David Mott, CEO and Managing Director of ITV Studios Australia said: “This is truly a significant day. It is the beginning of a new era of The Voice in Australia which is still the biggest entertainment brand globally. Seven did not hesitate in securing the rights when this opportunity came up and we cannot wait to get cracking on the series for 2021… and to welcome Sonia back to the biggest entertainment stage on Australian television.”

Updated: Nine is already taking a chance to rain on Seven’s parade with an unnamed network spokesperson saying. “Unfortunately, due to the age of the show and its declining demographic profile, The Voice had become by far the poorest financial performer on our slate.

“We wish Seven well in their quest to revive yet another Nine show. We are very excited about the schedule we have now set for reinvigorating our slate and we will have  announcements at our Upfronts on September 16.  We remain focussed on our audience and the financial performance of Nine.”

112 Responses

  3. 7 had a history of gaining rights from shows that were previously on Nine
    TPIR was previously on 9 (from 2003-05). The show revived on 7 in 2012.
    AGT: show started on 7 in 2007-12. In 2013, 9 nabbed rights to show. 7 regained rights to AGT in 2019.
    BB: show started on 10 in 2001-08. In 2012, Nine picked up the rights to BB. This show lasted until end of 2014. In 2020, 7 picked up rights
    TFWAF show was previously on 9 until 2016. In 2020, 7 gained rights to the show.

  4. I have a feeling that 9 did this so they can get the right for Australian idol.
    its a better show…. the voice was great in the early years but its not so popular… Idol coming back will be interesting

    1. I hope not. I feel these talent shows have run their course. We’ve had basically non-stop singing shows since 2003, some years with multiple ones on different networks. We don’t have the deep talent pool that other more populated countries like England and the US have. Plus winning a show like this isn’t the way to start your music career now. It used to be exciting to see an artist’s career take off, but now every year the winner of The Voice flops. Kinda takes the wind out of the sails if the prize you’re playing for is not worth much.

      1. I think a key reason why Idol produced stars and the others didn’t is because we got to know the performers more. Rather than mass cuts we lost one person every week. By the time we got to the end we had seen that winner through three months in the top 12, plus the auditions and the first round of cuts after that. It was a lot of airtime, so we bonded better. It’s the reason why so many years later I was recognising people like Roxanne LeBrasse and Ricky Muscat on The Voice, even though no mentions were made of their Idol past. I absolutely think if any network actually invested the time in Idol or another show like it we would see successful artists. Especially now when the entertainment industry has come to a standstill.

  5. One of the problems with the reality talent format now is the ability to create successful stars. There has been a consistent decline in the popularity and success of winners and finalists in the later seasons compared with the earlier seasons and series’. Casting and marketing of artists would be critical.

    Potential auditioning cast should be aware of the contractual issues, lack of personal profits and creative freedom of past cast, though there is potential for fame.

  6. That is the thing in the UK The Voice shifted from BBC to ITV and it was better move. I aint surprised in one way. The best thing is keep as much of the judging panel the same. The only thing will be will they pay for two international judges

  7. I wonder what Nine will serve up now… They would be perfect for Australian Idol. Go super rural and care for the whole nation etc. Will help in covid times

  8. “Seven plans to supercharge the format”. Because that worked out so well for The Mole: Culture Clash and The Amazing Race: Australia vs New Zealand and Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu and Beauty and the Geek and the last revival of The Price is Right and the Gladiators revival and The Mole: Live and Popstars Live and…

      1. I think one of the seasons of The Mole was produced on a weekly basis – they did challenges on the weekend and edited that footage for the weekly episode. Then half way through, the episode would shift to a live show from the Martin Place studio for the Live Elimination Ceremony

      2. Show was hosted by Tom Williams and went to air on a Thursday night. The “live” component came from the live quiz and elimination done at the end of the episode. The ones who survived the quiz was flown to NZ on Friday night and returned to Sydney on Sunday evening. The idea was that the contestants lived their every day lives during the week and were contestants during the weekend so they could be “quizzed” in real time by the general public. Interesting concept but didn’t quite catch on.

  12. I seriously just double-checked the date despite it clearly being closer to Christmas than it is April Fools Day when I read this headline. This could so easily be another wonderful joke article.

    1. This is not an attack on Delta but I hope she’s not part of the reboot/refresh; she’s the old guard and we need new blood in the show and she’s become boring and stagnant.

  14. With Seven drowning in a sea of debt, I wonder if they have made the right decision. They are on a cost cutting mission and then they go and do this, maybe they won’t do the Cricket and that will save them some money. They are seemingly lurching from crisis to crisis. All stations are hurting themselves and when someone dangles a carrot, they bite, usually on not thinking about the situation.

  15. So strange.

    Seven already had a better performing show in The X Factor (better performing in the sense the contestants became more known in their careers than those on The Voice at least), then they go and grab The Voice for what reason?

    They could have just put The X Factor back on and not rush the season like they did last series and instead give people time to get to know the contestants rather than kicking them off asap.

  16. I read some where last week that nine was not going to air the Voice in 2021 because it cos’t 40 million dollars to produce and something like the block cost’s a third of that, So I was taking from that, that nine was planning two seasons of the block or looking at another cheaper program.

    Not surprised Seven picked it up, without House Rules and My Kitchen Rules they need something to feel the void.

    I feel sorry for Darren McMullen though, this is twice he has lost his job to Sonia Kruger and on the same show lol

  17. I’d love to see some older Aussie mentors/judges…..Farnsy, Barnesy, Marcia, Suze DeMarchi (Baby Animals) Renee Geyer, Colleen Hewitt, or even Rhonda Burchmore.
    No drama, just proper mentoring

  18. Seven are really starting to look like the “also ran” network aren’t they? Most of their successes have been revivals of shows on other networks or shows that have…let’s say…been “strongly inspired” by others like MKR / Masterchef. Love the comment from 9 though, everything 9 said is a fact about the show skewing to older audiences

  19. They would have been better to bring back Australian Idol. Viewers have voice fatigue at this point and the show sways towards and older demographic. I think 9 made the right call here.

    1. Absolutely agree. There’s still so much love for Idol. I think it could really work if they put some of the more successful graduates in as judges, played up the next generation angle.

  20. Well played by 9. They knew 9 years was enough and it was only downhill from here. The $40mil Freed up can stretch a long way and hopefully be spent on much more that what they have lost with The Voice.

    I think in it’s current form it is a terrible show, frustrating that they get away with such a slow pace and stretch such little content over long episodes. It is just as trashy as MKR or MAFS with its manufactured drama but people seem to get sucked into the marketing of it being a show with integrity. Hopefully 7 can bring some new life into it and make it more entertaining and fast paced like the early seasons of X factor.

  21. well … well … well … Hugh fails in his rather public attempt to get the licence fee reduced and Motty takes another secondhand program to his old network so that James can kill it …

      2. yep … I first met “young whipper snapper” Mr Mott when he kindly made me a cup of tea at TVW-7 over thirty years ago … he then spent several more years at 7 in Perth and then in Sydney before joining Ross Plapp at 10 …

  23. How about Dicko, Mark and Marcia to judge seeing that it’s going to be difficult to get international judges, also why would you want to fork out multi millions for international judges when local judges can do it for the fraction of the cost

    2. Who type of viewership demographic is ‘The Voice’ going to attract with judges from a TV show from 20 years ago that are now all in their late 50’s–60’s.

  25. Poor Delta Goodrem! How is she going to cope without all the attention she had on ” The Delta Goodrem and her B grade celebrity fiends show”? Never been about contestants and winners haven’t exactly had huge success. 7 may have got a lame duck!!!

    1. Delta is, and will do, just fine, regardless of the naysayers. I’ve been thinking she should have left the show behind ages ago. But she’s loyal and cares about the show. She remains the only Australian coach to remain with it throughout the 9 seasons. Just think about that. Without her, it likely would have been full of overseas coaches.

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