★★★★★ 0/5

TV Tonight Awards: Story of the Year, Best Channels.

Readers agree, the death of Bert Newton was the biggest story in Television in 2021.

5
Leave a comment

Readers have voted the death of Bert Newton as the Story of the Year.

The passing of the legend in November was chosen as the most significant story in Television in 2021.

Not only did it rank first, but it was a landslide decision by readers, well ahead of the second place topic, “ABC vs Govt.”

The final chapter of Wentworth was deemed the third most important story of 2021. Cast member Katrina Milosevic thanked readers for their continued support for the Foxtel show.

“Our audience have been as much a part of this show as any coming through the actual Wentworth gates. Your support has been visceral- and we love you! Please, keep championing Aussie content- we’ve got so many brilliant, complex, intriguing and immersive stories to tell!” she told TV Tonight.

Sam Pang was again voted Most Underrated Performer -his sixth consecutive win in this category. He drew votes ahead of Have You Been Paying Attention? host Tom Gleisner. New names this year include Fisk‘s Aaron Chen & Kitty Flanagan and Wentworth’s Kate Atkinson, who stars soon in a Nine Underbelly drama.

After multiple wins this year ABC again took out the Best Free to Air Network, repeating a victory 12 months ago.

Netflix remains the most popular Subscription service, a category it has never lost (previously titled Best Streaming Platform).

Voting for International Show We Need to See Here has diminished in recent years, with Streaming delivering us so much content that many readers are stumped to come up with an answer. Most titles submitted are already available (you can check here).

But La Brea, coming soon to Nine, was fractionally ahead of other shows to claim the category.

* denotes runaway winner.

Story of the Year: Death of Bert Newton *
ABC v Govt: Four Corners, Christian Porter & FOX News
End of Wentworth
Celebrity Deaths: David Gulpilil, Ernie Sigley, Dieter Brummer, Brian Henderson, Lorrae Desmond.
The Block Cheating Scandal
(2020: Bushfire News Coverage)

Best Free to Air Network: ABC *
10
Seven
Nine
SBS
(2020: ABC)

Best Foxtel Channel: FOX Showcase 
LifeStyle
FOX Sports
BBC First
FOX Arena
(2020: FOX Showcase)

Best Subscription Service: Netflix *
Stan
Foxtel
Disney+
Binge
(2020: Netflix)

Most Underrated Performer: Sam Pang
Tom Gleisner
Aaron Chen
Kate Atkinson / Kitty Flanagan / Sarah Harris
(2020: Sam Pang)

International Show We Need to See Here: La Brea
Hunted
I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here UK   / B Positive  / The Apprentice UK / The Kelly Clarkson Show / The Masked Dancer
(2020: Love Victor)

There were 394 surveys completed this year, a lift on 2020’s 354.

86% voted the site “Excellent / Very Good” with 62% visiting the site “Once a Day / More Than Once a Day.” Just 1% voted “Disappointing.”

Thanks once again to all who participated!

David.

TV Tonight Awards: Best of 2021
TV Tonight Awards: Worst of 2021

NB: Covid-impact on the industry was not an option for Story of the Year.

5 Responses

  1. Sam Pang has been underrated personality for 6 straight years – appeared on HYBPA and Front Bar (given that I don’t watch 7 show). I have put the list of top 5 underrated personalities: Lloyd Langford, Tom Gleisner, Sam Pang, Anh Do, Alex Ward.

    1. I actually think Stan is of a pretty high standard considering it only operates in one country. It’s one of the few sources of good quality Australian drama these days and commissions at least a few productions each year. They also do a decent job of acquiring first-run international content considering how many major studios are already aligned with other streaming platforms (eg: Hacks, Drag Race, Landscapers, Yellowstone, Search Party, The Great etc).

  3. Kelly Clarkson is still hugely popular in Australia so it’s surprising that The Kelly Clarkson Show is not on Australian TV channels. Her songs are still played often on the radio. It’s definitely something I’d watch if it was on the TV here.

    1. Totally agree, I too am surprised she hasn’t picked up that empty space that Ellen had at noon on Ch9. I guess its cheaper for the networks to play last nights primetime show or a midday movie.

Leave a Reply