Married at First Sight honeymoons are underway, last night landing as the top entertainment show on 773,000 metro viewers.

That was ahead of 7:30 (539,000), Back Roads (439,000), Territory Cops (270,000), Bondi Rescue (259,000) and The World’s Greatest Palaces (141,000).

Later Gogglebox won at 517,000 then Q+A (289,000), The Equalizer (280,000) and Wife Swap (238,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 30.2% then Seven 24.8%, 10 19.0%, ABC 17.7% and SBS 8.3%.

Nine News was best for Nine at 837,000 / 828,000. A Current Affair was 619,000 then Hot Seat (386,000 / 237,000). Murder for Hire was 129,000.

Seven News was #1 at 864,000 / 858,000. An extended Home & Away was 446,000 then The Chase (431,000 / 258,000). Busted in Bangkok was 120,000.

The Project drew 378,000 / 257,000 for 10 then 10 News First (324,000 / 191,000).  SVU was 222,000.

ABC News won its slot at 634,000 for ABC. Sammy J pulled 272,000 followed by One Plus One (163,000), The Drum (151,000) and Aussie Inventions that Changed the World (139,000).

On SBS it was SBS World News (150,000 / 128,000), Trust Me I’m a Doctor (130,000), Cornwall with Simon Reeve (116,000) and Mastermind (75,000).

The Adventures of Paddington led multichannels at 151,000.

Today Extra: 116,000 / 66,000
The Morning Show: 114,000 / 64,000
Studio 10: 36,000 / 32,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 25 February 2021

ABC was strong with early evening viewers last night -until viewers drifted away from Q+A.

7:30 led its slot at 576,000 metro viewers then Back Roads (530,000), Ambulance Australia (303,000) and The World’s Greatest Palaces (144,000).

A soft lead-in saw Gogglebox return with 502,000 ahead of Wife Swap Australia (306,000) and Q+A (280,000).

The Australian Open averaged 562,000 / 391,000 viewers which was down on last Thursday.

Nine network won Thursday with 27.3% then Seven 26.6%, 10 19.3%, ABC 17.8% and SBS 9.0%.

Nine News (773,000 / 764,000) as best for Nine.

Seven News was #1 at 942,000 / 899,000 for Seven. An extended Home & Away averaged 459,000 and The Chase was 496,000 / 303,000. Busted in Bangkok was 151,000.

The Project drew 442,000 / 280,000 on 10. 10 News First was 358,000 / 211,000. A Hughesy replay drew 158,000.

ABC News won its slot with 698,000. Sammy J (286,000), The Drum (171,000) and The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty (146,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (180,000 / 142,000), Cornwall with Simon Reeve (125,000), The Truth about Cosmetic Treatments (123,000). Mastermind was 85,000.

Bluey again led multis at 206,000.

The Morning Show: 135,000 / 80,000
Studio 10: 53,000 / 47,000 / 32,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 18 February 2021

Veteran star Denise Drysdale makes a long-awaited return to Studio 10 in Sydney this week.

Drysdale makes her 2021 return on Thursday & Friday after an accident on the set of Holey Moley in October.

The 72 year old fractured her shoulder after tripping over a camouflaged hump beneath astroturf, and faced months of rehabilitation.

Welcome back, Ding Dong!

Updated.

Thursday was quiet in terms of audience numbers but the night went to Nine.

The Australian Open averaged 633,000 / 463,000 for Nine.

In early evening slots it was 7:30 (522,000), Back Roads (454,000), Ambulance Australia (268,000) and The World’s Greatest Palaces (207,000).

Later Wife Swap Australia debuted to 346,000 for Seven then Q+A (294,000) -just 4,000 above last week’s season debut in a new slot.

Nine won Thursday with 32.1% then Seven 25.4%, 10 16.8%, ABC 16.4% and SBS 9.2%.

Nine News (892,000 / 845,000) was best for Nine.

Seven News was #1 at 899,000 / 875,000. The Chase pulled 461,000 / 300,000, and an extended Home & Away averaged 442,000.  Busted in Bangkok was just 158,000.

The Project drew 407,000 / 237,000 for 10. 10 News First was 340,000 / 201,000 and Law & Order: SVU was 211,000 / 208,000.

ABC News won its slot at 688,000. The Drum was 157,000 and The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty was 127,000.

On SBS it was The Truth About Cosmetic Treatments (176,000), SBS World News (159,000 / 138,000), World on Fire (79,000) and Mastermind (48,000).

Bluey topped multichannels at 189,000.

The Morning Show: 122,000 / 77,000
Studio 10: 41,000 / 31,000 / 31,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 11 February 2021

EXCLUSIVE: 10 kicked off 2021 early with I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here filmed in Australia and drawing its highest commercial share ever. Head of Programming Daniel Monaghan is keen to acknowledge its success as a taste of what’s to come.

“We were obviously very happy with the performance for I’m a Celebrity. It gives us such a great springboard into the year -we are the home of summer entertainment. IAC did such a phenomenal job this year with an incredible cast, again, under difficult circumstances with the pre-record and the location being in Australia rather than in South Africa,” he explains.

“To come out with our highest commercial shares ever for the series, is something that we are so happy to crow about, and such a strong finale. I applaud ITV and our internal executive production team pulling that together and the casting team.”

Will the show remain in Australia or return to Africa?

“That site in northern New South Wales is used by other countries, so it is more of a logistical question, versus what would we want to do? We want to make the best show possible, at the time we want. The Live element does give us an added bonus. We will go where we think we can get the best show, at the best time. As the world grapples with vaccinations and COVID, we will continue to find the best spot for it.

“But I won’t say that we won’t be in Australia next year.”

Having safely filmed locally, The Amazing Race Australia is now screening three nights a week.

“Eureka have done an exceptional job under extraordinary circumstances, as everyone has encountered. We are thrilled with the series with Beau, happy that we were able to get it away and showcase the country. It’s been such a difficult six months of the year for production. Eureka found the perfect window and made the perfect COVID safe series.”

On Monday Hughesy We Have a Problem returns, this year with regulars Becky Lucas and Nazeem Hussain. Episode one even features problem-solving for Tiger King‘s Carole Baskin plus actor Gary Busey.

“You’ll find the show this year being filmed a lot closer to telecast”

“I think we you’ll find the show this year being filmed a lot closer to telecast, so it will be slightly more current for all the problems,” he continues.

“We really wanted to evolve it this year to be current, given the news of the world. You don’t want things to feel out of date, even if they’re filmed six weeks in advance. So these ones will feel very, very fresh.”

New game show The Cube sees the return of Andy Lee, and is based on a rebooted UK format. It will screen on Wednesdays from February 24.

“We’re very excited to have Andy Lee back on the network after as a host after so many years elsewhere.

“$250,000 on offer every single episode”

“The skills and the games of appear to be very simple. But they are put under the pressure of $250,000 on offer every single episode -twice actually, if there’s more than two sets of contestants,” says Monaghan.

“It had a very successful reboot and when ITV brought it to us, Andy was so excited to host it as a superfan of the show. How could we say no?”

New Bondi Rescue and Territory Cops screen on Thursdays along with national favourite, Gogglebox. The Living Room is in repeats on Fridays with new episodes expected after Easter.

MasterChef Australia returns for its 13th season in Q2 with celebrated new judges Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen. Masterclasses are also coming on Thursday nights.

“After the success of MasterChef last year with Back to Win, we were really buoyed by how well people responded to our three wonderful new judges. They are well into production and knocking people out.

“We put our first promo to air the other night, with mostly retro-vision.”

Q2 also signals the return of another favourite and ratings roadblock, Have You Been Paying Attention? Monaghan isn’t sure if the show can return with a full studio but cautiously speaks on behalf of producers, Working Dog (conceding he may cop a serve for doing so….).

“What they achieved with five people on Zoom and Tom in the studio was pretty incredible”

“They want to be back in studio, that’s where they feel most comfortable. If they can, they will. But they won’t do it if it’s putting people at risk. They also thrive off a studio audience, so they will want one, as we do, just for the energy of the comedians in the room. That being said, what they achieved with five people on Zoom and Tom in the studio was pretty incredible when you look at what some of the Americans and the Brits did with their nightly shows.”

How to Stay Married will screen Tuesdays in Q2 with Peter Helliar and Lisa McCune while a new season of Five Bedrooms is set for Wednesdays and picks up from the house sale ending S1.

“They do find a new house – spoiler alert- but the finding of the house is less of a storyline given how much they covered it in Series One. series. It’s more about the progression of the individual relationships moving forward, rather than retreading the same old ground,” he observes.

“I actually think the second series is a step up”

“I actually think the second series is a step up. Having seen the whole thing, it’s such a nice, warm and very funny show. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Australian / British co-production With Intent starring Brett Tucker, Charlie Brookes and Phoebe Roberts is about to finish filming after border delays and is due later this year.

Q3 sees the return of The Masked Singer which heads back to Sydney for production.

“Jackie’s here, Hughesy’s here now because of his radio. Dannii’s family is in Melbourne, but she is obviously LA based and Urzila is in New Zealand.”

Does that meant Urzila is back on the panel and not Lindsay Lohan? Monaghan is more guarded on those specifics…

“We loved having Lindsay….  we loved having Urzila”

“We loved having Lindsay. We couldn’t have her for Series 2 so we loved having Urzila. So it’s a wealth of people!”

Matchbox Pictures and Eureka Productions are behind new reality contest Making It, based on a format from Amy Poehler & Nick Offerman. But whatever you do, don’t call it crafting….

“I don’t like the word, ‘craft.’ It’s a show about making. It’s art, it’s woodwork, it’s making things. There is definitely craft but it’s bigger than that,” Monaghan insists.

“Making It is going into production in March in Sydney. We have found our hosts, and our designers / judges are in the process of being locked.

“They are an exceptional bunch of makers”

“I have seen the cast…. it’ll be a really vibrant and big set with a diverse cast of makers, both in who they are and also what they create.

“You may be good with woodwork, crafts, arts, you may be a good felter – I only say that because I think it’s the funniest one. I don’t know that we have a felter!”

This will be a short run series, screening “a couple of nights per week.”

The Bachelor this year promises its “most eligible bachelor” ever -a term that is deliberately ambiguous.

“I think we’ll deliver on that. It’s open to interpretation, which is why it’s such a good phrase! Maybe you can be more desirable, for whatever reason….” he teases.

“We’re really happy with who has signed onto The Bachelor”

“We’re really happy with who has signed onto The Bachelor. Australia will be very happy with our gentleman.”

A name is not expected until filming begins, to keep the single ladies in the dark. But will Australia know this single bloke?

“Not yet. But you will, and I think he’s a fantastic get for the franchise.”

The Bachelorette returns but is yet to be cast, while Bachelor in Paradise is out this year.

Also new in 2021 is a local version of The Doghouse to be produced in-house. Based on the UK series it centres around match-making lost dogs with new owners.

“There were so many dogs adopted and bought during lockdown across the country that it feels like the right time for people to see this. It’s so sweet and gentle, very much a Gogglebox style show where dogs are matched with their new owners.”

Fans are hungry for more Australian Survivor which will screen in Q4. Monaghan is tight-lipped on a location, but an on-shore production seems a certainty.

“I think it’s reasonable to expect that it might be difficult this season to get to Fiji,” he hints.

“We have a location”

“We are in pre-production at the moment and we have a location. You could guess where it would be, but we will announce that in due course. It will be a standard series in terms of the same stripped format. We have the theme picked. It was cast before it got shut down last time… whether or not that entire cast returns (is unconfirmed).”

Previously-announced Body Hack is out for 2021 but Todd Sampson will return with an alternative series.

“It’s not similar to Body Hack, but it’s Todd Sampson.”

Kinne Tonight and Drunk History Australia are out for 2021 but could return at another stage. Axed are Playing for Keeps, Trial by Kyle, Celebrity Name Game, One Born Every Minute Australia, Scope and from July, long running Totally Wild.

There will also be a major new show for Q4 to replace Junior MasterChef.

“Junior MasterChef was a one-off for the pandemic. I don’t think that will say we’ll never do Junior again, but it’s not slated for this year. We will have something else at the back end where Junior was sitting -TBC in terms of announcements.”

The First Inventors presented by Rob Collins will screen in conjunction with NITV, and Ambulance Australia is expected in Q4.

“We’re happy with the way Sarah & Tristan are settling in”

New-look Studio 10 also gets the network tick.

“We’re happy with the way Sarah & Tristan are settling in. There was a fair bit of change so we’re just happy to have them bed in and work together. I think we’re seeing improvements in terms of the numbers so I’m really happy with the chemistry and the show as a whole.”

Finally 10 is also sticking with its extended 10 News First followed by The Project -will the latter ever return to a studio audience?

“It’s gone on so long, that if they put the audience back in, they’d have to adjust having it back! I don’t know. I won’t say it won’t happen but they have done a superb job without an audience that you could argue the case either way!”

Should the Logie Awards be held in Sydney this year?

It’s a question some have been asking after border restrictions and uncertainty has led to the Screen Forever conference abandoning Gold Coast plans for an online model.

TV critic Colin Vickery and Studio 10‘s Angela Bishop floated the question which is surely one worth asking…

Last year’s Logie Awards were postponed to 2021 in an agreement between TV Week and partners Tourism and Events Queensland, The Star and Nine Network. After losing the 2020 event they will be unlikely to want 2021 moved.

The Logies is expected to be held in late June on the Gold Coast, but certainty will be needed well before that for planning purposes.

Sydney is home to the lion’s share of the television industry, with Melbourne having hosted the most events, including an unbroken run from 1987 – 2017.

In 2017 Tourism NSW even lodged an expression of interest in a regional town hosting the event, and premier Gladys Berejiklian backing a NSW event. A #BringTheLogiestoDubbo social media campaign was quickly endorsed by the Dubbo RSL.

Planning for 2021 nominations (which will encompass a two year period) are due to get underway shortly.

Studio 10 host Sarah Harris has apologised for comments made yesterday when news broke on actor Elliot Page.

When discussing the Page’s transition, Harris referred to him with female pronouns and said it was “confusing” which drew some criticism on social media.

This morning Harris said, “I need to apologise for my reaction that I had yesterday when he first announced the news about Elliott Page, I completely stuffed up the pronouns. I got flustered, I tried to make a joke and move on. Looking back that was pretty insensitive. It was a genuine mistake and I’m so sorry.

“A lot of people say don’t apologise, but I felt really lousy and I would hate to have anyone feel like I was attacking them in that way. It was just a moment. I’m really sorry about that. Genuinely sorry.”

In 2016 Karl Stefanovic apologised for insensitive comments while last month Basil Zempilas apologised for comments he made on radio which offended the transgender community in Perth.

You can read more on Elliot Page here.

Transgender Victoria

On Monday Angela Bishop was back where she belongs, on a showbiz red carpet at the AACTA Awards – her first in 9 months.

It was a pared down event on Monday with select press, limited invitees and zero ‘plus ones.’

“It’s great to be back on a red carpet and I like this new idea of having some space! The last red carpet I was on before this was the Oscars in March, just before shutdown,” she told TV Tonight.

“It’s great to see everyone so excited to be here and celebrating after such a rotten year for the arts, in particular.

“Dan Andrews’ press conference became a TV show -I’m surprised it’s not nominated!”

Meanwhile her Studio 10 work takes her through until Christmas, alongside Sarah Harris and newcomer Tristan MacManus.

“I think Tristan’s a natural. I think he’s just fallen into what he was always meant to do, and I think he’s loving it. He and Sarah have a beautiful chemistry,” she added.

With OzTAM survey year wrapping tomorrow, today marks the last regular ratings wrap for the year (as always TVT will still file on ‘newsy’ results).

And Thursday was a sign of the quiet summer season…

Home & Away‘s penultimate outing in 2020 was best in entertainment at 501,000 viewers.

7:30 won its slot at 516,000 then Paramedics (350,000), Scottish Vets Down Under (326,000), Jamie’s Easy Meals For Every Day (289,000) and Secrets Of Britain (149,000).

Later Kings Cross ER drew 302,000 / 261,000 then Griff’s Great Kiwi Road Trip (306,000), The Front Bar (274,000), Law & Order: S.V.U (215,000 / 173,000) and Empire With Michael Portillo  (145,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 29.6% then Nine 26.7%, ABC 17.9%, 10 17.8% and SBS 8.9%.

Seven News was #1 and topped the demos with 884,000 / 867,000 for Seven. The Chase drew 422,000 / 260,000 and The Latest was 220,000.

Nine News (748,000 / 743,000) was best for Nine. A Current Affair won its slot at 565,000. Hot Seat (404,000 / 240,000) and Chicago Med followed at 155,000.

ABC News drew 627,000 for ABC. Death in Paradise (180,000) and The Drum (151,000) followed.

The Project pulled 403,000 / 229,000 for 10. 10 News First managed just 294,000 / 167,000.

On SBS it was SBS World News (126,000), Fargo (60,000) and Mastermind (56,000).

Bluey capped off multichannels again at 218,000.

The Morning Show:  111,000 / 65,000
Today Extra: 99,000 / 35,000
Studio 10: 36,000 / 34,000 / 22,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 26 November 2020

That was a dead quiet Thursday of TV programming and the numbers rightly reflect it.

An extended Home & Away was the top entertainment show at 517,000 viewers.

7:30 was 509,000 then Paramedics (400,000), Scottish Vets Down Under (328,000), Jamie’s Quick & Easy Food (271,000 / 234,000) and The Great Fire Of London (201,000).

Later Kings Cross ER was 345,000 / 298,000 then Griff’s Great Kiwi Road Trip (285,000), Britain’s Got Talent (224,000), Empire With Michael Portillo (215,000) and Law & Order: SVU (164,000 / 118,000).

Seven and Nine networks tied on Thursday at 27.6% then ABC 18.6%, 10 16.8% and SBS 9.3%.

Seven News was #1 at 950,000 / 909,000 for Seven. The Chase drew 418,000 / 268,000 in 4 cities.

Nine News (861,000 / 844,000) for Nine then A Current Affair (567,000) and Hot Seat (438,000 / 267,000). Chicago Med was 174,000.

ABC News won its slot at 680,000. Death In Paradise (188,000) and The Drum (186,000) followed.

The Project pulled 401,000 / 244,000 for 10. 10 News First was 279,000 / 177,000.

On SBS it was SBS World News (149,000), Fargo (65,000) and Mastermind (61,000).

Bluey topped multis as usual at 219,000.

The Morning Show: 134,000 / 89,000
Today Extra: 119,000 / 62,000
Studio 10:

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 19 November 2020

Sarah Harris offered to take a pay cut to keep friend and colleague Joe Hildebrand on Studio 10, she has revealed.

In an interview with Stellar she confirmed the gesture -a rarity in television.

“I’m fiercely protective of Joe,” she says. “He’s my brother. That’s what families do.”

Very classy.

When Hildebrand announced his departure in September, there were tears all round.

“It’s just been a wonderful seven years,” he said. “I love you, Sarah. For the three people living under a rock who don’t know, Sarah is my best friend. My work wife. We’ve been through all this since the very beginning.”

Updated: A Network 10 spokesperson said, “As previously reported, Joe Hildebrand was offered an ongoing role with Studio 10 and after some cordial conversations, he decided to make a clean break and we respected his decision. Suggestions that Sarah Harris offered to take a pay cut in order for Joe to remain on Studio 10 were never formally considered.“

Get ready for summer…. it was another very quiet Thursday, with The Block as the only serious entertainment show after 7:30.

In some cases Bluey‘s 331,000 drew better figures than primetime offerings.

The Block easily led its slot and the demos at 748,000.

That was ahead of 7:30 (601,000), Scottish Vets Down Under (373,000), Jamie’s Quick & Easy Food (267,000 / 242,000) and The Great Fire of London (174,000).

Paramedics (399,000), Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure (359,000), Law & Order: SVU (205,000), Britain’s Got Talent (215,000) and Insight just 60,000.

Nine network won Thursday with 29.9% then Seven 27.9%, ABC 18.4%, 10 16.3% and SBS 7.4%.

Nine News (832,000 / 820,000) was best for Nine. A Current Affair was 642,000 then Hot Seat (436,000 / 281,000) and Chicago Med (178,000).

Seven News was #1 at 943,000 / 930,000 for Seven then an extended Home & Away (498,000) and The Chase (454,000 / 275,000).

ABC News won its slot at 681,000. Death in Paradise (210,000) and The Drum (179,000) followed.

The Project pulled 416,000 / 281,000 on 10. 10 News First was 304,000 / 181,000.

On SBS it was SBS World News (162,000), Mastermind (73,000) and Fargo just 42,000.

The Morning Show: 126,000 / 75,000
Today Extra: 113,000 / 74,000
Studio 10: 37,000 / 33,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 12 November 2020

Former ABC reporter Daniel Doody has begun at Studio 10 today, with his first cross from Bondi Beach.

It’s a return to 10 for Doody who has had a number of roles with 10 News First and The Project, plus SKY News, 2EC and Power FM.

Sydney-based Doody will feature as a roving reporter for Studio 10, covering feel-good community stories.

Morning TV shows will today pay tribute to the late Jeanne Little.

Daughter Katie and granddaughter will both appear on The Morning Show at 10:05am. Jeanne’s young granddaughter wants to continue the family flair for fashion. Peter Ford will look back on her remarkable career.

Studio 10 will also remember Jeanne.

The National Film & Sound Archive has some rare clips of Jeanne’s creativity and flamboyance.

It’s official. Watching paint dry drew more viewers to television than The Bachelorette finale.

A Thursday edition of The Block upstaged 10’s reality finale, drawing 739,000 and topping the older demos.

That was ahead of 7:30 (667,000) and The Bachelorette 500,000 (573,000 for the final decision, topping younger demos) easily the show’s lowest finale numbers. Scottish Vets Down Under (325,000) followed.

Later Paramedics was 354,000 then Joanna Lumley’s Silk Adventure (255,000) and Britain’s Got Talent (205,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 28.9% then Seven 25.7%, ABC 18.6%, 10 18.4% and SBS 8.4%.

Nine News (949,000 / 915,000) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (669,000) and Hot Seat 468,000 / 311,000. Chicago Med was 159,000.

Seven News was #1 at 999,000 / 973,000 for Seven then The Chase (535,000 / 330,000) and an extended Home & Away at 495,000.

ABC News won its slot at 743,000. The Drum (191,000) and Death in Paradise (189,000) followed for ABC.

The Project drew 508,000 / 312,000 for 10. Law & Order: SVU was 166,000. 10 News First did not run as usual in all cities due to racing coverage but averaged 154,000 / 135,000.

On SBS it was The Great Fire of London (195,000), Secrets of the Tower of London (191,000), SBS World News (177,000), Mastermind (77,000) and Fargo (70,000).

Bluey topped multichannels at 397,000.

The Morning Show: 146,000 / 86,000.
Studio 10: 49,000 / 34,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 5 November 2020

This week marks 7 years since Wake Up, 10’s last foray into breakfast television, was launched.

The ambitious show, the brainchild of producer Adam Boland, ran for only six months, broadcasting Live from Queenscliff Surf Club at Manly Beach.

But despite hopes to reinvent Breakfast television, it struggled against the titans, Sunrise and Today.

Co-host James Mathison recently reflected on the project telling TV Tonight, “That was easily the most disastrous thing I’ve ever been anywhere near. On so many levels!

“It was like the Frontline of breakfast TV, the sequence of events around that….

“But what came out of it was a very close, beautiful relationship with a super, dear friend of mine, Natarsha Belling. So that was my big takeaway from what was not an overly-glorious moment for 10.”

Mathison & Belling hosted the show with Natasha Exelby, and Nuala Hafner at Federation Square in Melbourne. Contributors included Sam Mac, Andrew Rochford & Maude Garrett.

Being in Manly was also not without its location challenges, including the trek to get talent to the location in the early hours. It also filmed daily at a venue which was still used by its surf club, and there was also the elaborate laying of cables all the way from Pyrmont for broadcast quality pictures.

“People were wedded to that and there were things around it they never really wanted to countenance,” Mathison recalls.

“Getting out to Manly at peak hour…  what we would do in the middle of winter… there’s a book in that!”

November 2013 was also the launch for Studio 10, which has remained, but undergone a recent cast overhaul.

On Monday NITV makes TV history with the first all-Indigenous breakfast show, Big Mob Brekky.

Screening 7:30am – 8:30am Monday to Friday as part of NAIDOC Week, the show is hosted by NITV reporters Shahni Wellington and Ryan Liddle and encompass news, entertainment, wellness, comedy, cooking, sport, community call outs and live performances.

Ryan Liddle tells TV Tonight, “You’ll still be able to get your weather and everything else that you get at those other places, but with an Indigenous perspective.

“We never see this sort of representation on morning telly”

“We never see this sort of representation on morning telly, and between Shahni and we’ll hope to get everyone up on their seat, ready to attack the day. And we just really want to bring a black sense of humour as well.”

Indeed while Indigenous on-camera staff on other morning TV shows is improving, it is still limited: Brooke Boney (Today), Narelda Jacobs (Studio 10), Michael Rennie (News Breakfast). Recent diversity report Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories found more than 75% of TV news and current affairs presenters, commentators and reporters have an Anglo-Celtic background, while only 6 percent have an Indigenous or non-European background.

Liddle says even within NITV some are surprised there has not been an Indigenous breakfast show until not.

“How has it taken this long to get it done? But I think it’s probably come at the right time. In 2020 we want to see more Indigenous representation in the mainstream sector and certainly Big Mob Brekky hopes to be a good example of that.

“This is a fresh, new take on things”

“It’s primarily for an Indigenous audience, but we want to appeal to a wider audience, with an Indigenous perspective. So we will be targeting the same audience as those other large and well-known platforms, but with a different perspective. This is a fresh, new take on things, so we’re hoping that we can really get people going in the morning, and start their day off with a smile, but also a bit of education as well.”

The show will broadcast Live from Taronga Zoo, drawing upon Sydney as its backdrop with live crosses to First Nations Media Australia partners across the country.

Both Liddle and Wellington have hosted The Point for NITV and presented a Black Lives Matter special earlier this year. Liddle hopes if things go well it could lead to more, but first he has to ready for what Live TV will throw at him.

“With Live TV, there’s always something that can and ultimately does go wrong. I’ve been doing Live TV for a while and that’s part of the excitement. You have to always expect the unexpected,” he admits.

“I think there’s certainly scope for a more permanent presence in that space”

“I’d like to think there’s an opportunity to have a more permanent presence in that space. This is a bit of an exhibition, I guess but depending on public response and how things are received, I think there’s certainly scope for a more permanent presence in that space.

“Certainly I won’t be won’t be complaining if that’s the case.”

Big Mob Brekky 7:30am Monday – Friday November 9 – 13.

Seven managed to pip Nine for a win last night after their multichannels lifted them from behind Nine in primary channel share.

The season finale of Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 700,000 viewers and topped the demos. It proved to be a most unusual year for the show as it reflected how we were living with the virus and saw some participants drop out of direct filming.

A rare Thursday edition of The Block won its slot at 679,000 then 7:30 (586,000),The Bachelorette (441,000) and Scottish Vets Down Under (359,000).

Meanwhile Paramedics was 342,000 then Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure (250,000) Britain’s Got Talent (201,000) and Secrets Of The Tower Of London (150,000).

Nine led in primary channel share but Seven network won Thursday with 27.6% then Nine 27.2%, 10 21.5%, ABC 15.8% and SBS 7.8%.

Seven News was #1 at 994,000 / 982,000. An extended Home & Away averaged 467,000 then The Chase (509,000 / 314,000). The Amazing Race returned to 127,000.

Nine News was best for Nine at 875,000 / 867,000. A Current Affair won its slot at 685,000 then Hot Seat (410,000 / 301,000). Chicago Med was 151,000.

The Project pulled 465,000 / 268,000 for 10. 10 News First (318,000 / 205,000) and Drunk History (192,000) followed.

ABC News drew 671,000 for ABC. Death in Paradise (165,000) and The Drum (154,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (147,000), Queen Victoria’s Slum (141,000), Fargo (70,000) and Mastermind (66,000).

Bluey rode high at 388,000 on multichannels.

The Morning Show: 143,000 / 88,000
Today Extra: 107,000 / 67,000
Studio 10: 51,000 / 45,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 29 October 2020

Denise Drysdale has given an update on her health, following an incident on the set of Holey Moley earlier this month.

“I’m getting there. I went to the doctor on Monday, didn’t have to have an operation. Gotta go back in four weeks… then I do rehab,” she told Studio 10 this morning via phone.

As revealed by TV Tonight, Drysdale, 71, fell whilst filming a segment for the upcoming Seven show during the early morning.

“I fell over in a situation where I shouldn’t have even been. That’s all I can say,” she confirmed today.

“I wasn’t playing silly buggers. It was 3:30 in the morning and a segment I was doing shouldn’t have even been considered. I did it, and I shouldn’t have. I’ve learned a terrible lesson to learn at my age, but it has changed my thinking -again!”

She continued, “My hand’s in a sling. The whole of my left hand side …my foot, right up to my shoulder was all black and blue. I couldn’t move, but I can now.”

Earlier this month a Eureka Productions spokesperson said: “While filming Holey Moley in Brisbane last night, Denise Drysdale tripped on a putting green and sustained a shoulder injury. She is resting and receiving treatment. Denise is a national treasure and everyone is wishing her a speedy recovery.”

The veteran performer, who still appears on Studio 10 from her Gold Coast home, hopes to return to the show soon.

“Of course I want to come back. I can’t come back because I can’t do my hair, I can’t do my make-up and I still can’t get into a T shirt on my own,” she explained.

“When I can do that. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Is this a taste of summer?

Just one entertainment show was above half a million viewers last night: a penultimate Gogglebox episode at 680,000 viewers.

7:30 won the earlier slot at 555,000 then The Bachelorette (499,000), Paramedics (430,000), and Scottish Vets Down Under (351,000).

Trailing Gogglebox were The Front Bar (479,000) and Kings Cross ER (339,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 30.4% then Nine 25.7%, 10 20.8%, ABC 15.7% and SBS 7.3%.

Seven News was #1 at 933,000 / 923,000 for Seven. An extended Home & Away (484,000) and The Chase (482,000 / 289,000) followed.

Nine News (847,000 / 836,000) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (680,000) and Hot Seat (435,000 /  280,000) and A+E After Dark (231,000).

The Project drew 436,000 / 262,000 for 10. 10 News First was 301,000 / 176,000 then a Drunk History replay (186,000).

ABC News (662,000) won its slot for ABC. Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure repeat was 237,000 then Secrets of the Museum (193,000) and The Drum (173,000).

On SBS it was Queen Victoria’s Slum (155,000), SBS World News (149,000), Secrets of the Tower of London (131,000), Mastermind (69,000) and Fargo just 57,000.

Bluey led multichannels at 178,000.

The Morning Show: 116,000 / 70,000
Today Extra: 106,000 / 67,000
Studio 10: 53,000 / 47,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 22 October 2020

Thursday night saw 10 lead in entertainment titles but Seven still emerged as the winner in Total People.

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 661,000 and topped the demos, up slightly on last week.

The Bachelorette led its timeslot at 534,000 then 7:30 (523,000), Paramedics (367,000), Scottish Vets Down Under (340,000), West Gate Bridge Disaster (221,000 in 1 city), Queen Victoria’s Slum (119,000).

Trailing Gogglebox were the final Escape from the City (367,000), Kings Cross ER (346,000 / 294,000) and The Front Bar (339,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 28.7% then Nine 25.3%, 10 21.6%, ABC 17.0% and SBS 7.4%.

Seven News was #1 at 962,000 / 932,000 for Seven. The Chase drew 496,000 / 305,000 then an extended Home & Away (475,000). The Latest drew 264,000.

Nine News was best for Nine at 903,000 / 847,000. A Current Affair (647,000) and Hot Seat (470,000 / 282,000) followed. A+E After Dark was 178,000.

The Project drew 454,000  / 302,000. 10 News First (313,000 / 202,000) and a repeat of Drunk History (183,000) followed.

ABC News won its slot at 706,000. Secrets of the Museum pulled 183,000 with The Drum at 171,000.

On SBS it was SBS World News at 170,000. But a double episode of Fargo averaged just 61,000 -are more viewers now watching at SBS On Demand?

Bluey again led multichannels at 203,000.

The Morning Show: 120,000 / 77,000
Today Extra: 118,000 / 74,000
Studio 10: 36,000 / 32,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 15 October 2020

There were lots of returning Reality shows in 10’s 2021 Upfronts yesterday, but absent from the list were two biggies: Dancing with the Stars and Bachelor in Paradise.

It’s a shame for DWTS given Warners did such a top job. But being hammered by MAFS, costing a pretty penny and facing COVID restrictions, the dance has ended.

“We have decided to hang up our dancing shoes, lycra pants and sequined jackets for the time being,” a network spokesperson told Daily Mail.

”We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all those involved in the show, in particular Amanda Keller and Grant Denyer, who were fabulous hosts, as well as all the judges, dancers, the stars and of course the crew.”

This also adds some context to why Tristan McManus joined Studio 10.

With no sign of Celebrity Name Game and Family Feud, it isn’t clear what show will feature Grant Denyer, but a network contract might suggest he reappears on I’m a Celebrity or a similar show.

10 has not ruled out a return to Bachelor in Paradise, but for now the show is out, a victim of low ratings and travel restrictions.

10 holds its 2021 Upfronts tomorrow afternoon in an online presentation to clients and media.

Amongst their notable achievements this year are a revamped MasterChef Australia, Australian Survivor, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, The Masked Singer, Gogglebox and Have You Been Paying Attention?

Of course, there have been challenges thrown by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly affecting a second season of Australian Survivor and delays to The Amazing Race Australia. But 10 also moved quickly to revive Junior MasterChef which hit screens this week. It also launched 10 Shake late last month.

As the pandemic subsides across much of the country, 2021 is already looking brighter. Big reality shows are back, including a domestic sojourn for The Amazing Race Australia and 10 will finally confirm a NSW setting for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

On the rumour front is Celebrity MasterChef, a possible revival of Australian Idol plus a kid’s multichannel show Early Show. Pilot Week could also be back on the agenda for 2021.

10 Upfronts also have a tendency to include shows that are still to screen in the current calendar year (last year it included Playing for Keeps in its 2020 Upfronts because 2019 episodes were on air). But they usually come with a sense of irreverence, in keeping with the third channel. Nine’s event was a little lacking on showbiz, but 10 will probably draw upon its favourite stars.

10 All Access will also be rebranded and relaunched as Paramount+.

Confirmed:

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,
MasterChef Australia,
The Amazing Race Australia,
The Masked Singer,
Dive Club,

Expected to return:

Have You Been Paying Attention?,
Gogglebox,
The Project,
The Bachelor,
The Bachelorette,
Australian Survivor,
Neighbours,
Hughesy We Have A Problem,
The Living Room,
Ambulance Australia,

Did not air in 2020:

Five Bedrooms,
Playing for Keeps,
The Amazing Race Australia,
Pilot Week

Future unknown:

Dancing with the Stars,
Bachelor in Paradise,
Kinne Tonight,
Taboo,
How to Stay Married,
Todd Sampson’s BodyHack,
Bondi Rescue,
Family Feud,
Studio 10,
One Born Every Minute Australia,
My Life is Murder,
Trial by Kyle,
Celebrity Name Game,
Junior MasterChef

Rumour:

Celebrity MasterChef,
Australian Idol,
Early Show

TV Tonight will be Live blogging from 12:30pm AEDT Thursday October 15 (just hit refresh!).

It was a quiet Thursday in viewing last night but 10 shows led in key timeslots.

Gogglebox was best in entertainment stakes at 613,000 viewers.

The Bachelorette (543,000) also won ahead of an extended Home & Away (459,000 from 7pm), Paramedics (403,000), Budget Reply (391,000), 7:30 (335,000) and Queen Victoria’s Slum (192,000).

Trailing Gogglebox were Kings Cross ER (341,000 / 287,000), Escape from the City (327,000), and The Front Bar (310,000).

143,000 watched the Vice Presidential Debate on ABC News, just outranking 131,000 on SBS.

Seven network won Thursday with 29.1% then Nine 24.6%, 10 22.3%, ABC 15.7% and SBS 8.4%.

Seven News was #1 at 970,000 / 947,000. The Chase was 501,000 / 301,000 with The Latest at 255,000.

Nine News was 891,000 / 878,000 for Nine. A Current Affair led its slot at 722,000 then Hot Seat (489,000 / 305,000).  Botched was 248,000.

The Project drew 481,000 /323,000. 10 News First was 328,000 / 244,000 and Drunk History drew 159,000.

ABC News was 665,000 for ABC. Sammy J (274,000), The Drum (164,000) and Secrets of the Museum (163,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (168,000), Fargo (105,000) and Mastermind (74,000).

7mate’s Harry Potter movie led multichannels at 172,000.

The Morning Show: 147,000 / 88,000
Today Extra: 118,000 / 72,000
Studio 10: 49,000 / 46,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 8 October 2020

An annual reminder that early on Sunday morning daylight saving takes effect in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT .

Queenslanders, Territorians and West Australians take note of how this impacts your shows -and those spoilers!

Sunrise, Today and News Breakfast will screen AEDT with delays for others -but News Breakfast remains Live on ABC News channel. Some have been known to switch Live into local regions when big news breaks, especially in relation to weather or bushfires.

The Morning Show, Today Extra, Studio 10, The Project, Insiders, 7:30, A Current Affair, The Drum will all air AEDT.

Q&A is AEDT but streams Live on iview.

10 News First viewers in Queensland are likely to be delayed now that the bulletin is centralised from Sydney.

Fans of Reality TV will need to be mindful of social media use in order to avoid spoilers, notably for The Bachelorette, The Block, SAS Australia, Junior MasterChef.

Foxtel viewers not on AEDT will also need to remember those +2 channels as everything shifts by one hour.

And as I always say…. check your smoke alarm too!

AFL Finals are here and have delivered bumper numbers for Seven.

918,000 viewers tuned in last night, nearly 500,000 of them in Melbourne alone -making it the second-biggest Thursday night game in history.

AFL helped delivered a whopping 38.5% share to Seven and put Seven back in the hunt for the week overall.

Everywhere else things were very quiet…

The Chase was the top entertainment show at 526,000 / 306,000.

7:30 (466,000) eclipsed RBT (437,000), the finale for The Heights (230,000), The Masked Singer USA (225,000) and Queen Victoria’s Slum (179,000).

With a low lead-in even Gogglebox was down at just 475,000 then Paramedics (301,000) and Escape from the City (236,000).

Seven network easily won Thursday with 38.5% then Nine 23.6%, 10 15.9%, ABC 13.6% and SBS 8.4%.

Seven News was #1 at (931,000 / 787,000). Home and Away was 383,000, staggered across the network. Movie: This Means War was 116,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News (925,000 / 925,000) was best for Nine. A Current Affair (624,000) and Hot Seat (444,000 / 271,000) followed. Botched was 244,000.

The Project drew 409,000 / 253,000 for 10. 10 News First was low at 278,000 / 159,000. Drunk History managed 182,000.

ABC News pulled 686,000. Sammy J (325,000), The Drum (186,000) and Secrets of the Museum (169,000) also ranked for ABC.

On SBS it was Secrets of the Tower of London (165,000), SBS World News (158,000) and a late edition (103,000). Mastermind was just 55,000.

The Morning Show: 129,000 / 75,000
Today Extra: 111,000 / 87,000
Studio 10: 38,000 / 37,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 1 October 2020

Sorry Locky …The Bachelor has finished at an all-time low.

The episode drew just 694,000 viewers, rising to 879,000 for the moment he chose Irena over Bella.

That’s well down on last year’s 936,000 / 1.17m featuring Matt Agnew. That’s despite Melburnians still under a curfew.

But it did win its slot, defeating 7:30 (516,000), The World’s Most Scenic Railways (390,000) and The Heights (213,000). RBT was 169,000 in 2 cities.

Gogglebox led later at 654,000 well ahead of Escape from the City (296,000), The Front Bar (290,000) and Secrets of the Tower of London (193,000).

Thursday Night NRL was 314,000 / 29,000 across the Nine network.

Seven won Thursday at 27.2% then Nine 25.7%, 10 22.7%, ABC 15.0% and SBS 9.4%.

Seven News was #1 at 1.03m / 1.01m for Seven. The Chase drew 543,000 / 338,000 then an extended Home & Away averaging 516,000. The Latest was 212,000 in 3 cities and movie: Pitch Perfect was 89,000 in 2 cities.

Nine News (952,000 / 928,000) was best for Nine then A Current Affair 633,000. Hot Seat drew 461,000 / 276,000. Paramedics was 194,000 and Botched 144,000 -both across the network.

The Project pulled 514,000 / 287,000 for 10. 10 News First was 326,000 / 205,000.

ABC News won its slot on 771,000. The Drum (192,000) and Secrets of the Museum (179,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (188,000), Untold Australia (99,000) and Mastermind (80,000).

Bluey led multichannels again at 184,000.

Today Extra: 113,000 / 72,000
The Morning Show: 113,000 / 69,000
Studio 10: 36,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 24 September 2020

Staggered schedules across Seven and Nine last night make for somewhat messy analysis, but while Nine led in primary channels, Seven pipped them in network share, despite 10 leading in entertainment.

And SBS share was up thanks to more armchair travel.

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 644,000.

The Bachelor won its slot at 611,000 then 7:30 (551,000), The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (320,000), Kalgoorlie Cops (254,000 / 234,000 in 3 cities) and The Heights (211,000). America’s Got Talent was 180,000 across the Seven network.

NRL drew 285,000 in two cities on Nine. AFL was 185,000 on 7mate in Perth.

Seven network won Thursday with 25.8% then Nine 25.0%, 10 22.2%, ABC 15.3% and SBS 11.7%.

Seven News was #1 at 970,000 / 889,000 for Seven. Home and Away drew 522,000 then The Chase (522,000 / 319,000). The Front Bar was 231,000 across Seven’s network.

Nine News was 939,000 / 935,000. A Current Affair (667,000) and Hot Seat (470,000 / 281,000) followed. Russian Spy Assassins: The Salisbury Attack was 112,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 474,000 / 295,000 for 10.  10 News First was 315,000 / 231,000. A Drunk History replay pulled 237,000 then Just for Laughs (104,000).

ABC News led its slot at 711,000. Escape from the City (290,000), The Drum (197,000) and Secrets of the Museum (133,000) followed.

On SBS it was Tour de France (205,000), Secrets of the Tower of London (196,000), SBS World News (184,000).

Father Brown on 7TWO topped multichannels at 198,000.

The Morning Show: 131,000 / 82,000
Today Extra: 115,000 / 71,000
Studio 10: 46,000 / 42,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 17 September 2020.

10 enjoyed a strong Monday audience, leading in primary channel share thanks to The Masked Singer and HYBPA?

The Masked Singer finished with a season high at 1.00m across most of its finale, rising to 1.19m for the Final Reveal of Bonnie Anderson (correctly picked by Dannii Minogue & Jackie O).

That bettered The Block (791,000), 7:30 (637,000), Australian Story (615,000) and Plate of Origin on a new low of 342,000.

Later Have You Been Paying Attention? was solid with 767,000 then Four Corners (473,000), Media Watch (467,000), Celebrity IOU (358,000) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (247,000 / 230,000).

Nine network won Monday with 26.4% then 10 24.8%, Seven 24.2%, ABC 17.1% and SBS 7.6%.

Nine News was best for Nine at 1.03m / 1.03m. A Current Affair (733,000) and Hot Seat (520,000 / 316,000) and a late Nine News edition followed at 236,000.

The Project drew 569,000 / 342,000 for 10. 10 News First was 360,000 / 220,000. Drunk History debuted at 276,000. A new-look Studio 10 drew 54,000 / 41,000 / 40,000 in the morning (up on last Monday’s high of 46,000).

Seven News won its slot at 1.11m / 1.05m for Seven. Home and Away (591,000) and The Chase (583,000 / 336,000) followed.

ABC News led its slot at 783,000. Q&A (250,000) and The Drum (203,000) also ranked for ABC.

On SBS it was How the Victorians Built Britain (186,000), SBS World News (182,000), 24 Hours in Emergency (174,000) and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (113,000). Mastermind was just 69,000.

NCIS led multichannels at 182,000.

Sunrise: 259,000
Today: 226,000
News Breakfast: 139,000 / 62,000

OzTAM Overnights: Monday 14 September 2020

Old habits die hard…

It may take some time for Brisbane-based weather presenter Josh Holt to shake off the Queensland capital from his reports for 10 News First viewers in Perth.

On the first day of his weather reports in dedicated Perth bulletins accidentally referred to “Brisbane city” instead of the WA capital.

Following network cuts Holt is fronting weather for viewers in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, initially from Brissy, before he relocates to Sydney.

Changes to 10 also saw tech problems for a new-look Studio 10 yesterday, especially around vision switching, after some people behind the scenes parted ways last Friday.

Narelda Jacobs will return to hosting a news bulletin in Perth, which she will present Live from Sydney starting tomorrow.

Jacobs was presenter based in Perth until she relocated to Sydney in December.

It what will be an unusual split-work day, she will be Studio 10 news presenter from 8am then return from the Perth 5pm news bulletin (7pm AEST, 8pm AEDT). However Perth export Charlotte Goodlet (pictured below) will also present on some days, with Jacobs undertaking a reduced work week pattern.

Josh Holt will present weather, initially from Brisbane before he relocates to Sydney.

There are also changes to Sport for WA viewers following the redundancy of Tim Gossage.

From tomorrow senior sports reporter Lachy Reid will temporarily read sport from Perth while the network sorts shifts and other logistics. It isn’t clear who adopts the role more permanently, presumably from Sydney.

News boss Ross Dagan has indicated these arrangements are being trialled for the next couple of months, to confirm 2021 plans before the end of the year.

He said of Narelda Jacobs, “This is a fantastic result for our WA team, given Narelda’s much loved history in Perth. Narelda will present the standalone local bulletin live. It will be produced in WA with our outstanding new gathering teams.”

Decades of experience departed Network 10 buildings around the country yesterday with on-air farewells for talent in front of, and behind, the camera.

Sadly in the case of Tim Bailey and Natarsha Belling, they were not on screen to be thanked in person, but their contribution was acknowledged by many on social media.

There were tears, highlights packages, flowers and families across the day, from Studio 10 to news bulletins in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand chief content officer and EVP, Beverley McGarvey, also sent a staff note yesterday saying, “Among those leaving us are some well-known and much loved faces and I would like to acknowledge their enormous contribution and the unavoidable impacts of the public nature of our changes on them. Their special connection with audiences and our teams makes periods like these particularly challenging. There are many others who have played a key role with the network, who equally deserve our praise and appreciation for their professionalism. Whether you have been on our screens, behind the scenes or integral to how we engage with our audiences in other ways, know that each and every one of you goes with our deepest admiration. On behalf of the network, and in particular, Ross, Frank, and Jason, I would like to thank those who are leaving us today for their service, commitment and contribution to the company. You’ll continue to have our warmest wishes and support into the future.”

Back when she was hosting Midday, Kerri-Anne Kennerley sang up a storm with ye olde Channel Nine theme “Still the One.”

This clip also includes her final show in 1998 singing “That’s Life.”

As she leaves Studio 10 today, albeit after just 2 of their 7 years on air, she could doubtless still bang these out if someone handed her a mike (wink, wink Channel 10 party).

Or try and stop her.

Gogglebox was the top entertainment show last night at 631,000 -the only entertainment show above 600,000 metro viewers.

10 also led at 7:30 with The Bachelor (570,000) then 7:30 (480,000) and The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (344,00).

Seven’s AFL drew 497,000 across the network and led multichannels, with NRL on Nine at 306,000 / 20,000.

Seven network won Thursday with 29.7% then Nine 24.2%, 10 21.1%, ABC 13.6% and SBS 11.5%.

Seven News was #1 at 997,000 / 904,000 for Seven. The Chase was 563,000 / 350,000 then Home and Away (445,000 across the network). The Front Bar was 361,000 and America’s Got Talent at 198,000 across the network.

Nine News led for Nine at 978,000 / 931,000 followed by A Current Affair (630,000) and Hot Seat (493,000 / 286,000). Confessions Of A Serial Killer was 111,000 across the network.

The Project drew 505,000 / 316,000 for 10. 10 News First was 344,000 / 201,000 for 10. Law & Order: SVU was 240,000.

ABC News led its slot at 718,000 for ABC. Sammy J pulled 313,000 then Escape from the City (272,000), The Heights (193,000), The Drum (184,000) and Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (140,000).

On SBS it was Secrets of the Tower of London (211,000), SBS World News (181,000) and Tour De France (161,000).

The Morning Show: 158,000 / 93,000
Today Extra: 103,000 / 79,000
Studio 10: 46,000 / 42,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 10 September 2020

Joe Hildebrand has announced his departure from Studio 10 and the network at large, after nearly 7 years.

Revealing his decision this morning he said management had generously offered him other roles but he had chosen to move on as the show restructures.

“We talked about it really openly and warmly about what that might look like, and they were really lovely about it so don’t lash out at them. But I just thought it’s probably just better to draw a line under this amazing little story I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of, and and give the new show whatever it may look like, the chance to breathe and have a fresh start without me,” he said.

He fought back tears this morning as he announced the news.

“I love all you guys so much. I love you the audience as you know. I’m so sorry that you’re not here in the studio for me to be able to hug you and say goodbye in person, but you know how I feel about you. I speak to all the time. I love you. At home, I love the fact that we’re a show that sticks up for the little guy. I love the fact people often stare down their nose at daytime television, because it’s only watched by, pensioners at home or whatever, or housewives, they’re the people I love. They’re the battlers.”

He added, “It’s just been a wonderful seven years. I love you, Sarah. For the three people living under a rock who don’t know, Sarah is my best friend. My work wife. We’ve been through all this since the very beginning.

“I love all you guys.

“I love the crew, make-up girls. I finally got to become one of the girls!”

On Monday Studio 10 refreshes with Tristan MacManus joining Sarah Harris as co-host, with Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs, Denise Drysdale, Craig Bennett and Jono Coleman retained.

Updated.

Friday marks the final day for a slew of 10 News First staff, some of whom have been with the network for 2 – 3 decades.

It was brutal news last month when the network announced job cuts to on air talent and crew around Australia.

Here’s a look back at their work…

Tim Gossage, 31 years.

Tim Gossage started at the network in 1989. During his three decades he has hosted local footy show Western Front, been an AFL commentator or boundary rider on 10 and FOX Sports, hosted the Sandover Medal and the WA Football Hall of Fame and was part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games broadcast team. In 2012, he received the Dennis Cometti Award for Excellence by the WA Football Media Guild.

“Been the best 31 years & I depart having had the best time. I grew up wanting to talk sport and I was lucky enough to get paid for it. I leave sad but not bitter. Much love for everyone past and present at 10. Best job ever.”

Tim Bailey, 30 years.

Bailey is veteran of 10, having first joined the network in 1990 as a reporter on Good Morning Australia before becoming a host and presenter on Totally Wild, and his own early morning program The Big Breakfast, amongst other roles. He has been a most memorable weather presenter since 1996.

Mike Larkan,  24 years.

In 1996 Mike Larkan was lured from Canberra to become TEN Melbourne’s weather presenter. During his long run of live crosses around Melbourne events he has notably highlighted schools and lost dogs. He is an ambassador for Australia Day, the Melbourne Zoo, The Lost Dogs Home and the Variety Club.

Michael Schultz, 22 years.

Michael Schultz joined 10 in 1998. His love of all creatures great and small often sees him reporting the weather live from the RSPCA where he assists in finding new homes for abandoned animals. He is also a representative on the Perth Zoo Animal Ethics Committee.

Natarsha Belling, 22 years.

In 1998, 10 poached Natarsha to join its National Newsroom in Sydney. During this time, she has read across all the Network’s major news bulletins including the Morning, 5pm, Late and Weekend Services, Studio 10 and co-hosting Wake Up.

“I have been overwhelmed with all the love and support so many of you have shown me over the past four days. To all the wonderful viewers, colleagues, family and friends, thank you for all your beautiful messages, they mean the world to me. It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of the Network 10 family for more than 22 years. And I want to thank the network for all the wonderful opportunities I’ve enjoyed over the past two decades.”

Georgina Lewis, 21 years.

Georgina Lewis joined 10 News in Brisbane as a reporter in 1999 but soon became a regular stand by presenter, then weather presenter.  In 2007 she stepped into an anchor role and in 2012 became the solo anchor of the Queensland edition.

Rebecca Morse, 14 years.

Rebecca Morse has been with 10 News Adelaide since 2006 and presented the flagship  bulletin for over a decade.  She is a proud ambassador for the Animal Welfare League, Cure4CF Foundation, Brand South Australia’s I Choose SA campaign and the Premier’s Reading Challenge and ambassador for her local team the Port Adelaide Football Club.

“Sad to confirm the news that I am among those leaving Network Ten. Proud of our team at @10NewsFirstAdl currently working to bring you your local bulletin tonight. Thank you for your messages of support.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley. 24 months.

KAK needs no introduction, but rejoined 10 at Studio 10 in September 2018.  A TV survivor, she recently joked she had seen redundancies before and will be around to see them again.

“I just know I’m back on the Lazy Susan of television. It’s very, very tough for a lot of people. But I’ve always worked on a personal level (with) the Charles Darwin theory that says to survive, you don’t have to be the most intelligent, you don’t have to be the strongest, but you have to be, to survive, the most adaptable. My life theory is that. I’ve got to say, I’m sort of so grateful that a little while ago, you invited me on the program because I have had such a good time with all my new friends. And I don’t say that lightly because you’ve all been so delightful, so charming and so generous. That’s the whole production staff. Everybody…. I’ve had a ball.”

Will Goodings, 20 months.

Will Goodings joined 10 in 2019 as the Sport Presenter for Adelaide’s 10 News First, having been co-anchor for FIVEaa’s leading weekday breakfast show.

“Sad today for local news and the South Australians that rely on it. Most sad however for @10NewsFirstAdl colleagues, journos, cameramen, producers, hair and makeup artists and countless others who are exceptional professionals and even better human beings. Thank you all.”

Monika Kos, 8 months.

Monika Kos joined 10 in January after a long run at Seven.  Her career began in 1989 at 882 6PR radio station as a producer followed by a role as the on-air presenter in the drive programme.

Farewell also to the crews behind the scenes, whose work has been instrumental to their success.

Denise Scott this week announced she had quit Studio 10.

On Monday’s Have You Been Paying Attention? she confirmed, “I’m no longer the correspondent. I’ve been in lockdown since March, and I just simply ran out of things to correspond about!”

While it may have appeared to be a joke, Scott is indeed no longer part of the show.

On the weekend 10 announced dancer Tristan MacManus would co-host with Sarah Harris. Remaining with the show are Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs with Denise Drysdale, Craig Bennett and Jono Coleman as contributors.

10 had previously confirmed she would remain a contributor.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling depart on Friday, whilst 10 is (still) in discussions with Joe Hildebrand.

There was no mention nor farewell for Scotty, who joined the morning show in April 2018, switching to Melbourne correspondent in July 2019.

Dancer Tristan MacManus has been confirmed as co-host of Studio 10, to join Sarah Harris from Monday September 14.

The Dancing with the Stars judge will helm what appears to be a dual host presentation, following cutbacks at the network.

Angela Bishop will cover entertainment news and Narelda Jacobs will be news presenter. Denise Drysdale, Jono Coleman and Craig Bennett will stay on as contributors.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling will both depart this coming Friday, while 10 is still
in discussions with Joe Hildebrand about network roles.

“I’ve always had aspirations to be a host of some sort,” said MacManus.

“Although people know me as a dancer, I think my mouth usually works better than my feet do,” he said. “This opportunity came out of the blue and I’m really excited to be working with Sarah and learning from her.”

Tamara Simoneau, Executive Producer, said: “When searching for the right co-host to join Sarah at the helm of Studio 10 we wanted to think outside the box and choose someone who would help bring plenty of extra sunshine to morning TV at a time when it’s needed most. He’s charming, funny and fresh with a cheeky Irish side that he’s ready to share with Australia. He might even turn our studio into a dancefloor from time to time and we’re completely ok with that!”

Ross Dagan, Network Director Of News Content, said: “Tristan has performed all over the world for millions of fans and rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest stars, so we know he can handle four hours of live TV every day. You’ll still get the very latest news, information and entertainment, but in a way that reflects our rapidly changing lives. We all want to know what’s going on in the world, but we also need to escape it from time to time. The outstanding Studio 10 team will strive to strike that balance each and every hour.”

But the show also trails The Morning Show and Today Extra in the battle of morning television. The marathon Studio 10 is handicapped by having no strong lead-in, such as Sunrise or Today, following 10’s short-lived Wake-Up experiment.

10 is yet to confirm a third season of Dancing with the Stars.

Updated.

We'll miss you, Casey!! #Studio10 pic.twitter.com/V4XLb6zGJb

— Studio 10 (@Studio10au) September 4, 2020

It’s not much fun saying goodbye to one of your own on air.

Yesterday Studio 10 farewelled Director Casey Wrigley after 8 years at the network, who is amongst recent employees made redundant.

Sarah Harris tweeted, “Fabulous director, genuinely loves TV and has saved me a million times. You’re the best Casey! You’ll be missed x”

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 604,000 on Thursday.

A “world first” Bachelor, in which Locky & his dates zoomed, led its slot at  561,000 then 7:30 (483,000), The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (313,000), The Heights (204,000) and Kalgoorlie Cops (201,000 in 3 cities).

Seven’s AFL drew 418,000 across the network while NRL across Nine was 329,000 / 24,000.

Seven network won Thursday with 29.3% then Nine 24.6%, 10 21.3%, ABC 13.6% and SBS up at 11.3%.

Seven News was #1 at 1.04m / 971,000 for Seven. The Chase (550,000 / 328,000), Home & Away (469,000) and The Front Bar (315,000) followed. America’s Got Talent was 169,000 across the network.

Nine News was best for Nine at 884,000 / 868,000 then A Current Affair (635,000) and Hot Seat (458,000 / 275,000). Murder Lies & Alibis managed 123,000 across the network.

The Project was 500,000 / 343,000 for 10. 10 News First (350,000 / 231,000), Law & Order: SVU (224,000).

ABC News won its slot at 732,000. Also ranking for ABC were Sammy J (324,000), Escape from the City (251,000), The Drum (172,000) and Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (142,000).

On SBS it was Secrets of the Tower of London (208,000), Tour de France (158,000), SBS World News (157,000), and Mastermind (86,000).

NCIS led multichannels at 197,000.

The Morning Show: 139,000 / 97,000
Today Extra: 110,000 / 69,000
Studio 10: 45,000 / 44,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 3 September 2020

The return of Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 611,000 last night and topped the demos.

But Seven’s AFL helped the network to a winning share at 501,000 rising to 595,000 for a Post Match. NRL was 317,000 / 19,000 across Nine’s network.

Earlier The Bachelor won its slot at 538,000 despite being its lowest ever metro audience, then 7:30 (471,000), The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (339,000) and Kalgoorlie Cops (244,000 / 226,000 in 3 cities).

Seven Network won Thursday with 31.6% then Nine 24.0%, 10 20.6%, ABC 13.8% and SBS 10.0%.

Seven News (1.05m / 965,000) was #1 for Seven. The Chase was 568,000 / 319,000 and Home & Away was 469,000 split across the network. The Front Bar drew 337,000. America’s Got Talent was 164,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News (898,000 / 846,000) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (625,000) and Hot Seat (469,000 / 285,000). Reported Missing was 108,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 458,000 / 303,000 for 10. 10 News First was 363,000 / 207,000. Law & Order: SVU was 213,000.

ABC News won its slot at 731,000. Escape from the City (281,000), The Heights (201,000), The Drum (173,000), and Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (153,000) followed.

On SBS it was The Salisbury Poisonings (274,000), SBS World News (182,000), Mastermind (91,000) and Hungry Ghosts (87,000).

NCIS topped multichannels at 211,000.

The Morning Show: 150,000 / 93,000
Today Extra: 116,000 / 85,000
Studio 10: 45,000 / 41,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 27 August 2020

The Chase was the top entertainment drawcard at 602,000 / 363,000 last night.

The Bachelor won its timeslot for the first time this season with 591,000 and topped the demos. That was just ahead of 7:30 (587,000) then The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (363,000), Territory Cops (272,000 / 230,000 in 3 cities) and The Heights (204,000).

Thursday Night NRL drew 310,000 / 66,000 across the Nine network.

Seven network won Thursday with 28.5% then Nine 26.1%, 10 18.9%, ABC 16.4% and SBS 10.1%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.09m / 1.05m for Seven. An extended Home & Away drew 510,000. The Front Bar (342,000) and The Latest (316,000) followed. Movie: Hidden Figures was 129,000 in 2 cities.

Nine News (969,000 / 945,000) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (739,000) and Hot Seat 518,000 / 312,000. Reported Missing was 135,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 548,000 / 306,000 for 10. 10 News First was 362,000 / 249,000 then Celebrity Gogglebox USA (310,000) and Law & Order: SVU (171,000).

ABC News won its slot with 778,000 for ABC.  Sammy J (356,000), Escape from the City (331,000), Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (239,000) and The Drum (199,000) followed.

On SBS it was Cat Tales (207,000) SBS World News (186,000), War of the Worlds (169,000) and Mastermind (89,000).

NCIS led multichannels at 195,000.

The Morning Show: 157,000 / 91,000
Today Extra: 127,000 / 80,000
Studio 10: 54,000 / 52,000 / 37,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 20 August 2020

There’s continued speculation around about how changes at 10 will impact at Studio 10, including whether the show will drop down to two presenters.

Medianet even stated it as fact today, but 10 isn’t confirming that chatter. Lock in Sarah Harris as one half of the equation, given she is the centre of this universe.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling were made part of the cuts last week, with Joe Hildebrand in discussion about a different role, possibly elsewhere in the network.

Angela Bishop will remain with the show, although it isn’t clear in what capacity, while Narelda Jacobs will be news presenter. Both make other appearances across 10 News, which has doubtless helped them avoid redundancy. Jono Coleman is also remaining for advertorials. Less clear is showbiz contributor Craig Bennett.

A Network 10 spokesperson: “Studio 10 will continue to air weekdays from 8.00am to 12.00pm. Sarah Harris and Angela Bishop will remain an integral part of the Studio 10 team. Denise Drysdale, Denise Scott and other regulars will continue as special contributors. Narelda Jacobs will present the news in Studio 10.”

Changes, whatever they entail, are expected to take effect next month.

Updated.

Natarsha Belling has posted a classy, humble note to her Instagram followers after last week being let go by the network where she has worked for 22 years.

“I have been overwhelmed with all the love and support so many of you have shown me over the past four days. To all the wonderful viewers, colleagues, family and friends, thank you for all your beautiful messages, they mean the world to me. It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of the Network 10 family for more than 22 years. And I want to thank the network for all the wonderful opportunities I’ve enjoyed over the past two decades,” she wrote.

“During that time, I’ve worked with some of the very best in the TV business who have inspired me with their skill, passion and dedication.

“2020 has been such a challenging year for so many, and it has in many ways reminded us about what truly matters in life. I’m sad to leave, but excited about the new chapter ahead. I can’t wait to share with you what’s coming up!

“Take care and see you soon. Tarsh”

Once again, despite an entire city in curfew, viewers were very non-plussed about their Thursday offerings.

The Chase topped entertainment shows at 624,000 / 364,000.

The Bachelor won its slot and led the demos at 604,000 then 7:30 (538,000), Territory Cops (274,000 / 230,000 in 3 cities) and The Heights (204,000).

NRL drew 318,000 / 46,000 across Nine network.

Seven network won Thursday with 28.5% then Nine 26.4%, 10 19.3%, ABC 16.2% and SBS 9.6%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.12m / 1.04m for Seven. An extended Home and Away drew 523,000 then The Front Bar (294,000). The Latest was 248,000.

Nine News was 1.04m / 959,000 for Nine then A Current Affair (652,000) and Hot Seat 510,000 / 299,000. Reported Missing was 133,000 in 3 cities.

The Project pulled 511,000 / 308,000 for 10. 10 News First was 377,000 / 245,000 then Celebrity Gogglebox USA (301,000) and Law and Order: SVU (147,000).

ABC News (807,000) won its slot for ABC. Escape from the City (314,000), Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (248,000) and The Drum (185,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (190,000), Dog Tales (173,000), War of the Worlds (169,000), Bushfire Animal Rescue (131,000) and Mastermind (97,000).

NCIS led multichannels at 183,000.

The Morning Show: 146,000  /101,000
Today Extra: 127,000 / 78,000
Studio 10: 60,000 / 59,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 13 August 2020

Since yesterday’s savage cuts in 10 yesterday, there’s been some reports questioning why The Project was spared when 10 News First and Studio 10 were not.

But many overlook the simple fact The Project is not part of the 10 News Division.

It sits under 10’s Head of Popular Factual Sarah Thornton, who also oversees The Living Room, Ambulance Australia, One Born Every Minute and Todd Sampson’s Body Hack.

That’s not the only reason.

The show is also produced externally by Roving Enterprises, meaning the staff salaries and costs fall under separate budgets and a third party.

10 News First and Studio 10 are produced internally, helmed by Network Director of News Content, Ross Dagan.

Like all news, The Project has also been enjoying a lift through the horrors of 2020 pandemic and bushfires stories. The Sunday Project is particularly up in 2020. 10 says last week The Project 7pm was up 24% on 2019 (…mind you they also noted 10 News First was up 16%).

These have led to revenue rises, which again favoured it yesterday. Sources suggest most of its advertiser slots for the rest of 2020 are locked in, with optimistic / positive stories faring well with client brands.

That said, The Project does draw upon the resources of the news department for footage, live crosses and more. This entails link trucks, camera crews, manpower. Without the news department, the show could barely broadcast “news delivered differently” 6 nights a week.

But it’s a tough week for the 10 News department, already stretched when the network ditched Celebrity Name Game and extended from 5pm to 6:30pm. TV Tonight understands no extra budget was allocated with that move.

The Project is indeed a favourite child at 10, long considered the one show that best reflects the identity of the network.

Daniel Monaghan, Director of Programming: once said,  “The Project represents our DNA perfectly. It’s news but it’s different. It’s fresh. It has a great cast of core talent, it’s brilliantly made. It’s entirely our DNA.”

At their 10th birthday last year, Beverley McGarvey also told the production team, “The reason The Project is so successful is when we watch we see the best of society reflected back at us. We see something confronting, provocative, thoughtful and considered. It’s a place where conversations can begin.

“A lot of other shows bring out the worst in us, but I think it’s amazing to have show everyday that shows the best of what people can be.”

This week, 10 News staff may well be asking whether they are equally appreciated by network bean counters and whether their role in helping The Project succeed is recognised.

Studio 10 this morning addressed the round of cuts to 10 and their show

Confirmed departures include Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling. Joe Hildebrand is in discussions with 10, but it is believed these are for another role within the network. It isn’t clear if showbiz contributor Craig Bennett is remaining in his role.

10 is yet to confirm total numbers impacted but there are rumours it is some 25 staff, around half of whom are presenters.

Here is a transcript of this morning’s discussion:

Sarah Harris:

It has been a huge 24 hours here at 10. By now you’ve probably read all about the cuts that have had to be made here at the network. And it’s all true. In a few weeks time, Studio 10 our little show will look very different to what it does now. It was a pretty hard news to cop yesterday. We’re losing colleagues. We’re losing mates. We’re losing family members, essentially. How is everyone feeling this morning?

“I just know I’m back on the Lazy Susan of television.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley:
“I just know I’m back on the Lazy Susan of television. It’s very, very tough for a lot of people. But I’ve always worked on a personal level (with) the Charles Darwin theory that says to survive, you don’t have to be the most intelligent, you don’t have to be the strongest, but you have to be, to survive, the most adaptable. My life theory is that. I’ve got to say, I’m sort of so grateful that a little while ago, you invited me on the program because I have had such a good time with all my new friends. And I don’t say that lightly because you’ve all been so delightful, so charming and so generous. That’s the whole production staff. Everybody…. I’ve had a ball. But the reason I’ve got this outfit on today is because if you are being run out of town, get in front of the parade, or get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade!

“But let’s face it. We’ve got to get down to logic here. It is what it is. It’s not the first time, unfortunately, companies do these sort of cuts to make the business better, which in the long run saves a lot more jobs. So I do not say it lightly…. I am very, very sad because I will miss you guys and miss the audience, miss the feedback. But that’s it, it is what it is you just have to suck it up, move on.”

Joe Hildebrand:
“It is it is awful. We’ve been saying for a long time that this this economic crisis that’s been brought on is going to affect so many people. I guess it wouldn’t be fair if it didn’t affect us as well. But I just do feel so bad for some of the other people around the country, who are losing their jobs. People behind the scenes who weren’t in all those news reports.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with me.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with me. We’re still talking about it. But yeah, it’s been amazing seven years. I remember when it was just me and Ita, before there even was a Studio 10 it, before it even had a name. It’s been an extraordinary run. All the people and -not just at 10- but all the millions of people who have been smashed, the pilots who are now stacking supermarket shelves, the casual workers who have been left in the Centrelink queues… it’s awful to think how many people are affected by this. And again, people who think that economies are just economies… they’re people and people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake when they’re handling this crisis. So I’d encourage all governments of all colours, to keep that in mind.”

“A lot of people who have a really long history here… part of the DNA”

Angela Bishop:
“As you say Joe, it’s not just the people who we saw the headlines in the papers, it’s operations teams, it’s people… camera crews, studio crews in other states and a lot of people who have a really long history here, at Network 10 who are part of the DNA if you like. It’s been an incredibly tough 24 hours which has seen, I think, everyone here really embracing our colleagues and making sure we take care of one another.”

“It’s been gut wrenching to hear the news.”

Sarah Harris:
“The dust is certainly still settling here. We will keep you updated on what’s going on when we know, because I think what we’ve been good at right throughout this show and from it’s very inception is being authentic and honest with you at home and keeping you in the loop. We’re all just so heartbroken for our friends. It’s been gut wrenching to hear the news. It is a shocking, shocking economic reality that we’re facing at the moment. If 2020 was a Yelp review, it would read ‘Zero stars, would not recommend.’ But for the next few weeks, we are staying the same.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley:
“Whatever the audience needs… and all those people especially Victoria in the lockdown, you’re sitting there going crazy. We just want to put a bit of light and shade into your day and everybody around the country who’s doing it tough… the jobs that have been lost. It unfortunately, probably is not the end. But let’s just hold hands and take a deep breath.”

“It probably is going to get pretty loose in the next few weeks!”

Sarah Harris:
“We’re with you and I can promise you it probably is going to get pretty loose in the next few weeks! We will do proper send-offs and all that sort of stuff but, but for now we’re just going to put our heads down and plug in and bring you the best possible show we can because you deserve it at home and we really thank you for being on this journey with us.”

Legendary news broadcaster Mal Walden, who departed Network 10 in 2013, has seen it all.

During his 50 years in the media, 40 were spent reading news, and 26 of them at 10. He is more than familiar with the various hiring and firings that are endemic to the ‘third broadcaster.’ More than any other network 10 has built and burnt down its news departments only to rebuild them again.

Yesterday 10 announced plans to cut news staff in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, ‘centralising’ them with bulletins from Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a familiar strategy.

From 2000 the Adelaide bulletin was read from Melbourne, largely by George Donikian, until it returned to Adelaide in 2011. Nine years later, after much talk of commitment to local news, it is headed back to Melbourne.

Television is cyclical after all…

“You’ve got to remember when they say, ‘We’re committed to local news’, that’s one management that says that. 12 months later, there’s another management there. So the management structure changes almost as much as the product itself,” Walden tells TV Tonight.

“If you don’t listen to history, you’re bound to repeat it.”

“There’s an old saying, ‘If you don’t listen to history, you’re bound to repeat it.’ History repeats itself so often at Channel 10.

“It’s a very sad situation, particularly at the moment when so many people are losing their jobs. These people are the ones that have been providing all the information about the crisis we’re going through in these unprecedented times. When you dedicate your whole day to doing that sort of thing then you find yourself in the same situation, it’s pretty tough. Very, very sad.”

During his years at 10, Walden presented various incarnations of TEN Eyewitness News, at different times, durations and titles.

“Initially we were a half hour news bulletin, when we first started at five o’clock. Then we went to an hour with First at Five, then we went to 90 minutes during the ‘news revolutionary’ period, then we went back to an hour… it’s ever changing. That’s about the only thing you can say about the industry.

“These situations are never lasting. But a new management structure will come in and times will change. Who knows, it might even go back to being local again? You just have to ride out that storm.

“Duck your head, and wait for the shooting to finish”

“I always used to say when change was imminent, adopt the bunker system: duck your head, and wait for the shooting to finish before you stick it up again. And that way I kind of survived most of the shooting and the most of the wars.”

Amongst the sudden casualties yesterday are news presenter Tim Bailey (30 years at 10), Melbourne weather presenter Mike Larkan (24 years), Perth weather presenter Michael Schultz (22 years), Brisbane newsreader Georgina Lewis (21 years), Adelaide newsreader Rebecca Morse (14 years) and weather presenter Kate Freebairn (12 years), Brissy weather presenter Josh Holt (7 years), Adelaide sports anchor Will Goodings (20 months) and Perth newsreader Monika Kos (8 months).

Also leaving are Natarsha Belling (22 years) and Kerri-Anne Kennerley (2 years in current cycle) from Studio 10 while Joe Hildebrand is in discussion with the network.

But ‘centralising’ the news whilst saving costs on presenters, as well as some crew, can also lead to a loss of faith by the audience. There are also timezone differences, which could impact on live presentation, and sporting preferences between AFL and NRL.

“They’ll revert back to the the policies and the system that they adopted last time they read the news out of Melbourne,” says Walden. “Different newsreader – but the principal worked for a period of time before it reverted back to local news again.

“The problem is it causes untold hardship in the meantime, for those that have been forced to look for work elsewhere.

“There’s always life after television.”

“All I can say is, look, it’s tough. You have to bite the bullet. There’s always life after television. I can speak from experience on that one.”

During the pandemic lockdown Walden has written 5 short books distributed by Simon and Schuster on Australia’s major disasters, iconic legends, myths and mysteries and the latest, Mal Walden’s Crazy Aussie Crims to be released on September 2nd.

Natarsha Belling, Tim Bailey and Kerri-Anne Kennerley are amongst the profile names departing Network 10 in a savage round of cuts to the News department.

Also confirmed to depart are Brisbane newsreader Georgina Lewis and weather presenter Josh Holt; Adelaide newsreader Rebecca Morse, weather presenter Kate Freebairn and sports anchor Will Goodings; Perth newsreader Monika Kos and weather presenter Michael Schultz; and Melbourne weather presenter Mike Larkan.

But there are also crew who have been made redundant -around 25 roles in total are rumoured.

Studio 10 presenter Joe Hildebrand is understood to have been offered a part time role on and is in talks. Sarah Harris, Angela Bishop, Denise Drysdale, Denise Scott, Narelda Jacobs and Jonathan Coleman are remaining.

It’s unclear if other changes could yet be made at Studio 10, while The Project was not touched.

10 News boss Ross Dagan described it as a “Very sad day” during a staff meeting today.

Indeed, journalists, producers and industry colleagues have extended their support to those impacted via social media.

Network 10 will cut jobs in its news department which will see Brisbane and Perth bulletins presented from Sydney, and Adelaide bulletin presented from Melbourne.

A national weather presenter is to be introduced across all bulletins.

Changes are also coming to the Studio 10 presenting line-up.

10 News boss Ross Dagan addressed staff in a national staff meeting today, conceding it was a sad day today.

A redundancy program is now commencing for News, Operations and Technology departments. The cuts will encompass on-air presenters, journalists and operations staff, believed to total around 25.

ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand chief content officer and EVP, Beverley McGarvey told staff the changes to production methodology would bring about more efficient but would mean a farewell to “incredibly talented colleagues and friends who have made important contributions to our business.”

From Monday, September 14 :

• Weekday 5.00pm to 6.30pm 10 News First bulletins will be centralised from Sydney and Melbourne.
• Brisbane and Perth news bulletins will take place in Sydney, and Melbourne will present its local news and the Adelaide news bulletin. They will remain locally produced with local reporters, news crews and operations staff.
• The national weekend news bulletin will remain the same.
• Weather will also undergo changes with a new national meteorologist, all bulletins giving local and national weather forecasts. The role will be announced soon.

Sandra Sully will present a 90-minute bulletin at 5pm to viewers in Sydney and Brisbane while Jennifer Keyte will anchor a combined Melbourne and Adelaide bulletin. Matt Burke will anchor sports coverage in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth while Stephen Quartermain will present sport in Melbourne and Adelaide. Sports reporters Jonathan Williams in Brisbane and Tim Gossage in Perth will take on expanded roles.

There are confirmed changes to Studio 10, with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, and Natarsha Belling departing while Joe Hildebrand is “in talks about his future.”

Confirmed redundancies include Brisbane newsreader Georgina Lewis and weather presenter Josh Holt; Adelaide newsreader Rebecca Morse, weather presenter Kate Freebairn and sports anchor Will Goodings; Perth newsreader Monika Kos and weather presenter Michael Schultz; Sydney weather presenter Tim Bailey and Melbourne weather presenter Mike Larkan.

ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand chief content officer and EVP, Beverley McGarvey said in a note to staff, “I want to make it clear that these changes reflect the state of the media industry and the need for all media companies to achieve new efficiencies and find new operating models. They were not made easily and involved a lot of thinking about how we need to operate to ensure we move forward in the strongest way possible.

“We remain committed to our news organisation, and deeply value this team’s work. As mentioned, 10 News First will continue to be produced locally in each market. It will continue to have local news gathering services, reporters, camera crews and production staff. It will continue to bring local news to viewers.

“Personally, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for the great work, commitment and enthusiasm the departing staff have shown to their jobs and our company.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and continue to do.

“Thank you everyone for your ongoing commitment to driving our organisation forward. I know change is not easy, but I am confident that we will build an even stronger media company for the future.”

Network 10’s Network Director of News Content, Ross Dagan, said: “The decision to make these changes was a very difficult one and I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our friends and colleagues who will leave the network.

“It is in no way a reflection of their talent, contribution or passion. They are exceptionally gifted people. We are incredibly proud of them and their work. There is no doubt they will be missed.

“These painful changes reflect the state of the media industry in recent years and the need for all media companies to achieve new efficiencies.

“While our viewers in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth will see some on-air changes, we will continue to produce local news and employ local reporters, camera operators and production staff in those cities,” he said.

The Project is not affected.

Updated.

Last night in primetime Sport was strong, but viewers were also seeking out alternative entertainment, including an SBS doco on Walt Disney and Father Brown mystery on 7TWO.

The Chase was the top entertainment drawcard at 622,000 / 409,000.

AFL drew 457,000 across Seven network. NRL on Nine / 9GEM was 299,000 / 25,000.

7:30 won its slot at 509,000 then Celebrity Gogglebox USA (286,000), Walt Disney (277,000), Territory Cops (252,000 / 235,000 in 3 cities) and The Heights (209,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 31.4% then Nine 25.2%, 10 16.5%, ABC 15.9% and SBS 10.9%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.11m / 1.08m for Seven. Home & Away was 516,000. A Fantastic Beasts movie was 103,000 in 2 cities.

Nine News drew 1.02m / 897,000 for Nine then A Current Affair (624,000) and Hot Seat (532,000 / 347,000). A late Nine News bulletin was 124,000.  Reported Missing was 123,000 in 3 cities.

The Project pulled 489,000 / 325,000 for 10. 10 News First (441,000 / 253,000), Law & Order: SVU (196,000 / 195,000) followed.

ABC News led its slot at 768,000. Sammy J was 329,000, Escape from the City was 323,000 then The Drum (193,000) and Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One (174,000).

On SBS it was SBS World News (198,000), War of the Worlds (155,000) and Mastermind (95,000).

Father Brown on 7TWO topped multichannels at 221,000.

The Morning Show: 158,000 / 94,000
Today Extra: 129,000 / 83,000
Studio 10: 58,000 / 53,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 6 August 2020

Dates are confirmed for the return of two big franchises to 10.

Studio 10 reports The Masked Singer is back on 7:30pm Monday August 10 in what will be a quick turnaround for the Melbourne production.

10 has already commenced its very engaging guessing game campaign…. with so many out of work performers, I would tip a strong cast for this one.

The Bachelor returns 7:30pm Wednesday August 12 with Locky Gilbert.  This season has seen filming interrupted by the pandemic, but reportedly resuming with “Zoom dates” (I really hope not).

Both shows are produced by Warner Bros. Australia and likely to screen on multiple nights across 10’s week.

Despite Melbourne being in lockdown, Thursday was another quiet night in entertainment, but Sport ensured an easy win for Seven.

AFL pulled 695,000 for across Seven’s network, with NRL at 325,000 / 26,000 for Nine/ 9GEM.

The Chase was the top entertainment drawcard at 661,000 / 419,000.

7:30 won its slot with 540,000 for ABC.

That was ahead of Bachelor in Paradise (501,000 and topped younger demos), Territory Cops (269,000 / 237,000 in 3 cities), Inside the Orient Express (239,000) and The Heights (183,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 33.5% then Nine 24.9%, 10 18.0%, ABC 14.6% and SBS 9.0%

Seven News was #1 with 1.13m / 1.09m for Seven. Home and Away drew 586,000. A Harry Potter film was 189,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News (1.06m / 997,000 and led older demos) was best for Nine. A Current Affair was 615,000 then Hot Seat (543,000 / 329,000). Reported Missing was 137,000 in 3 cities.

The Project was 529,000 / 308,000 for 10. 10 News First (424,000 / 263,000), Celebrity Gogglebox USA (274,000) and Law & Order: SVU (141,000) followed.

ABC News led its slot at 768,000 for ABC. Sammy J (332,000), Escape from the City (295,000), The Drum (179,000) and Father Brown (188,000) followed.

On SBS it was Drain Alcatraz (203,000), War of the Worlds and SBS World News (both 190,000) then Mastermind (102,000).

Bluey led multichannels at 253,000.

The Morning Show: 165,000 / 114,000
Today Extra: 124,000 / 89,000
Studio 10: 57,000 / 51,000 / 39,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 16 July 2020

Spare a thought for Sarah Harris who this morning found herself in the middle of judging a dog dressing competition on Studio 10.

In the show’s marathon daily broadcast (sometimes referred to as the “telethon”), regulars Denise Drysdale and Kerri-Anne Kennerley had their pooches on set for a “Best in Show” dog contest. Gripping stuff.

When it came to scoring, Joe Hildebrand awarded Ding Dong’s ‘Shitzu’, saying, “Mostly I just wanted the chance to write this word on television.”

But Sarah Harris took a different tack, holding up another message on her whiteboard declaring, “Ch.9 Call Me!?”

She added, “Not since Dancing with the Dogs has there been a moment that golden here on Studio 10.”

It’s tough out there in morning TV.

War of the Worlds -not to be confused with a pandemic of the world- cracked the top 20 last night, averaging 303,000 across two hours and lifted SBS to an 11% share.

But Seven easily won the night thanks to AFL, news and entertainment.

The Chase was again the top entertainment drawcard at 664,000 / 405,000, followed by Home & Away at 584,000 for Seven.

AFL drew 581,000 across Seven’s network. NRL was 297,000 / 17,000 across Nine’s network.

7:30 led its slot at 562,000 then Celebrity Gogglebox USA (328,000), World’s Busiest Train Stations (266,000), Territory Cops (238,000 in 3 cities) and The Heights (212,000).

Later Escape from the City (317,000) pipped War of the Worlds at 303,000.

Seven network won Thursday with 33.7% then Nine 24.1%, 10 15.6%, ABC 15.5% and SBS 11.0%.

Seven News was #1 for Seven at 1.18m / 1.13m. A Harry Potter movie was  297,000 across Seven’s network.

Nine News was best for Nine at 1.02m / 938,000 then A Current Affair (692,000) and Hot Seat (546,000 / 346,000). Released to Kill Again was 104,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 508,000 / 341,000 for 10. 10 News First (430,000 / 276,000) and Law and Order: SVU (183,000 / 161,000) followed.

ABC News led its slot at 783,000. The Drum was 234,000 then Father Brown (194,000).

On SBS it was SBS World News 184,000 with Mastermind at 105,000.

NCIS led multichannels on 191,000.

The Morning Show: 161,000 / 94,000
Today Extra: 124,000 / 82,000
Studio 10: 56,000 / 51,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 9 July 2020

Julia Zemiro took to social media yesterday to draw a line in the sand on commercial breakfast shows which feature Pauline Hanson.

Her comments followed controversial comments by Hanson around communities in Melbourne lockdown.

On Twitter she said, “I have long said no to going on @sunriseon7 to promote anything because they continue to invite Hanson on regularly. @TheTodayShow has been added to the list.”

She also wrote on Today:

But Sunrise Executive Producer Michael Pell objected to her claim.

But at least there were at least two morning shows she remains happy to chat to including Studio 10 (May 2020) and News Breakfast.

Updated:

Zemiro did get a host name wrong but has not said she would ban Seven appearances. My understanding is both the network and host had a very good relationship for All Together Now.

Her comments were around Sunrise and Today.

A new-look Living Room debuted on 10 last night.

The new show does away with the studio audience and separate segments for a new ‘home-base’ with the cast giving a hero family a makeover.

Social media was divided over the new format. While some were not in favour of change, others welcomed the makeovers and bright colours. Everybody seemed to welcome Amanda Keller, Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry du Bois back on screen after the show was previously axed by 10.

But there is little explanation around why the presenters are ignoring social distancing, including yesterday in a Live interview on Studio 10. This was even more stark given Studio 10 presenters were observing current guidance -as does The Project, Neighbours, Have You Been Paying Attention?, MasterChef Australia.

Amanda Keller this week told TV Tonight, “That’s because we’ve been in a bubble with each other. We film with each other in the same way your family has a bubble, and certain friendships can have a bubble.”

10 did not respond to enquiries.

NSW govt regulations:

Keep a distance of 1.5 metres between yourself and other people.
Do not shake hands, hug or kiss as a greeting.

It was another quiet Thursday with news and sport dominating viewing with The Chase as the top entertainment show.

Seven’s AFL drew 512,000 across the network, while NRL on Nine managed  339,000 / 37,000 on Nine / 9GEM.

7:30 won its slot at 542,000 then Celebrity Gogglebox USA (352,000), The Heights (228,000), Territory Cops (215,000 in 3 cities) and World’s Busiest Train Stations (213,000).

Later Escape from the City drew 308,000 then a Harry Potter movie drew 255,000 across Seven’s network, Law & Order: SVU (216,000 / 198,000) and When Buildings Collapse (150,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 32.0% then Nine 26.6%, 10 17.5%, ABC 15.9% and SBS 8.0%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.11m / 1.06m for Seven. The Chase drew was the top rating entertainment show at 632,000 / 394,000. Home & Away was 590,000.

Nine News led for Nine with 1.06m / 958,000 and topped the demos, then A Current Affair (727,000) and Hot Seat (566,000 / 360,000). Serial Killer with Piers Morgan was 104,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 467,00 / 320,000 for 10. 10 News First was 401,000 / 260,000.

ABC News won its slot with 763,000. Sammy J (388,000), The Drum (195,000) and Father Brown (190,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (159,000), Mastermind (95,000) and Zerozerozero just 61,000.

Bluey was back on top of multichannels at 207,000.

The Morning Show: 142,000 / 75,000
Today Extra: 128,000 / 83,000
Studio 10: 45,000 / 37,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 2 July 2020

Showbiz veteran Hazel Phillips OAM made a surprise appearance on Studio 10 this week, from her Gold Coast home.

Phillips, 90, was only the second woman in Australia to win a Gold Logie (following Lorrae Desmond), for Girl Talk, the first midday show on the new Channel 10 in 1967.

“When Channel 10 first started, the public were put to the vote on who they’d like to see on the new channel and I came out top of the bill, so they put me on daily at 12. I was the first talk show host in this country,” she said.

As she recalled, TV Week once reported on her salary alongside the likes of Don Lane and Graham Kennedy.

“(They got) $5000 a week and Hazel Phillips was the highest paid woman. $350 bucks. 7 live shows a week. But I thought it was great. My husband had swanned off at some stage and I was left with an 8 and 10 year old so I had to earn my keep,” she said.

In 2011, she performed in Australia’s Got Talent, reaching the semi-finals.

This week showing she was not about to shun the spotlight, she was promoting a new line of retro-fridges.

Go Hazel!

You can check her out at 10 Play.

Former 10 Chief Executive Officer Paul Anderson, who resigned in March, has thanked and farewelled staff.

Anderson joined Network 10 in 2003 but after announcing his resignation, both as 10 CEO and Executive Vice President of ViacomCBS Australia/ NZ, agreed to stay for an interim period to assist with a smooth transition to new management.

In an email to staff today he said, “This note is to let you know that I am now officially on leave from 10. And while I have contractual obligations, Beverley (McGarvey) and the management team are running the network -with a lot of success in very trying conditions.

“The world we live in at the moment is incredibly difficult for all sectors of the community and economy. Beverley and the team are doing an amazing job and their ratings and revenue performance for the first half of 2020 say it all.”

Anderson thanked Sales boss Rod Prosser for leading his team through an unprecedented advertising period.

“I would also like to acknowledge the incredible job that our team are doing on Studio 10, 10 News First, and The Project. This has been an extraordinary year to report on and your efforts have been amazing.”

Anderson, who is well regarded amongst 10 ranks, is yet to announce his future plans.

“At some stage I do hope to come in and say goodbye properly in person to all of you. I really do hope I get that chance. This network has been a massive part of my life and will always remain very special to me,” he added.

ViacomCBS is not seeking a replacement CEO, but confirmed co-leads, one of which is Beverley McGarvey, as Chief Content Officer and EVP of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand. The other appointment is yet to be confirmed.

Thursday proved to be no competition for Seven last night with a hefty 34% share thanks to Seven News and AFL.

The Chase was again the top entertainment show at 616,000 / 384,000 viewers.

7:30 drew 648,000 but there were low numbers in the early slot thereafter: Celebrity Gogglebox USA (284,000), Territory Cops (246,000 / 228,000 in 3 cities), The Heights (207,000) and World’s Busiest Train Stations (197,000).

The AFL drew 544,000 viewers across Seven’s network, well ahead of NRL at 353,000 / 23,000.

Seven network won Thursday with 34.% then Nine 25.6%, ABC 16.3%, 10 16.2% and SBS 7.9%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.1m / 1.04m for Seven. Home and Away was 558,000 in 4 cities.  A Harry Potter movie was 202,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News was best for Nine at 995,000 / 942,000 then A Current Affair (689,000) and Hot Seat (535,000 / 318,000).   Serial Killer with Piers Morgan was 107,000 in 3 cities.

ABC News won its slot with 761,000 viewers. Escape from the City (320,000), The Drum (219,000) and Father Brown (205,000) followed.

The Project pulled 445,000 / 281,000 for 10. 10 News First was 400,000 / 243,000. Law & Order: SVU was so low at 193,000 it trailed NCIS drawing 206,000 on 10 BOLD an hour earlier. A second episode was lower still at a dismal 168,000.

On SBS it was The Secret Life of Al Capone (177,000), SBS World News (171,000), Mastermind (89,000) and Zerozerozero (just 64,000).

The Morning Show: 131,000 / 75,000
Today Extra: 108,000 / 68,000
Studio 10: 54,000 / 39,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 25 June 2020

Studio 10 was forced to apologise to its audience this morning after “Sydney’s meanest TV critic, Rudi Vanderstone” (aka TripleM’s Lawrence Mooney) dropped some clangers at the expense of industry names.

It wasn’t so much that he called the 10 morning show “a place on television where careers can go to die,” or that he described MAFS as “real estate agents and beauticians falling in love under the auspices of alcohol to rub their skin together….”

It wasn’t even lamenting that this weekend he would have been “waiting around for 3 hours for a woke speech from a half-talent voted by the Australian public as Gold.”

But it may have been the gag at the expense of Ryan Phelan, mispronouncing David Koch with a Dutch accent and referring to morning TV as home to “sl*t-shamming and casual racism.”

The look on Natarsha Belling’s face said it all… she soon apologised to viewers.

“We just need to apologise for our viewers for the offensive language in that last segment,” she said.

“For everything in fact!” Joe Hildebrand added.

Tomorrow for “TV’s morning of mornings” TripleM‘s Rudi will launch The Steaming Brown Logies for 2020″ in honour of the weekend the authorised event was due to be held.

You know you want to…

Outside of news and AFL viewers were not drawn to much on offer last night.

Seven’s AFL drew 624,000 viewers across its network and topped the demos. Nine’s NRL managed  301,000 / 25,000.

The Chase was the highest rating entertainment show at 633,000 / 388,000 followed by Home and Away 530,000.

7:30 (525,000), Celebrity Gogglebox USA (373,000), Territory Cops (220,000 / 218,000 in 3 cities), World’s Busiest Stations (207,000) and The Heights (204,000)

Seven network won Thursday with 34.6% then Nine 24.3%, 10 17.2%, ABC 15.3% and SBS 8.7%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.09m / 1.01m for Seven. A Harry Potter movie was 169,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News (926,000 / 875,000) was best for Nine. A Current Affair drew 599,000 then Hot Seat 503,000 / 292,000. Serial Killer with Piers Morgan managed 116,000 in 3 cities.

The Project drew 499,000 / 343,000 for 10. 10 News First was 372,000 / 253,000. Law and Order: SVU returned to just 185,000 / 175,000.

ABC News won its slot with 763,000. Sammy J (339,000), Escape from the City (319,000), The Drum (209,000) and Father Brown (206,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (169,000), Tsunamis: Facing A Global Threat and

NCIS led multichannels at 201,000.

The Morning Show: 140,000 / 88,000
Today Extra: 103,000 / 72,000
Studio 10: 49,000 / 48,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 18 June 2020

10 News First Entertainment Editor and Studio 10 co-host Angela Bishop is a fan of MasterChef, The Secrets She Keeps, Little Fires Everywhere and Succession.

Here’s what else is on her watch list!

1. What shows are on your must-see TV list lately?
AB: I cant miss MasterChef, Im addicted. I just finished catching up on the brilliant The Secret She Keeps, which I loved. Season three of Marcella has got me binging, and I really enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and also a doco called Dads which is the directorial debut of Jurassic Park star Bryce Dallas Howard. It’s got her dad Ron Howard aka Richie Cunningham in it. I was glued to The Clinton Affair and Succession and also watched Ava DuVernays powerful doco 13th. I caught Jerry Seinfeld and Hannah Gadsby doing new comedy and Im steeling myself to watch AfterLife series 2. I thought season one was incredible, but I have to be in a very strong emotional place to dive in. I caught Defending Jacob and am enjoying Julian Fellowes new one Belgravia. And the weeks not complete without HYBPA.

2. How has lockdown affected your viewing?
AB: During lockdown I revisited a few faves including both seasons of the brilliant Big Little Lies and Fleabag. I needed a dose of Hot Priest. I’ve been drawn to a kind of comfort viewing some days. So I’ll watch things Ive seen many times like Notting Hill or The Devil Wears Prada. The 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice has had a couple of runs (the only version worth watching – you can keep your inferior movie adaptations) and Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are on high rotation. Luther, Silent Witness and Line of Duty round out my faves.

3. Which guilty pleasure show are you reluctant to admit to watching?
AB: My guilty pleasure is sitting down to a bit of Dr Pimple Popper or Botched. I’m obsessed with the happy endings! Lives are transformed! My not-so-guilty pleasure is Bold and the Beautiful and I’ve been enjoying the classic episodes Channel 10 has been running after they ran out of new eps during COVID. A bit of Brooke and Taylor biffo is just the thing after a long day. My character JJ even popped up a couple of times! The Bold team is back at work this week so we’ll have new eps soon.

4. When you settle down for a night on the couch what are your must-haves?
AB: Devices are the main thing I have handy when I watch. I’ll do a bit of work, or google questions prompted by what Im watching.

5. What show would you secretly love to appear on?
AB: I would secretly love to appear on Celebrity Mastermind. But we would need to discuss the lighting.

6. If you were running Studio 10 what changes would you love to introduce?
AB: I have been paid a substantial amount of money to say more Jono Coleman. The cheque was signed Jono Coleman.

Studio 10 airs 8am weekdays on 10.

AFL is back.

A nail-biting Collingwood v Richmond match cracked the magic million last night at 1.00m viewers across Seven and 7mate. In Melbourne alone there were 668,000 viewers.

Seven cites this as the biggest regular primetime match in a decade. It topped the demos and ensured a huge network share. The game began with a bending of the knee for the Black Lives Matter movement, featured fake crowd noise and cardboard cutout fans, ending in a draw -the first between the clubs since 1917.

By comparison NRL drew 372,000 in 2 cities on Nine. It should be noted another 16,000 watched on 9GEM which Nine still codes separately. Why?

MasterChef Australia was the top entertainment drawcard at 875,000 viewers, down on last Thursday’s 970,000.

7:30 (426,000), Great American Railroad Journeys (231,000) and The Heights (180,000) followed.

Seven network won Thursday with 36.6% then Nine 22.6%, 10 20.3%, ABC 12.3% and SBS 8.1%.

Seven News was #1 at 1.1m / 1.05m for Seven. The Chase drew 641,000 / 404,000 while Home and Away was 405,000 in 3 cities.

Nine News was best for Nine at 980,000 / 907,000. A Current Affair was 698,000 then Hot Seat 570,000 / 354,000.

The Project drew 516,000 / 341,000 for 10. Celebrity Gogglebox USA debuted to 462,000 then 10 News First (382,000 / 289,000) and Law and Order: SVU (176,000).

ABC News won its slot at 722,000 for ABC. Sammy J (342,000), Grand Designs Australia (289,000), The Drum (219,000), and Father Brown (185,000) followed.

On SBS it was Filthy Rich & Homeless (224,000), SBS World News (157,000), Mastermind (97,000) and ZeroZeroZero (69,000).

The Morning Show: 147,000 / 90,000
Today Extra: 100,000 / 49,000
Studio 10: 53,000 / 51,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 11 June 2020

The return of The Front Bar helped Seven to a winning share last night, drawing 338,000 viewers which was enough to win its 8:30 timeslot (outside of MasterChef‘s final half hour). That figure includes 7mate’s tiny crowd of Sydney (8,000) and Brisbane (4,000) viewers.

MasterChef Australia was easily the top entertainment drawcard at 970,000 viewers and topping the demos.

It beat 7:30 (556,000), Britain’s Got Talent (485,000) and Thursday Night NRL (324,000 in 2 cities).

Later Law and Order: SVU repeats drew 322,000 / 211,000 then Grand Designs Australia (285,000), The World’s Most Beautiful Railway (255,000)

Seven network won Thursday with 27.3%, then 10 24.8%, Nine 24.7%, ABC 14.8% and SBS 8.4%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.1m / 1.04m for Seven then The Chase (641,000 / 373,000) and Home and Away (637,000). Movie Blended was 95,000 in 2 cities.

The Project drew 572,000 / 389,000 for 10 then 10 News First (405,000 / 278,000).

Nine News (1.04m / 1.02m) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (689,000) and Hot Seat (552,000 / 337,000). RBT was 213,000 in 3 cities. A Mission Impossible movie was 104,000 in 3 cities. On 9GEM NRL drew 44,000 in 3 cities.

ABC News won its slot at 818,000. Sammy J (353,000), The Heights (207,000), The Drum (215,000) and Father Brown (173,000) followed.

On SBS it was SBS World News (170,000), Britain’s Most Historic Towns (166,000) and Mastermind (103,000). ZeroZeroZero was just 65,000.

NCIS led multichannels at 202,000.

The Morning Show: 156,000 / 98,000
Today Extra: 129,000 / 62,000
Studio 10: 46,000 / 36,000 / 35,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 4 June 2020

NRL fans were divided on social media last night over the use of crowd cheers injected into an empty stadium.

But the return of League proved a drawcard for Nine, if split across primary and multichannels.

OzTAM noted 535,000 on primary channels in Sydney & Brisbane, but there were another 84,000 watching on 9GEM, helping Nine to a winning network share for the night.

MasterChef Australia easily topped entertainment and the demos at 960,000, outranking 7:30 (572,000), RBT (239,000 in 3 cities), The World’s Most Beautiful Railway (257,000) and The Heights (198,000).

Later Grand Designs Australia was 328,000 then Law & Order: SVU (324,000 / 245,000), Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (284,000), Seven movie: Crazy Stupid Love (202,000) and How the Victorians Built Britain (197,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 30.3% then Seven 23.6, 10 22.1%, ABC 15.2% and SBS 8.8%.

Nine News (1.06m / 1.01m) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (735,000) and Hot Seat (570,000 / 332,000). Movie: Jason Bourne was 191,000 in 3 cities.

Seven News was #1 with 1.1m / 1.03m for Seven then The Chase (615,000 / 385,000) and an extended Home & Away (524,000).

The Project drew 559,000 / 366,000 for 10 then 10 News First (392,000 / 242,000).

ABC News (801,000),  Sammy J (418,000), The Drum (250,000) also comprised

On SBS it was SBS World News (193,000), Mastermind (120,000) and Zerozerozero just 63,000.

Bluey topped multichannels at 153,000

The Morning Show: 143,000 / 90,000
Today Extra: 104,000 / 58,000
Studio 10: 56,000 / 46,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 28 May 2020

If it’s Thursday it’s gotta be MasterChef Australia, once again topping the entertainment stakes at 985,000, and the demos to boot.

That easily bettered 7:30 (539,000), RBT (464,000), The World’s Most Beautiful Railway (285,000) and The Heights (214,000).

Later Grand Designs Australia drew 349,000 then Seven movie: The Proposal (314,000),  a replay of Law & Order: SVU (298,0000 and Nine movie: The Bourne Legacy (279,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 26.5% then Nine 25.8%,  10 23.4%, ABC 15.0% and SBS 9.3%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.19m / 1.11m for Seven then The Chase (658,000 / 414,000) and an extended Home and Away (586,000).

Nine News (1.06m / 1.02m) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (752,000) and Hot Seat (567,000 / 341,000).

The Project drew 604,000 / 398,000 for 10. 10 News First was 451,000 / 329,000.

ABC News won its slot at 771,000. Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (235,000), The Drum (219,000) and Father Brown (125,000) followed.

On SBS it was How The Victorians Built Britain (220,000), SBS World News (210,000), Mastermind (111,000) and Zerozerozero (88,000).

NCIS on 10 BOLD topped multichannels at 167,000.

The Morning Show: 168,000 / 94,000
Today Extra: 124,000 / 71,000
Studio 10: 51,000 / 45,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 21 May 2020

Masterchef Australia was a ball of fun last night as contestants lost their mind over the rock star appearance by theme tune singer Katy Perry.

She swayed and swooned as she tasted food, dropping unexpected lines, “Put it in my mouth, Daddy!” and “You’re the tits, Reece!”

The show sizzled with 942,000 viewers and topped the demos.

Next in the slot were 7:30 (576,000), RBT (454,000) The World’s Most Beautiful Railway (304,000) and The Heights (218,000).

Later a MasterChef Masterclass was 537,000 then Seven movie: The Other Woman (348,000), Grand Designs Australia (310,000) and Nine movie: The Bourne Ultimatum (297,000).

Seven led in primary share but Nine network won Thursday with 25.8% then Seven 25.5%, 10 24.6%, ABC 14.5% and SBS 9.7%.

Nine News (1.08m / 1.03m) was best for Nine then A Current Affair (713,000) and Hot Seat (556,000 / 318,000).

Seven News was #1 with 1.19m / 1.1m for Seven. The Chase drew 676,000 / 401,000 and an extended Home & Away was 562,000.

The Project pulled 614,000 / 367,000. 10 News First was 446,000 / 297,000. A replay of The Secrets She Keeps drew 100,000.

ABC News won its slot at 834,000. Sammy J (407,000), The Drum (221,000) and Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (206,000) followed.

On SBS it was How The Victorians Built Britain (229,000), SBS World News (212,000), ZeroZeroZero (123,000) and Mastermind (131,000).

Death in Paradise on 9GEM led multichannels at 171,000.

The Morning Show: 184,000 / 122,000
Today Extra: 111,000 / 79,000
Studio 10: 59,000 / 51,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 14 May 2020

MasterChef Australia scored a big 957,000 and topped the demos on what was otherwise a quiet Thursday. But the network was unable to keep the crowd thereafter.

That was well in front of 7:30 (588,000), RBT (456,000), The World’s Most Beautiful Railway (294,000) and The Heights (230,000).

Later Seven’s movie The Intern drew 371,000 then Grand Designs Australia (347,000) and movie: The Bourne Supremacy (345,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 27.6% then Nine 25.9%, 10 21.3%, ABC 15.3% and SBS 9.8%.

Seven News (1.18m / 1.12m) was #1 for Seven then a noiseless Chase (689,000 / 423,000) and an extended Home & Away (598,000).

Nine News was best for Nine at 1.06m / 988,000 then ACA (706,000) and Hot Seat (566,000 / 333,000).

The Project drew 603,000 / 387,000 for 10. 10 News First was 469,000 / 307,000. Law and Order: SVU replays drew 268,000 / 175,000.

ABC News won its slot with 845,000. Sammy J (399,000), The Drum (242,000), Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (238,000) also comprised ABC’s night. The Cult of the Family was just 114,000.

On SBS it was Building Britain’s Canals (203,000), How the Victorians Built Britain (240,000), SBS World News (200,000) and Mastermind (114,000).

NCIS led multichannels with 180,000.

The Morning Show: 177,000 / 92,000
Today Extra: 124,000 / 59,000
Studio 10: 57,000 / 53,000 / 36,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 7 May 2020

10 may have won primary channel share with a MasterChef and Gogglebox combo but the network was only pipped in primetime share because it lacks a third multichannel.

MasterChef Australia won its slot at 1.02m and led the demos. Next were 7:30 (596,000) and RBT (467,000) and World’s Most Beautiful Railway (313,000).

Gogglebox season finale easily won later at 851,000, well in front of a movie replay of The Devil Wears Prada (331,000), Grand Designs Australia (323,000) and movie: The Bourne Identity (308,000).

Seven network won Thursday with 25.7% then 10 25.6%, Nine 24.4%, ABC 15.0% and SBS 9.3%.

Seven News was #1 with 1.23m / 1.17m for Seven then The Chase (690,000 / 417,000) and a triple episode playout of Home and Away (562,000 from 7pm).

The Project did well at 679,000 / 438,000 for 10. 10 News First (463,000 / 320,000) and a replay of The Secrets She Keeps (151,000).

Nine News was best for Nine at 1.08m/ 1.00m then A Current Affair (673,000) and Hot Seat (603,000 / 332,000).

ABC News won its slot at 840,000. Sammy J drew 417,000, The Heights (282,000), The Drum (263,000), Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (244,000) and The Cult Of The Family (128,000).

On SBS it was SBS World News (199,000), Building Britain’s Canals (193,000) and Mastermind (129,000).

NCIS topped multichannels at 182,000.

The Morning Show: 200,000 / 120,000
Today Extra: 120,000 / 62,000
Studio 10: 55,000 / 47,000 / 28,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 30 April 2020

A very late screening of Gogglebox rankled some viewers last night but the combo with MasterChef / Masterclass helped 10 to win the night.

MasterChef Australia was the night’s top entertainment at 1.03m viewers and topped the demos, well in front of 7:30 (655,000), RBT (534,000), Secrets of the Tower of London (309,000), Billy Connolly: Great American Trail (270,000) and The Heights (269,000).

Later the first MasterChef Masterclass led with 802,000 easily trumping Grand Designs Australia (406,000), movie: Contagion (310,000), movie: Spectre (309,000) and Barrie Cassidy’s One Plus One (214,000).

The 100th episode of Gogglebox didn’t finish until 10:45pm but drew an impressive 601,000 -down on last week’s bumper 874,000.

10 network won Thursday with 27.1% then Nine 26.0%, Seven 23.8%, ABC 15.2% and SBS 7.9%.

The Project was 636,000 / 459,000 for 10. 10 News First drew 513,000 / 338,000.

Nine News was best for Nine at 1.17m / 1.05m. A Current Affair pulled 798,000 and Hot Seat was 599,000 / 351,000.

Seven News was #1 at 1.28m / 1.2m. The Chase (690,000 / 419,000) and Home and Away (661,000) followed.

ABC News (914,000) led its slot for ABC. Sammy J (429,000), The Drum (261,000) and The Cult of the Family (90,000) comprised ABC’s night.

On SBS it was SBS World News (215,000) and Mastermind (119,000). The Handmaid’s Tale was 79,000.

NCIS led multichannels at 218,000.

The Morning Show: 182,000 / 101,000
Today Extra:  124,000 / 73,000
Studio 10: 57,000 / 53,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 23 April 2020

News continues to lead primetime ratings but then viewers were again in the mood for some self-isolating TV with Goggleboxers while Pooch Perfect slipped behind SBS.

Seven News was #1 at 1.32m / 1.2m ahead of  Nine News on 1.16m / 1,14m.

ABC News won its slot at 912,000 then A Current Affair (851,000) and The Latest (737,000 /490,000).

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard on 787,000 well ahead of Revelation (415,000) and Nine News special (368,000).

Earlier 7:30 won its slot on 703,000 defeating RBT (599,000), Ambulance Australia (493,000), Secrets Of The Tower Of London (358,000) Pooch Perfect (299,000) and The Heights (291,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 27.9% then Seven 23.4%, 10 21.3%, ABC 18.5% and SBS 8.9%.

Hot Seat was 610,000 / 376,000 for Nine. Australian Crime Stories pulled 220,000.

The Chase drew 706,000 / 451,000 for Seven. A later Seven News special was 269,000.

The Project was 584,000 / 437,000 for 10. 10 News First (553,000 / 353,000) and a Hughesy replay was 247,000.

The Drum was 259,000 on ABC.

On SBS it was  SBS World News (173,000), Secrets Of Britain (260,000) and Mastermind (114,000). 24 Hours In Emergency was 71,000.

Bluey led multichannels at 356,000.

The Morning Show: 225,000 / 127,000
Today Extra: 169,000 / 102,000
Studio 10: 78,000 / 65,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 2 April 2020

10 is making changes to its early morning schedule.

CBS This Morning is moving from 4:30 – 6am to 6:30 – 8am from next Tuesday.

This appears to be a move to give Studio 10 a more natural lead-in.

As a result The Talk is also moving along with changes to Entertainment Tonight, and The Bold & the Beautiful.

5:00 The Talk
6:00 Entertainment Tonight
6:30 CBS This Morning
8:00 Studio 10

The Bold & the Beautiful repeats appear to be moving to a 2 hour block on Monday mornings from 6am April 13.

A long-running TV feud between Derryn Hinch and Kerri-Anne Kennerley became the talking point on Studio 10 this morning, when Hinch was promoting his new book.

Things got awkward when he was tackled on previously referring to Kerri-Anne as the “cockroach of television.”

Hinch insisted, “It was s compliment. I was trying to say Kerri-Anne was a survivor. We both hosted the Midday show….”

But KAK was having none of it…

“Hold on. I listened to you whinge for years about Midday, for god’s sake!” she declared.

“Whinge, whinge, whinge. You did one year, you had a crack for five. When you wrote in your book, black and white, I was a television equivalent of a cockroach, yes I was really flattered!”

After more terse words, Hinch eventually apologised.

News continues to dominate viewing, but then viewers wanted light relief.

Seven News was #1 with 1.25m / 1.18m ahead of Nine News 1.14m / 1.13m.

ABC News (937,000) outranked A Current Affair (786,000) and The Latest (636,000).

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard and topped the demos at 736,000, eclipsing a Nine News special (599,000).

Earlier 7:30 led its slot at 789,000 ahead of Ambulance Australia (646,000) and RBT (545,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 27.1% then Seven 23.4%, 10 21.8%, ABC 18.5% and SBS 9.2%.

Hot Seat was 536,000 / 339,000 for Nine, and Psychopath with Piers Morgan was 306,000.

The Chase drew 626,000 / 399,000 for Seven then Pooch Perfect (359,000).

The Project  was 636,000 / 399,000 for 10 then 10 News First 527,000 / 315,000. A Hughesy repeat pulled 269,000.

Sammy J (443,000), Grand Designs Australia  (343,000), The Heights (253,000), The Drum (250,000) and RBG (169,000) also comprised ABC’s night.

On SBS it was The Kennedys (237,000), Secrets of Britain (203,000), and SBS World News (189,000). Mastermind drew 99,000 and 24 Hours in Emergency was too real at 79,000.

NCIS topped multichannels with 202,000.

The Morning Show: 234,000 / 150,000
Today Extra: 158,000 / 96,000
Studio 10: 73,000 / 63,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 26 March 2020

Kerri-Anne Kennerley has signed a new contract for Studio 10.

It comes despite some recent reports suggesting she might be dropped from the 10 show.

“It’s been in the works for weeks,” she told Woman’s Day.

KAK has also been at the centre of several controversies, but all have generated press for the show.

“If they didn’t want me to re-sign, I wouldn’t have been bothered. I can amuse myself quite happily without daytime TV.”

Source: Daily Mail

Studio 10 is extending from tomorrow morning, now beginning at an 8am start time (and fully socially distancing).

That will give the show a mammoth 4 hour broadcast -yikes!

The new line-up is now:

7:30am The Bold & the Beautiful rpt
8am Studio 10
12pm Dr. Phil

Last night Australia had its first real taste of watching favourite sporting events with empty stadiums as both AFL and NRL were broadcast on Seven and Nine, respectively.

It was an odd experience, relying on the distant shouts of AFL players for atmosphere, and Seven cleverly including social media vision of fans to give some context. NRL matches also benefited from their microphones on referees.

Thursday Night AFL drew 798,000 viewers which was up 8% on 2019 season opener. Thursday Night NRL was 307,000.

Self-isolating Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 604,000 for 10.

Seven News was #1 for the night at 1.1m / 944,000 defeating Nine News 994,000 / 968,000.

Seven network won Thursday with 32.9% then Nine 24.1%, 10 19.0%, ABC 15.9% and SBS 8.1%.

The Chase drew 532,000 / 359,000 for Seven then Home and Away (358,000 in 3 cities), Pooch Perfect was 218,000 / 47,000on two channels.

A Current Affair was 549,000 in cities for Nine followed by Hot Seat 500,000 / 449,000. RBT (204,000 in 3 cities) and a Nine News Special (255,000).

Ambulance Australia drew 463,000 for 10 then The Project (483,000 / 355,000), 10 News First (449,000 / 258,000) and a Hughesy repeat (220,000).

ABC News won its slot on 852,000 for ABC followed by 7:30 (708,000), Sammy J (366,000), Grand Designs Australia (299,000),  The Heights (270,000), The Drum (217,000) and Would I Lie To You? (211,000).

On SBS it was Secrets Of Britain (191,000), SBS World News  (145,000), The Kennedys: A Fatal Ambition (181,000), 24 Hours In Emergency (75,000) and Mastermind (62,000).

Bluey again led multichannels on 381,000.

The Morning Show: 145,000 / 105,000
Today Extra: 132,000 / 86,000
Studio 10: 53,000 / 48,000 / 38,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 19 March 2020

Amended.

Good news for 10 talent Angela Bishop and Christian Wilkins who have been cleared following a test for coronavirus.

But both will continue to self-isolate until Thursday 26 March and Monday 23 March respectively.

Dancer Lily Cornish has also been cleared. All were tested following Richard Wilkins’ positive result.

A Network 10 spokesperson: “Studio 10 presenter and Network 10 entertainment editor Angela Bishop and Dancing With the Stars contestant Christian Wilkins have tested negative to the COVID-19 virus. Both Angela and Christian continue to show no symptoms.

“Our focus continues to be the health, safety and well being of our people. As per the advice from health authorities, Angela and Christian will continue to self-isolate for the advised 14 days from date of exposure to ensure maximum safety for all involved, their family and friends, as well as the general public.

“Angela will continue to appear on Studio 10 via Skype until the end of her self-isolation period.

Christian and Lily will appear on Dancing With The Stars remotely this Sunday, planning to return to the dance floor the following Sunday.

“As a precaution, all Dancing With The Stars cast and crew will continue to self-monitor for symptoms until the end of Christian’s self-isolation period.”

In regards to the continuation of DWTS while social-distancing rules are in place, the situation is less clear. But 10 confirmed the show is proceeding.

“A number of precautions had already been put in place for Sunday’s show to minimise any potential exposure or spread of the virus including promoting good hygiene practices backstage and in-studio, and filming without a studio audience,” said the 10 spokesperson.

“All Dancing With The Stars cast and crew have been asked to self-monitor for symptoms relating to COVID-19 while we await the results of Christian’s test. Warner Bros. and Network 10 will provide all cast and crew the appropriate accommodation and support during this time.”

Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa team have also tested negative.

.@PrinceWilkins and his dance partner Lily are in a bit of a pickle after his dad @RichardWilkins tested positive for #coronavirus. We thought we'd check in on them to see what they're up to in self-isolation. #Studio10 pic.twitter.com/AKuaT1XLlt

— Studio 10 (@Studio10au) March 17, 2020

Christian Wilkins and dancer Lily Cornish, currently performing on Dancing with the Stars, have gone into self-isolation.

Both are taking precautions following Wilkins’ father Richard Wilkins testing positive to COVID-19.

They told Studio 10 today they were still rehearsing, despite the limited room space, and expect to be cleared.

When asked how it might impact the show if their result was positive, Wilkins said, “I would assume all the other contestants would need to be tested, and if they are being tested then they need to go into self-isolation.”

Both indicated they feel fine with no symptoms.

“Thank god we like each other!” Wilkins joked.

Yesterday Angela Bishop told Studio 10 she too was self-isolating after meeting with Richard Wilkins over the past week.

In New York City Scott Tweedie is also residing in his apartment due to local concerns.

Coronavirus Health Information Hotline: 1800 020 080.

10 staff have been directed to work from home from Monday, by direction of ViacomCBS.

Minimal staff required for broadcast will attend sites.

A Network 10 spokesperson told TV Tonight: “As a precautionary measure, ViacomCBS has asked that all employees work from home until further notice.

“To ensure our broadcast and critical commercial activities remain unaffected, a minimal number of Network 10 employees will continue to come into the office.

“The safety and well-being of our employees continues to be our number one priority.”

10 has already suspended studio audiences for The Project, Dancing with the Stars, Studio 10 and Australian Survivor: Reunion while The Amazing Race Australia has committed to domestic destinations.

Other productions such as intimate scenes for The Bachelor is less clear, while 10 is yet to advise about plans for Australian Survivor to film from April.

ViacomCBS’ direction is for all staff in Australia, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia and USA.

Late last year 10 experienced a massive attack on its IT systems which entailed huge numbers of staff working from home -ironically, that has probably served as a dry run for the current situation.

Seven and ABC have also advised no studio audiences and changes to guest access.

10 has responded to current concerns by halting studio audiences, effective immediately.

A 10 spokesperson told TV Tonight, “As a precautionary measure, The Project, Studio 10, Dancing With The Stars and Australian Survivor: All Stars Reunion will go audience-free for the moment. There will be no disruption to the filming or on-air broadcast of these shows.”

It follows the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix today.

Updated: Nine tells TV Tonight, The Voice is currently not filming while Australian Ninja Warrior is still working through the impact.  

A Seven spokesperson told TV Tonight, “Like many organisations, Seven West Media is operating with a range of precautionary measures in place to protect its people and operations. These are being continually evaluated and include restrictions on non-essential travel, access to sets, production units and other working sites, and the implementation of workplace plans that maximise business continuity.

“In terms of live studio audiences, decisions will be made closer to the relevant time for any such activity on the upcoming schedule.”

ABC Managing Director David Anderson sent a note to staff: “We have suspended Live audiences for any broadcast and for all locations, effective from Monday. Our teams who usually record or broadcast with a live audience are making necessary changes.

“Tours of ABC facilities, including school tours and public tours of ABC sites, including Ultimo, have been suspended until further notice.

“Non-essential visitors and meetings at ABC facilities have been suspended until further notice.

“All non-essential domestic travel will be cancelled. This follows our earlier decision to cancel any overseas travel.”

News dominated viewing last night as information around the coronavirus gripped the country.

Seven News (909,000 / 879,000) topped the night eclipsing Nine News (791,000 / 784,000).

When PM Scott Morrison gave an Address to the Nation, ABC News was leading at 712,000 over Home and Away (550,000) and A Current Affair (525,000 in 4 cities).

Gogglebox at 8:30pm was the top entertainment show at 611,000, and led the demos. That was well in front of Grand Designs Australia (267,000).

Earlier 7:30 won its slot at 550,000 defeating Ambulance Australia (480,000), Thursday Night NRL (391,000 in 2 cities) and Pooch Perfect (388,000).

Nine network won Thursday with 26.7% then Seven 25.5%, 10 21.7%, ABC 17.7% and SBS 8.5%.

Hot Seat was 414,000 / 276,000 for Nine. RBT was 194,000 in 3 cities.

The Chase was 460,000 / 295,000 for Seven. Modern Family was 250,000 / 182,000 / 165,000.

The Project drew 431,000 / 304,000 for 10. 10 News First was 415,000 / 280,000 and a repeat of Hughesy at 246,000.

On ABC it was Would I Lie To You? (230,000) The Drum (207,000) and The Heights (190,000) -which will likely struggle to stay in its 8pm slot.

Secrets Of Britain (196,000), Britain’s Most Historic Towns (180,000), SBS World News (125,000) and The Little Drummer Girl (99,000).

Bluey topped multichannels at 157,000.

The Morning Show: 135,000 / 87,000
Today Extra: 98,000 / 79,000
Studio 10: 47,000 / 46,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 12 March 2020

Australian television is coming to terms with the impact of COVID-19 on current and upcoming productions.

The Amazing Race Australia has already confirmed it will not be filming overseas this June, playing it safer with a domestic race. But it’s far from being alone.

Multiple Australian productions are faced with big decisions to keep cast & crew safe, whether due to international travel, studio audiences or fan events. Almost all Australian shows entail a degree of domestic travel for crew / guests.

Q&A tells TV Tonight, “It’s an evolving situation that we’re keeping under continuous review. Currently we’re advising people that if they have any symptoms of illness they should not participate in the studio audience.”

FOX Footy show Bounce has put its studio audience on hold “until further notice.”

Australian Survivor is due to film from April in Fiji and is yet to advise of any changes, following CBS suspending the US Survivor.

It’s also not clear how dating shows, which film intimate body to body contact will fare, including The Bachelor & The Bachelorette.

Many productions have completed filming, including Travel Guides, Lego Masters, Between Two Worlds, Bachelor in Paradise, Rosehaven, Hungry Ghosts, Celebrity Name Game, Farmer Wants a Wife, Hard Quiz etc.

Here are the key shows most likely to be impacted over the next 6 months.

Studio Audiences / Sport:

ABC:
Q&A,
Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell,
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering,
Gruen,
Hard Quiz (2021)

Seven:
AFL,
AFLW,
Plate of Origin,
The Front Bar,
Australia’s Got Talent,
Holey Moley

Nine:
NRL,
State of Origin,
TV Week Logie Awards,
Hot Seat,
Australian Ninja Warrior,
The Voice,
The Block,*
Step Back in Time

10:
Australian Grand Prix,
Dancing with the Stars,
Studio 10,
The Project,
The Masked Singer,
The Living Room,
MasterChef Australia*,
Have You Been Paying Attention?,

SBS:
Insight,
Mastermind,
NBL

Foxtel:
Australia Grand Prix,
One Day International Cricket,
W League,
Bounce,
The Matty Johns Show,
The Professor’s Late Hit,
Wentworth Con (Melb)

International travel:

ABC:
ABC News,
Foreign Correspondent,
Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery,
Four Corners

Seven:
Seven News,
Sunrise,
Olympic Games,
Paralympics,
Holey Moley,
SAS: Who Dares Wins,

Nine:
Nine News,
60 Minutes,
Today,
A Current Affair,
Love Island Australia,
Getaway,
Travel Guides (2021)
Married at First Sight (2021)

10:
10 News First,
The Project,
The Amazing Race Australia,
Australian Survivor,
Neighbours

SBS:
Eurovision Song Contest,
Dateline,
Who Do You Think You Are?,
Every Family Has A Secret ,
Tour de France

Foxtel:
SKY News
Wentworth Con (Chicago  / New Jersey)

* select events

Outside of News and Gogglebox, viewing numbers were fairly uneventful last night.

Gogglebox was the top entertainment drawcard at 645,000 viewers, and also topped the demos. Nothing else in its timeslot came close.

Earlier 7:30 won its slot at 539,000 then Ambulance Australia (507,000), Pooch Perfect (441,000) and RBT (437,000) -each up on last week except for Seven’s Rebel Wilson contest. SBS event Volcano Live With Nik Wallenda flunked at a dreadful 67,000 across 90 minutes.

Nine network won Thursday with 28.6% then Seven 26.4%, 10 21.7%, ABC 16.3% and SBS 6.9%.

Nine News was best for Nine at 845,000 / 823,000. A Current Affair (640,000) and Hot Seat (469,000 / 290,000). Movie: Fast & Furious 8: The Fate of the Furious was 215,000.

Seven News was #1 at 916,000 for Seven then Home and Away (561,000), The Chase (509,000 / 329,000). Three Modern Family episodes drew 212,000 / 177,000 / 170,000.

The Project was 393,000 /237,000 for 10. 10 News First was 368,000 / 197,000. A repeat of Hughesy, We Have A Problem was 192,000.

ABC News won its slot with 687,000. Sammy J (297,000), QI (228,000), Would I Lie to You? (212,000), Doctor Who (210,000), and The Drum (180,000) also comprised ABC’s night.

On SBS it was  SBS World News (127,000) and Mastermind (67,000).The Little Drummer Girl was just 47,000.

Bluey topped multichannels at 193,000

The Morning Show: 143,000 / 84,000
Today Extra: 109,000 / 71,000
Studio 10:

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 5 March 2020

Rightfully returning what's yours after all these years @Channel9 @SarahHarris @DailyMailAU #Studio10 pic.twitter.com/rvM2r82JIf

— Studio 10 (@Studio10au) February 28, 2020

Only in Australia…

Studio 10 producer Jack was on a mission this morning on behalf of host Sarah Harris, who admitted to her colleagues this morning that she had nicked some toilet rolls from Channel Nine when she used to work there.

“I wouldn’t take out rolls and rolls of it. I would just take whatever I could fit in my handbag,” she revealed.

“I worked hard, I put in overtime,” she joked. ‘I chased stories hard. It was one time!”

Umm-maa….

Later in a live cross the grand theft was remedied with a bulk roll of 3 ply (I hope) toilet paper delivered to a very puzzled security guard at the TCN gatehouse.

Birthday boy Jono Coleman had the best punchline.  “Can you ask if there’s any mail for Kerri-Anne?”

Seven snared a win on Thursday as it debuted its new dog-friendly reality show, hosted by Rebel Wilson. That’s good news for a network which is pretty much under siege….

Pooch Perfect also won its 7:30 slot with 624,000 ahead of 7:30 (528,000), Ambulance Australia (412,000) and RBT (411,000). Doctor Who was 221,000 from 8pm.

By 8:30 the return of Gogglebox was a winner with 685,000  -the top entertainment show and topping the night’s demos- well in front of Nine movie The Equalizer (254,000), Modern Family (242,000 / 181,000 / 144,000) and Secrets Of Britain (207,000).

Seven Network won Thursday with 28.2% then Nine 26.7%, 10 21.5%, ABC 15.3% and SBS 8.3%.

Seven News was #1 with 852,000 / 831,000. Home and Away drew 635,000 and  The Chase drew 496,000 / 316,000.

Nine News was best for Nine at 756,000 / 750,000 then A Current Affair (591,000). Hot Seat pulled 394,000 / 249,000.

The Project was 371,000 / 240,000 for 10 then 10 News First (328,000 / 191,000). A replay of Hughesy drew 247,000.

ABC News won its slot with 683,000. QI (233,000) Would I Lie to You? (205,000) and The Drum (178,000) also comprised ABC’s night.

On SBS it was Britain’s Most Historic Towns  (206,000), SBS World News (113,000) and The Little Drummer Girl (81,000).

NCIS once again topped multichannels at 165,000.

The Morning Show: 114,000 / 86,000
Today Extra: 95,000 / 64,000
Studio 10: 48,000 / 44,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 27 February 2020.

This morning Studio 10 presenters responded to comments on the show’s Facebook which criticised their support for this weekend’s Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Sarah Harris said they had received comments both negative and bigoted, as well as supportive.

Neralda Jacobs, who is a proud indigenous, gay woman said, “There’s one thing I would like to say to those attacking a marginalised group or community… you need to ask yourself why do you feel the need to attack a group of people who are so marginalised, that a lot of them live in fear, because of comments that you’re making about them?

“I think the answer might live within. I would just like to offer a big hug to you, because I feel like you need to be loved.”

Sarah Harris added, “We want differing opinions on the show… Some of the attacks we received on that video were disgusting and bigoted and just plain mean. We’ve deleted and blocked the worst.

“Let’s have the chat but let’s just be like The Fonz – be cool.”

Seven has nabbed another Thursday ratings win, without MKR having to compete against two other big reality shows.

It was Seven News that was #1 with 864,000 / 843,000, in front of Nine News on 756,000 / 739,000.

My Kitchen Rules led with 501,000, defeating 7:30 (486,000), Ambulance Australia (463,000 and winning younger demos) and RBT (428,000).

Later Nine movie London Has Fallen was 304,000, in front of Law and Order: SVU (289,000),  Secrets of Britain (297,000), Modern Family (236,000 / 186,000 from 9pm) and Doctor Who (226,000 from 8pm)

While Sunrise made it into the Top 10 at 275,000 the Today show hit another survey low of just 171,000 -a tie with ABC’s News Breakfast.

Seven network won Thursday with 28.5% then Nine 25.9%, 10 19.8%, ABC 15.7% and SBS 10.1%.

Home and Away was 563,000 for Seven and The Chase drew 457,000 / 295,000.

Also on Nine were A Current Affair (606,000) and Hot Seat (375,000 /244,000).

The Project was 396,000 / 251,0p00 for 10 then 10 News First 310,000 / 194,000, and a second SVU pulled 239,000.

ABC News won its slot with 656,000 for ABC. Sammy J and QI (both 257,000),  Would I Lie To You? (228,000) and The Drum (163,000) also comprised ABC’s night.

Also on SBS were Britain’s Most Historic Towns (224,000), SBS World News (115,000) and The Little Drummer Girl (98,000).

NCIS again led multichannels on 173,000.

The Morning Show: 146,000 / 89,000
Today Extra: 86,000 / 69,000
Studio 10: 56,000 / 51,000 /

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 20 February 2020

Amended.

Thursday offered some good news for Seven with My Kitchen Rules managing to win its timeslot.

As the only Reality show in its slot, the show drew 517,000 viewers. While that equalled its best audience so far, it’s not a particularly strong number for the timeslot.

But at least it was ahead of 7:30 (504,000), Ambulance Australia (485,000) and RBT (442,000). However it was Ambulance Australia that led demos in the slot.

Meanwhile the numbers left watching after 8:30pm were pretty dreadful. Law & Order: SVU (286,000 / 243,000), Would I Lie to You? (265,000 from 9pm), Modern Family (255,000 / 185,000 from 9pm) and Nine movie: Transformers: The Last Knight (231,000).

Seven network has its first nightly win of the 2020 ratings year with 29.3% then Nine 26.3%, 10 20.0%, ABC 16.2% and SBS 8.2%.

Seven News was #1 at 929,000 / 920,000. Home and Away was 587,000 then The Chase (507,000 / 295,000).

Nine News was 798,000 / 796,000 for Nine then A Current Affair (630,000). Hot Seat pulled 418,000 / 245,000.

The Project drew 433,000 / 274,000 for 10. 10 News First was 372,000 / 206,000.

ABC News won its slot with 681,000. Elsewhere it was QI (264,000), Doctor Who (212,000) and The Drum (166,000).

On SBS Britain’s Most Historic Towns  was best at 214,000 then SBS World News (123,000) and The Little Drummer Girl (103,000).

NCIS topped multichannels at 153,000.

The Morning Show: 144,000 / 87,000
Today Extra: 115,000 / 78,000
Studio 10: 43,000 / 41,000 / 38,000

OzTAM Overnights: Thursday 13 February 2020

Well this is going well…

Studio 10 has launched a new segment with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, “Kak’s Konfessional” in which viewers are invited to send in “secret problems” that need solving.

But after social media users reacted to the prominent K-k-K in a promo graphic, it was quickly deleted.

KAK has previously attracted headlines for comments around Australia Day, Indigenous Australians and Climate Change protesters.

The 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade taking place on Saturday 29th February is broadcast Live on SBS for the first time.

Joel Creasey, Narelda Jacobs, Courtney Act (courtesy of Studio 10) and Zoë Coombs Marr are hosts.

The broadcast will also stream live via SBS On Demand and NITV with the geo-block removed, making it available to watch around the world, with interviews from Sam Smith, Dua Lipa and Kesha -and a special performance from Courtney Act.

Joel Creasey said: “I am equal parts thrilled and astounded that SBS are allowing me to broadcast Live on the gayest night of the year (after my birthday, of course). What could possibly go wrong? All jokes aside, I could not be more excited to be hosting again alongside the sensational Narelda Jacobs. Plus Zoe Coombs-Marr is back to bring us all the color and camper-y from the streets. And, I am of course thrilled to welcome the incredible Courtney Act to our glittery team. What a treat! Dust off your hot pants and crack out the (biodegradable) confetti, it’s time to celebrate!”

Courtney Act said: “My first time hosting Mardi Gras on SBS and they raise the stakes by making it live! I promise to securely fasten all wigs and dresses to ensure there are no live TV wardrobe malfunctions (again)! Mardi Gras is a celebration for the queer community where we invite the world to come and watch our radical self expression, to share our stories, and amplify the voices of our siblings whose stories need to be heard.”

Narelda Jacobs said: “Mardi Gras is so much more than an incredible party. It brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate diversity and sends a message to the world that being LGBTIQ+ isn’t just normal – it’s fabulous! My first Mardi Gras experience was in 1998 as a 21 year old, who’d just come out. I was brought up in a fundamentalist Christian family where it was an accepted belief that being homosexual was a sin and gays were damned to hell. The pilgrimage to Sydney all those years ago allowed me to stand proud as a lesbian. I felt a strong sense of belonging and identity. The same arms that welcomed me over two decades ago, have welcomed countless others. This Mardi Gras, ‘What Matters’, is at the core of the party, and what matters most is each other. In 2020 I’m looking forward to giving all my love to this beautiful and generous community. Let’s celebrate together!”

Zoë Coombs Marr said: “I’m absolutely bloody stoked to be back onboard for another year of sideline mischief at the Mardi Gras broadcast. Last year I talked to bears and pop-stars and baby-dykes and even tourists! In face paint! Our community never ceases to delight me, so who knows what treasures this parade will hold. You bring the party poppers, and I’ll do my best to contain my excitement on the night.”

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “We are delighted and honoured to be broadcasting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade Live across Australia and around the world on SBS On Demand. ‘What Matters’ to SBS is giving a voice to underrepresented communities and promoting social inclusion and acceptance through our content. We can’t wait to share another amazing evening of love with our audience.”

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras remains one of the world’s largest and most loved LGBTIQ+ celebrations. This year the festival is themed What Matters?, to acknowledge how far the LGBTIQ+ community have come, and how much further there is still to go.

For the first time, NITV will simulcast the live broadcast on Saturday 29 February at 7.30pm. Throughout the entire month of February, they will celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community with a slate of special programming including Killing Patient Zero, a documentary about the man wrongfully accused of being patient zero for the AIDS crisis, as well Black Divaz, about the inaugural Miss First Nation pageant.

In the lead-up to the big night, SBS Radio will explore ‘What Matters’ to gender diverse members of CALD communities in 2020 with deeply personal stories in over 25 languages. SBS Arabic 24 will report live from Oxford Street to Arabic-speaking audiences around Australia on Facebook Live.

From Monday 24 February, SBS World Movies will showcase the best of LGBTIQ+ films with Queer Cinema Week, including Love Is Strange starring Alfred Molina and John Lithgow and the Golden Globe© nominated Pride. SBS VICELAND will air an encore of the broadcast at on Sunday 1 March at 10.45pm.

Local series Cloudy River will headline the Rainbow Pride movie collection on SBS On Demand. Cloudy River is a bold new series about pansexual artist Emma (Rebecca Robertson) and her musician lover, River (Rowan Davie), whose open relationship is put to the test when they move in together. Tangerine and Lovesong starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone will also feature in the collection.

Coverage of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is produced by Blink TV for SBS.

Broadcast times across Australia:

NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT 7:30pm – 10:30pm AEDT
QLD 6:30pm – 9:30pm AEST
SA 7:00pm – 10:00pm ACDT
WA 7:30pm – 10:30pm AWST*
NT 6:00pm – 9:00pm ACST
*WA viewers can watch the broadcast live via SBS On Demand

Melbournians will also be able to enjoy a special live screening of the broadcast in Federation Square, kicking off at 7.30pm on Saturday 29 Feb. Regional Australians can also join in the celebration, by checking out live viewing parties.

Regional live viewing sites:

Broken Heel Festival / The Palace Hotel, Broken Hill
Central Coast Pride & Coastal Twist Festival
Tropical Fruits, Lismore
Charles Stuart University, Bathurst
Feast, Adelaide
Wagga Mardi Gras, Wagga Wagga
THROB, Darwin
Lismore Civic Centre

Former politician Nova Peris is suing conservative Indigenous politician Jacinta Price for defamation over comments she made on Studio 10 last year.

The remarks were made during a follow-up discussion with Price, after the controversial Australia Day fallout between Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Yumi Stynes.

Peris is alleging the comments referencing her made by the former Liberal candidate in the Northern Territory conveyed several defamatory meanings, including that she participated in the promotion of Aboriginal men “when they were known to be perpetrators of sexual violence against women”.

Peris is also taking legal action over a tweet by Studio 10 that was retweeted by Price.

In October ACMA cleared Studio 10 of the original offending segment.

Elsewhere Sunrise this morning aired an Apology to Yolngu people following a heavily-criticised panel on Aboriginal adoptions last year.

15 members of the remote Northern Territory community of Yirrkala claimed the show defamed them by playing blurred background footage of them during the panel discussion. The footage was originally filmed with consent for a health promotion in Yirrkala.

Seven West Media was ordered by the Federal Court to pay an undisclosed amount of money, cover the group’s legal costs, and issue a public apology.

“On 13 March 2018, we aired a story about alleged child abuse and neglect in Aboriginal communities and white people adopting Aboriginal children,” the statement read.

“During the story, we showed unrelated blurred file footage of the Yirrkala community and Yolngu families in that community.

“The Yirrkala community and those Yolngu families had nothing to do with the story. And they have nothing to do with the alleged child abuse and neglect.

“They do not support any of the comments made in the story.

“Channel Seven apologises to the Yirrkala community and especially the Yolngu people shown in the story and their families for the hurt and distress that the misuse of this footage has caused them.”

ACMA found Sunrise in breach of the Code of Practice in September 2018.

Source: smh.com.au, NITV

Congratulations to Sandra Sully who today marks 30 years at 10.

She appeared this morning on Studio 10 reflecting on her career and how she stumbled into News, but fell in love with it.

Sully is much-loved by audiences for her professionalism, composure and sense of humour, whether on 10 News First (and various incarnations), with Brad McEwan as part of TEN Late News / Sports Tonight, telling Big Brother housemates the news or even hosting Wanted or Australia’s Brainiest Kid (don’t pretend you don’t remember). She is also prolific on social media.

Last year she told TV Tonight, “I have to pinch myself that I’ve been there that long!

“For too long it felt like we were walking on quicksand. After CBS took over I feel like we’re on solid ground. There is a deliberate investment and rebuild which is slow and methodical.

“It’s a really nice place to be. It’s been a long time, but lovely to feel like we’re in a strong growth phase.”

5 years ago news veteran Peter Meakin said, “Sandra has been the jewel in our crown, a constant and reassuring voice. She has been here whether the network was in the jungle or the wilderness.”

10 Chief Content Officer, Beverley McGarvey recently described her as: “…one of the best and most admired television news presenters and reporters in Australia…”

Like it or not Sully will always be synonymous with the breaking news of the 9/11 World Trade Centre when she was Live on Air.

Back in 2011, on its 10th anniversary, I reflected on that night….

I’ll never forget the night Sandra Sully told me a plane had struck one of the towers of the World Trade Centre.

I was sitting up late working at my computer (as I am ten years later) and the first reports sounded like a terrible accident had taken place. Early reports were sketchy, but it sounded like a light plane may have hit the building. Smoke was streaming from the side of the building.

I’d always remembered seeing the towers in movies. Jessica Lange was carried up it by Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong. Godspell had staged a song and dance number on the roof. The Wiz had a lavish number on the plaza. Homer Simpson had tried to take a pee in them.

I discussed the news with my housemate who was getting ready for bed.  How could such an accident have taken place? Had an aggrieved pilot committed suicide? It was all rather terrible, but it seemed so far away in the craziness that is America. I went back to my work.

I think the next time I checked in a second plane had hit. This time it had been caught on camera and was being replayed. It was no light plane, it was a passenger jet. Fireballs exploded. I dropped everything and so did my housemate. What I watched unfold was a night we’ll never forget.

Sandra Sully stayed on air through an extended TEN Late News talking us through the devastating and inexplicable events. Ever the professional, she kept relaying the facts as they came to hand. I have no idea how she remained so composed through it all. At home I was ringing friends late at night trying to say “Are you seeing this?”

EXCLUSIVE: 10 has a spring in step and has changed the game in 2020 by launching I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here early and kicking off Q1 with Dancing with the Stars & Australian Survivor.

A year ago the network’s first quarter struggled against the Married at First Sight / My Kitchen Rules battle, with Changing Rooms yanked off air. Now those expectations have changed with I’m a Celebrity having performed as the promo platform the network needed.

“Don’t think we weren’t nervous about it”

“Don’t think we weren’t nervous about it, but we really believed it would work because we’ve gone from January 13 last year (to January 5) and we just keep moving back. I keep making the joke that next time it will be on Boxing Day,” laughs 10 Head of Programming Daniel Monaghan.

“But we’re proving people want something to watch. They don’t want to just have to flick around Netflix. They want something light and entertaining, like I’m A Celebrity.

“There’s nearly 900,000 people watching the series at the moment, which is up about 10 or 13%. That’s a lot of people to be getting in front of, and they are heavily under 50 which is allegedly appealing to advertisers and our target audience.”

I’m a Celebrity‘s super-early launch is part of a wider push within 10 for 50 weeks of programming.

“Seven and Nine are effectively not switching off, with the Cricket and Tennis. So we don’t want to switch off either. We want a piece of that pie.

“This is where mass reach is, come and get it.”

“I think when we look back to Week 2, the commercial television audience was increasing year on year, and that’s our goal as one player in the industry, to increase the commercial TV audience all through those weeks. We should all be doing that, and I think we all are.

“As an industry we need to get on board and show advertisers this is where mass reach is, come and get it.”

Monaghan declines to tip a series winner but does hint to good news for fans of the show.

“I’d be stunned if it wasn’t back next year.”

10 swings from the jungle to the island when Australian Survivor: All Stars is unleashed next Monday, with returning players competing for a $500,000 prize. A further season is due early in Q3.

“We’re providing entertainment that is entirely different to MAFS and MKR. We have a loyal audience that we believe will come to it.

“The first, second and third episodes are three of the best we’ve ever made.

“They just come out to play hard. It’s a perfect competition. Brutal in some of the physical challenges. There are a lot of saints with smiles on their faces.”

“When you get the likes of Claudia on board you’ve already won”

It will be complemented by a second season of Dancing with the Stars, screening Live on Sunday nights from Melbourne with the likes of Claudia Karvan, Dami Im, Beau Ryan & Angie Kent.

“When you get the likes of Claudia on board you’ve already won, and then Ed Kavalee and Celia Pacquola… it’s people that you wouldn’t have thought would have done this show, who are willing to do it on 10, which is really refreshing,” he continues.

“We were so happy with last year and the way the show was pulled together. We want more numbers this year, but the show that Warner Bros. pulled together last year was beautiful.”

Monaghan is pragmatic about the show’s first elimination facing stiff competition from the live Fire Fight Australia benefit.

“It is what it is. The firefighting concert is very important. We support it wholeheartedly and would love to have been involved in some way, had we been able. I’m sure Nine feel the same.”

An extended 10 News First, which has seen a lift in network share in the 6pm slot, will continued to be ‘trialled.’

“Sadly it’s been a heavy news cycle over the summer with the bushfires, which has devastated the country. People are desperate to be informed on what’s happening so we’re glad we can provide a service at 6:00.

“Celebrity Name Game is living on BOLD at the moment. I think we’re very happy with the way News is performing. The amount of work from the news team for an extra half hour has been extraordinary.

“We don’t have any plans to go back into the studio for Celebrity Name Game.”

“Gogglebox has three new families this year”

Also in Q1 are Hughesy, We Have a Problem, Ambulance Australia now filmed in Queensland, and by the end of February the first of two Gogglebox seasons for 2020.

“Gogglebox has three new families this year, including two boys from the Gold Coast.”

Neighbours will mark its 35th anniversary on 10 Peach in March.

“It’s just started picking up year on year which is nice and the summer audience has returned. So we’re happy with how it’s going,” says Monaghan. “We’re working closely of course with our new friends at Channel 5. There are a number of big storylines coming up, with a couple of deaths as per the soap genre.”

Scenes specially filmed during the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras will also air in coming weeks.

“We’ve got the characters coming back that you will want”

Following Australian Survivor / DWTS 10 heads back to Fiji for more Bachelor in Paradise.

“We’ve got the characters coming back that you will want, we haven’t (announced) any of them, but I feel like they have been named by New Idea or papped by certain people. But it’s a good cast from Angie and Matt’s seasons and quite a handful of favourites from previous seasons.”

Monaghan hopes to begin Bachelor “before Easter, ideally,” but adds, “I’m not going to play it against MAFS. We’ll be clear of each other and there’s no point splitting the audience.”

Quarter 2, post-Easter, again features MasterChef Australia, now with all-new judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong & Andy Allen and 24 contestants who have previously been in the top 10. With no auditions, Gordon Ramsay kicks off Week 1 of cooking.

“Andy, Jock & Mel are really a breath of fresh air into the series and having all those ex-contestants genuinely back to win… you’d think it might be a bit of a celebrity version, but it is not. They are there to win. They want this crown, they fumble and stumble and they are hungry to win,” Monaghan insists.

“This is the shot in the arm the show needed”

“We’ve started filming it, and it’s very strong. The new judges are really settling in very well. Whatever happened with the old Masterchef, we’ll let bygones be bygones but this is the shot in the arm the show needed.”

Also expected in the second quarter is the replacement show for The Living Room. Details are still under wraps, including just who is producing.

“The team will be back this year, in some incarnation at Friday nights at 7:30 with Amanda, Chris, Barry & Miguel,” he assures.

“For a variety of reasons which I’m not going to go into, the decision was made that change was needed. But they will be back with lifestyle content, as they have delivered for the past 7 years.”

Peter Helliar and Lisa McCune comedy How to Stay Married is back in Q2.

“We really loved the first season. It’s a sort of gentle, family comedy which really appeals to that MasterChef audience, so we’d love to try and capitalise on that.”

New local drama The Secrets She Keeps is also expected in Q2. The six part series by Lingo Pictures stars Laura Carmichael and Jessica De Gouw as two women from vastly different backgrounds with explosive secrets that could destroy everything they hold dear.

“I’ve only seen the first few episodes so far, but it is a great thriller. And evidenced that it is very good by selling very well around the world at the moment, which is really exciting. It’s something different for us to go into that thriller genre, but it’s very commercial in the way that the story is told.

“To get Laura Carmichael from Downton Abbey was a real coup for us, and partly the reason why it is selling so well, particularly in the UK and the US.

“Then we’ll go into the second season of Five Bedrooms after that. I saw the other day that it had been picked up by Peacock. the NBC streaming service, which is great. So that’ll return at the end of MasterChef, towards The Bachelor. It has such a good cast and the writing is fantastic. I’m glad that people enjoyed it as much as we did.”

“Our intention with our dramas is always to try and get them away at 8:30”

I also ask about starting times for their local dramas.

“Our intention with our dramas is always to try and get them away at 8:30 -or the Australian 8:30 which is 8:40.

“We also have Drunk History coming up which (is partly scripted). That’s something we can play at 9:00 because it’s a different kind of show. It’s not a straight comedy or one hour drama. But for the scripted projects we’d like the audience to see them as early as possible.

“People are flicking when the big franchises finish and the dramas have become harder to get away. It’s a commitment for people to sit there and say ‘I’m going to definitely watch this drama for an hour.’ People are so flippant with their time and they like bitesize things, which is why you end up seeing the success of things like Gogglebox and Have You Been Paying Attention. Shows where you essentially you feel you don’t have to commit to the whole hour, but you end up being so entertained you do.”

‘”Anne Edmonds is doing the story of Dame Nelly Melba”

First names of Drunk History are now revealed.

“In the first episode, Anne Edmonds is doing the story of Dame Nelly Melba and we have Susie Youssef playing Dame Nelly Melba. Darren McMullen is in that one in an acting capacity, and Yvie Jones does a brief cameo. Then we’re doing the story of Burke & Wills. Harley Breen reads and we have Osher and James Mathison playing Burke & Wills.”

Sketch comedy Kinne Tonight is also back however the network is now undecided over more of Playing for Keeps.

“Obviously we were very disappointed with the numbers that it pulled last year. It was, we consider to be, a good melodrama with a very loyal fanbase,” Monaghan explains.

“It was the show on the back end of last year that I got asked about the most, which fascinated me. Perhaps it’s the circles that I run in.”

Ever-popular Have You Been Paying Attention? is back in May and runs through to the end of the year. Last year the show had its highest rating ever, and regularly causes headaches for rival networks.

In Q3 Monaghan says 10 will compete against Olympics with alternative programming, due to include a ‘regular’ Australian Survivor plus The Bachelor. The latter is yet to be cast.

“Trial by Kyle is awaiting a decision”

Bondi Rescue and Body Hack are both back this year but there are now question marks over three other shows, all of which were announced at Upfronts.

“Trial by Kyle is awaiting a decision,” Monaghan admits, “…it probably didn’t perform to the level we had hoped.” However he was “relatively comfortable” with One Born Every Minute.

“Taboo we haven’t made a decision on as yet.”

There are also no decisions on My Life is Murder, I Am Roxy or Mr. Black.

Show Me the Movie and Sunday Night Take Away are formally axed while there are no plans for The Secret Life of Four Year Olds, Shark Tank or Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures. I prod gently over a final word on Offspring?

“I’m not saying no to Offspring, because one day it might happen!” Monaghan teases.

Q4 will feature new hit The Masked Singer with its returning guessing panel & host Osher Gunsberg.

“I thought the cast was great and the guessing panel was obviously amazing. Next season we’ll step it up and I think it’ll look fantastic. We might give a few more difficult clues….” he laughs.

I ask if 10 would have first dibs on US plans for The Masked Dancer.

“I think we would like to take a look at it before anyone else, but that’s not entirely how it works,” Monaghan explains.

“I don’t know how long I could watch someone dance around in a Unicorn costume in silence.”

The Bachelorette and The Amazing Race Australia are back in Q4, with the latter enjoying longer pre-production time to expand on travel destinations.

“We went through Asia & Africa as a starting point but we’d desire fresh locations this year, with a bit more time up our sleeve.”

“It’s a jewel in the crown”

Amongst sporting highlights, Monaghan notes, “It was a huge undertaking for us to launch the Melbourne Cup last year, having it back on 10 after so many years. It performed well for us, we were thrilled with how the event came together. It’s a jewel in the crown during that period of the year for our schedule.”

Elsewhere, there is no decision on a second host for The Loop and no changes planned for Studio 10.

“No changes, we’re comfortable with the way it has performed over summer. It gets a boost over summer which we’ve seen in previous years. The look has changed this January, and it’s looking very fresh and we’ve added Narelda Jacobs to the panel.”

The Project plans to cement hosts on regular nights.

“With a core group like Carrie, Lisa, Pete, Waleed, and Tommy and previously Hamish on a Sunday night, I think the audience knows what they’re going to get,” he explains. “Our intention for the Monday to Friday is that every night in terms of day of week, you get the person that you’re expecting.

“We have such good group of core talent putting them on the same night every week will be key for the audience seeing who they want to see, with a great rotation of (guest) panelists.”

“We would certainly welcome him back.”

Will Hamish Macdonald be seen on The Project in 2020?

“I hope so. He has a great gig, we’re happy for him to do Q&A and we love him on The Project so we would certainly welcome him back.”

Amongst international titles, The Graham Norton Show will premiere on Fridays (Sundays are repeats), with NCIS and SVU franchises back in play.

Newcomers include FBI Most Wanted.

“It stars Julian McMahon so it obviously has great appeal for Australian audiences. When the original FBI launched, it launched very well for us.”

Tomorrow: Hamish Turner, Nine Network.

Richard Reid has qualified his comments made about Karl Stefanovic, following media reports of a feud between his former Nine colleague.

Stefanovic, recently asked on The Kyle & Jackie O Show about Reid’s comments on hair plugs, described Reid as a “tosser of the highest order!”

Yesterday on Studio 10, Reid explained, “I had time to think about this over the weekend. And I will say it’s been a year since I made those comments on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. The thing is, I do feel bad now about saying that about Karl about his hair.

“I said it at a time when he was out of work. It should have been a wonderful time. He was a newlywed, all of that. I got off lightly being called a tosser, actually.”

Asked if he was apologising, Reid added, “I’m not apologising. I’m saying, if he called me a tosser, he could have called me a whole lot worse and I wish Karl, nothing but the best (with) he & Jasmine expecting a baby.

“They’re no bad blood. No bad blood here, on my side.”

Seven is now the new home of the Academy Awards set to air live, and exclusive in early February.

Coverage will start with Sunrise, the only Australian breakfast TV show to be broadcasting Live from the red carpet, followed by The Morning Show. The move from Nine means Richard Wilkins will be unable to cross Live from the red Carpet for Nine, while the situation is less clear for Studio 10.

There is no host again this year.

Oscars nominations were announced overnight with Joker leading the pack with 11 nods. Following closely behind were The Irishman, 1917 and Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood with 10 nominations apiece.

Australia’s Margot Robbie was nominated in the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Bombshell, her second Oscar nomination.

The 2020 Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.

Live on 7 at 12pm Monday Feb 10 in AEDT states. Live on 7plus in all cities (rpt 7:30pm 7flix).

And now a look back over the worst best bloopers of 2019.

Westeros meets Starbucks? That Game of Thrones coffee cup made news the world over.

ABC had big stuff-ups with a wrong episode of Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell and an audio sync problem with Gruen.

Live TV

Denise Drysdale’s phone rang during Studio 10. Sarah Harris answered the phone to discover it was Ding Dong’s cabbie confirming her 12:15 pick up.

Former PM Paul Keating made a priceless Live TV entry when Andrew Probyn and Jane Norman were reporting from the Labor campaign launch.

The Project spoke to Trinny Woodall, one half of Trinny and Susannah’s What Not to Wear duo when she dropped this clanger. Language!

As did ex Bachelor babes on Studio 10.

Points to this Russian sports reporter for persisting.

And there were those who didn’t realise they were still on the air.

Morning TV

Poor Michael Bolton, caught dozing whilst awaiting a Live cross to Larry & Kylie on The Morning Show. Oddly all videos have been wiped of this…

Samantha Armytage mispronounced the Cook Islands. “Oh no I’m going to end up on Media Watch” she gasped. Correct.

News

This cross over in the West went wayward ….

After the U.S. Women’s Soccer team won its second FIFA Women’s World Cup against the Netherlands, a sports crowd in a sports bar in France let rip with an expletive towards President Donald Trump. More Language!

These next few are pretty self-explanatory.

Drama etc.

Eagle-eyed viewers of US period drama Reign noticed a pair of Everlast underwear on one character.

Jimmy Fallon tweeted to his followers that he was appearing on the Today show -but included Nine’s hashtag and not the NBC Today Show hashtag.

Donald Trump got his ABC’s mixed up.

Poor Miss Universe host Steve Harvey had another blunder.

Repeat awards offender John Travolta became confused over the real Taylor Swift.

The Emmys included a very-alive composer conductor Leonard Slatkin in its tribute to the late Andre Previn.

And this angry sheep left a cameraman squirming.

Industry

Seven tried to excite clients with “timeslow growth.”

News Corp bizarrely declared The Real Dirty Dancing a ratings hit over The Masked Singer -before OzTAM has issued data. They were wrong.

Sunrise executive producer Michael Pell hit back at the Daily Mail following a week of articles over an apparent ‘elbowing’ by ex-Married at First Sight participant Martha Kalifatidis.

And finally, Good Weekend gave George Calombaris his very own halo just days after staff underpayments at his restaurants blew out to $7.83 million. They conceded early deadlines were “terrible timing.” You think?

Studio 10 presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley has apologised following a string of media reports and social media posts that accused her of “slut-shaming” 10 Daily reporter Antoinette Lattouf.

During a segment around new buzz words on Friday, KAK made comment on Lattouf’s attire, asking “Did you forget your pants today?”

“It’s a playsuit,” Lattouf replied.

“And she looks unbelievable,” added Angela Bishop.

“A playsuit?” Kennerley asked. “And she’s gonna be thirsty!” (a reference to ‘thirsty’ as a buzzword euphemism for ‘horny’).

Over the weekend Kennerley came under fire from some articles and observers suggesting she had “slut-shamed” Lattouf -one of which was Studio 10 guest panelist Jan Fran… who was also on The Project panel last night.

Yesterday a 10 spokesperson told News Corp, “Kerri-Anne called Antoinette over the weekend and apologised for her comment.

“She reiterated her comment was not intended to cause offence. They had a respectful conversation and Antoinette accepted her apology.”