Monday July 13, 2020
Network 10 launches Shake: Show me the content, dawn to midnight
Shake will include a mix of shows for people aged 0-40 – toddlers to teenagers, millennials to mamas, dreamers to dads.
10 has split the new channel into distinct programming blocks: daytime 6am-6pm will deliver 84 hours a week for kids and prime time is for the big kids, those who like their television “shaken not stirred”.
10 Shake: 6am to 6pm
PAW Patrol
Any parent of a young child knows the power of the PAW. This is pawsitively one cartoon canine-loving kids cannot miss. Nickelodeon’s hit animated preschool series stars seven heroic rescue pups who are led by a tech-savvy boy named Ryder. Together, they work hard to protect the Adventure Bay community believing no job is too big and no pup is too small!
Blaze and the Monster Machines
Blaze and the Monster Machines
Who said cartoons aren’t good for your brain? Blaze and the Monster Machines is a preschool show which introduces viewers to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Together, monster truck Blaze and his eight-year-old driver AJ have action-packed adventures that highlight concepts such as friction, trajectories, volume and more for kids in a fun way.
READY SET DANCE
READY SET DANCE is a participatory preschool dance series to get young kids up and moving. The series stars CG animated Freeze and Twirl as well as the Kid Crew consisting entirely of Australian dancers.
Henry Danger
For the first time on free to air television, Henry Danger follows the adventures of Henry Hart who gets selected by superhero Captain Man to be his apprentice. After promising to keep his new identity a secret, Henry must navigate a double life balancing the challenges of high school with the crazy adventures of a crime fighter.
iCarly
iCarly
A show within a show, iCarly follows Carly Shay and her two best friends, Sam and Freddie, as they create a webcast for and about kids their age while grappling with everyday tween problems and adventures.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? We all know the answer to that question. For just a talking sponge with pants, SpongeBob has become one of the most iconic characters in television history.
10 Shake will also shake, rattle and roll with fan favourites including Breadwinners, Bubble Guppies, Dora the Explorer, The Loud House, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Sam & Cat, Sanjay and Craig, Shimmer and Shine, Team Umizoomi, The Thundermans and Top Wing.
Plus, Network 10’s popular local kids shows including Totally Wild which celebrates its 28th year with Ranger Stacey still at the helm, science program Scope, preschool show Crocamole and Australian made C classified dramas will make the move from 10 Peach over to their new home on 10 Shake.
10 Shake: 6pm to 6am
Catfish: The TV Show
The series follows Nev Schulman as he takes viewers on a deeply personal journey that goes inside the stories of young people as their online-only romantic relationships collide with first-time, real-life encounters. Speaking of first times, this is the show’s first time on free to air television.
Ex On The Beach UK
Eight single guys and girls head to an idyllic beach to enjoy a summer holiday in paradise… until their exes turn up. What could possibly go wrong?
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah brings insightful humour to the day’s top headlines, providing coverage of and catharsis from daily events through a sharp, incisive lens.
Comedy Central Roasts
From Flavor Flav to Charlie Sheen, the Comedy Central Roast knows no bounds. This is an annual star-studded event in which a special Roastee must sit on the hot seat and take it on the chin for an evening with good-natured ribbing from colleagues and comics.
Tosh.0
With razor sharp wit and biting commentary, comedian Daniel Tosh delves into all aspects of the internet, from the absolutely absurd to the incredibly ingenious. This is the show’s first time on free to air television.
10 Shake primetime will also feature season four of Lip Sync Battle, Just Tattoo Of Us hosted by Charlotte Crosby, The Charlotte Show, Comedy Central: Stand Up Specials, Inside Amy Schumer, Roast Battle, Ridiculousness, Drunk History US and The Late Late Show With James Corden.
10 Shake will also feature movies including The Matrix franchise, The Hunger Games (1 and 2), the Ocean’s series, The Lego Movie, Now You See Me 2, Office Christmas Party and Ready Player One.
Network 10 launches Shake: Show me the strategy, Dan Monaghan
“We have been talking about a fourth channel for some time and have been investigating a number of options pre the change of 10’s ownership and after,” admitted Monaghan to Mediaweek. “Once we saw Viacom and CBS coming together, and seeing the content they both offer, we realised we could access content that would differentiate it from Bold and Peach.
“Looking at the content made us feel like now was exactly the right time to launch. There was content in the kids’ space we didn’t previously have access to and then some edgier content through the Viacom channels.”
Monaghan laughed when asked how much of the pre-launch discussions were taken up with debates about what the name should be. 10 previously had two goes at branding a multichannel after abandoning 10 Boss for 10 Bold. “This isn’t the first rodeo for any of us in the naming stakes,” he noted referring to that previous launch.
“To be honest finding a name it is great fun. Then getting it cleared can be difficult. We knew Shake positions us where we wanted to be. An action, a word, something that is malleable around both kids’ product and the primetime offering. A word like Shake allows us to have a lot of fun with it. All the content on this channel is fun so we needed to reflect that in the naming.”
Monaghan said there was a shortlist of about five names before they settled on Shake. “We then debated which ones worked and we had input from the various creative departments about which ones stood out as logos and brands. After a period of time the name becomes nothing more than the word you have chosen. If you do your job correctly it becomes a brand representing the content.”
Monaghan added there was some thought about naming the dayparts separately. “It was then dismissed when we decided to go for a name that could work for both. While appreciating the content is divided into kids and non-kids, we went for the one name. There are always gear changes on every channel, we are just making ours a little more distinctive with a line in the sand at 6pm.”
While taking all the programming from within ViacomCBS might have economic benefits, Monaghan said they still have to pay for it. “That happens in any group internal transactions. Nothing is ever free. We would never have based the channel on getting the cheapest content deals. Having the access to this content made it appealing.”
The only non-ViacomCBS content is the programming made for 10 that is moving across. Programs like Totally Wild and the C classified dramas. “We have also got BoJack Horseman which is not a ViacomCBS property, but something we had already purchased. The movies also come from various distributors, they won’t be all from Paramount. Some 10 outside product may also have a second run on the new channel.”
Regarding new local content for Shake, Monaghan said: “We don’t have any new commissions planned for launch. I expect we will be receiving some pitches, but we don’t have anything.” 10, like other multichannels, doesn’t commission much for the multichannels. “We don’t commission for Bold, but we run Neighbours on Peach.”
10 will need to be careful not to take away viewers from Peach to Shake, with Monaghan noting the two channels target the same age group – generally under 40s. “In primetime it will target 16-40. The offerings are vastly different though. We are going for light and fluffy on Peach, while on Shake it will be more edgy, loud and indulgent. Our intention is not to steal viewers from Peach, or Bold for that matter.
“Our share predictions are based on stealing viewers from our competitors. Having watched others launch new channels they always seem to start slowly. When you look at how we have gone from ONE into Bold and then Eleven into Peach, Eleven probably started stronger than ONE.
“We have worked hard to have certain programming in key timeslots to get viewers into habits. But it takes a long time to change habits. We are not expecting Shake to explode out of the gate, but it would be lovely if it did.”
While Shake does have some strong kids brands in daytime, not so much in evenings. It’s different at Peach and Bold where Friends and NCIS are anchors.
“Primetime on Shake will see us leveraging brands that are not perhaps yet powerhouses in this market, but they are very strong in their niche categories – things like Catfish and Teen Mum.”
Network 10 launches Shake: Show me the money, Rod Prosser on sales
The decision to go with the Shake programming mix came about after looking at the large library of content at ViacomCBS, Prosser told Mediaweek. “What I was really keen on when Bev McGarvey and the broader management team started talking around the new channel was that it would be very different to what we already had and therefore would not cannibalise our channels Bold and Peach.
“I wanted a channel that would offer us an opportunity to talk to advertisers that we may not have had in the past. Shake allows us to do that. There isn’t another very targeted under-40 channel that can compete with the likes of YouTube for example. It’s now up to us to open up conversations with advertisers.”
As to whether there is much money available for the daytime younger audiences, Prosser said: “The sales proposition will be a little bit different, and we will do a lot of packaging. We have now had a few months selling Nickelodeon as part of ViacomCBS, albeit on a different platform. We know there are a lot of clients from big retailers to toy companies to gaming that are really keen on advertising around younger skewing content.
“We will obviously adhere to the regulations surrounding advertising at that time of day to a younger audience that are attached to our broadcast licence. We will have to get approval on ads that go into some of the programming blocks.”
Prosser said the primetime blocks will be younger skewing than 10 Peach. “Quite different in fact. Once you look at the line-up and the library of content you realise it will feel very different.”
While the programming at night is not necessarily new, some of the shows have had limited exposure previously in Australia, largely on subscription TV channels.
“Our sales proposition is ‘Shake will be iconic from day one’. If you look at the channels the content comes from and the movie line-up, they are iconic.”
Nine leads in all measures at halfway mark of survey year 2020
With Week 20 of the 40-week survey period wrapping on Saturday, Nine is the #1 network with all key demographics and total people.
Nine’s primary channel also leads all key demographics and total people.
Nine released the following statement to detail its achievements:
The network’s success is driven by a powerhouse schedule of year-round Australian premium content that once again has delivered proven consistency of audience across all advertiser-preferred demographics.
Michael Healy, director of television for Nine, said: “In 2020 Nine has consistently delivered the biggest programs on Australian television. Starting with the Australian Open in January and leading into Married at First Sight, LEGO Masters and The Voice, our primetime schedule has been a resounding success with viewers across the country. We thank our highly engaged audience and look forward to continuing to bring them a diverse slate of family viewing content in the months ahead.”
Michael Stephenson, chief sales officer for Nine, said: “Our advertisers want scale and consistency. More people are watching Nine across all screens than anybody else. We deliver advertisers a consistency of audience that you simply can’t get from anyone else. The best part is we still have a blockbuster schedule to come with Australian Ninja Warrior, The Block, Halifax: Retribution and NRL all on air over the coming months. And then we have the NRL Finals series and three State of Origin games which will create an amazing platform for retailers leading into Christmas.”
Nine can lay claim to all ten of the top 10 highest rating programs on Australian television in 2020.
In a year unlike any other in living memory, viewers have flocked to news and current affairs programming. 9News boasts an average nightly audience of 1.3 million – up 12% year-on-year.
A Current Affair is appointment viewing for an average of 1 million viewers each weeknight.
And 60 Minutes, in its 42nd season, is delivering an average of 996,000 viewers every Sunday night.
BVOD (Broadcast Video On Demand) viewing figures also continue to soar, with 9Now recording an average monthly unique audience of 3.988 million and a minutes share of 45%, making it the leading commercial free-to-air streaming platform in the country.
9Now also has the most streamed program across all BVOD platforms, with Married at First Sight accruing a total more than 816 million VOD minutes streamed – almost three times as much its nearest competitor.
9Now also takes out the top 10 live streamed programs year-to-date with the Australian Open and Married at First Sight.
Nine’s ratings dominance is set to continue in the months ahead.
The Voice, now in its ninth season, continues to deliver huge audiences and will reach a peak in the coming week as we head towards its grand finale on Sunday, July 19.
We then showcase the fourth series of Australian Ninja Warrior, which is arguably the most family-friendly program on Australian television.
Our final quarter will see the 16th series of the mother of all reality programs, The Block. The dynamite renovation program sets the benchmark when it comes to delivering for both advertisers and viewers alike.
Also set to air in the coming months is our reboot of a much-loved Australian drama classic, Halifax: Retribution.
Nine reveals launch date of season for Australian Ninja Warrior
The launch date is the first Sunday after the end of MasterChef Australia on Network 10.
Nine is promising a new era with gut-busting new challenges as audiences get a front-row seat to the thrills and spills on the world’s toughest obstacle course, crowned by the gravity-defying Mt Midoriyama.
This year, will Australian Ninja Warrior history be made when someone finally conquers it and claims the staggering jackpot prize of $400,000?
One hundred and forty everyday Aussies have been training in preparation to triumph in Australian Ninja Warrior 2020. They’re mums and dads, tradies and farmers, students and business owners, who will line up to see if they have what it takes to win.
Viewers will be at the edge of their seats as competitors tackle new obstacles on the heartbreaking course and the two fastest and furthest each night strive for a game-changing advantage on the almighty Power Tower, which sees Ninja versus adrenaline-fuelled Ninja for the very first time.
Nine’s Ninja hosts – Rebecca Maddern, Ben Fordham, Freddie Flintoff and Shane Crawford (pictured) – will be joined by a raft of new heroes and returning favourites, including Olympic gymnast Olivia Vivian, last year’s winner Charlie Robbins, and Australia’s speediest Ninja, Ashlin “Flashin” Herbert.
Nine’s head of content production and development Adrian Swift said: “There is nothing else like Australian Ninja Warrior on our TV screens. It’s fast-paced, electrifying, action-packed family fun. The inclusion of the Power Tower brings a fresh new element that will have viewers loving the Ninja versus Ninja action.
“After the success of the show last year it was a no-brainer to have the series return to Melbourne, and heading into our fourth season the Ninjas hungry to tackle our brand new course.”
Seven musters sponsors for Farmer Wants A Wife
Toyota Australia, IGA, Youfoodz, BUPA, Lilydale, Horticulture Australia and Mayvers, have all been confirmed as sponsors of Farmer Wants a Wife. All partners will feature throughout Farmer Wants A Wife, the most successful dating show on the planet which has created 99 marriages and 225 children around the world as farmers find true love.
Natalie Harvey, SWM network sales director, said there had been a strong response to the unique proposition offered by Farmer Wants A Wife. “We’re so excited with the response Farmer Wants A Wife has had in the market.
“It provides an authentic and safe environment for brands to align with real love stories that will capture the hearts of Australians. It’s the world’s most successful dating show, including here in Australia where it’s sparked nine marriages and 20 babies. Our partners are keen for Farmer to get underway to share their brands and products with this much-loved show and its highly engaged audience.”
“Farmer will also be part of our EAVE proposition enabling increased engagement and cut- through for brands. We have seen a very positive impact in terms of audience retention in a decluttered advertising environment through Big Brother and expect to see a similar result for Farmer.”
Farmer Wants A Wife is the next step in Seven’s content-led growth strategy, growing its audiences in key demographics including 25-54s and building unmatched audiences on Seven’s commercial FTA BVOD service 7plus and social media. Seven said it is already seen strong results from this strategy, with Big Brother delivering significant year on year viewership growth in 25-54s and 16-39s, as well as establishing itself as the top program on commercial FTA BVOD and regularly dominating social media.
Toyota is partnering with Farmer Wants a Wife to demonstrate its commitment to supporting rural and regional Australia. John Pappas, chief marketing officer of Toyota Australia, said: “Rural & regional Australia is part of Toyota’s DNA, so the opportunity to partner with Farmer Wants A Wife provided us with the perfect platform to demonstrate our ongoing support and commitment to these communities. We know these areas have been doing it tough through drought, bushfires and COVID-19, so it’s important for Toyota to help get these communities back on their feet. We look forward to watching the ladies fall in love not only with the lucky farmers, but with regional Australia too.”
IGA is partnering with Farmer Wants a Wife as part of its commitment to the local communities they serve across Australia. Tracy Wilson, GM of marketing at Metcash, said: “IGA is a network of 1,400 independent, family owned businesses that sit at the heart of their local communities across Australia. IGA retailers are proud supporters of local suppliers, producers and charities. Their local communities shape who they are and what they put on their shelves. In fact no two IGA stores are the same, just like the communities they serve. IGA retailers are excited to be part of a show that features just a few of Australia’s incredibly hard-working farmers, shining a light on the genuine connections that they themselves have with their local producers and communities. They are looking forward to helping share the love, because IGA is where the locals matter.”
Youfoodz is partnering with Farmer Wants A Wife to connect with its core audience and out of respect for the local farmers and growers that provide the ingredients for their ready-made meals. Simon Jarvis, chief marketing officer at Youfoodz, said: “As Australia’s favourite fresh ready-made meal provider, there’s a natural alignment between Youfoodz and Farmer Wants A Wife, as we both depend on Aussie farmers to provide the quality ingredients that go into the finished product.
“We also know Aussies are passionate about their food choices (just like their reality TV shows) and we felt that Farmer is such an iconic heartland Aussie program that appeals to our core audience that we fell head over heels with the proposal.”
Yash Gandhi, head of marketing at Baiada Poultry, said: “To partner with Channel 7 for the launch of Farmer Wants A Wife was a great way to share our new brand platform for Lilydale: Dedication you can taste.
“The dedication of the farmers, for love or simply for what they love doing, is why we’re a proud major sponsor of the show and excited to be part of their journey.”
ABC's $5m Fresh Start Fund supports 200+ content projects
Almost 60 Australian music projects are among those receiving development funding and support, plus 44 children’s content ideas and productions, 30 comedies, 15 dramas, 14 documentaries and factual projects and more than 30 specialist projects spanning areas such as podcasts, arts, science and religion and ethics.
Michael Carrington, ABC director entertainment & specialist, said the ABC was committed to helping Australian creatives cope with the global pandemic. “The impact of COVID-19 on the Australian production industry is ongoing and profound, leaving many content makers struggling to stay afloat,” he said.
“As Australia’s biggest backer of homegrown content, the ABC will provide whatever help possible to support local talent in this incredibly challenging time. With so many people still impacted by social distancing and isolation, distinctive Australian stories that keep them informed and entertained are more important than ever. The ABC’s $5 million Fresh Start Fund will help supercharge more than 200 of those stories, providing lifeblood to local creatives at a time when they need it most.”
Projects in line for development support include new natural history series, true crime stories, bold new Australian documentaries and several digital short-form factual series from culturally and linguistically diverse creatives, many of whom are working with the ABC for the first time. The fund will also give ongoing development support to new entertainment series, ranging from quiz shows to comedies.
New drama, comedy and Indigenous projects receiving development support showcase the range of Australian talent across the country, from rural Victoria to the nation’s far north. Fresh Start Fund projects include adult animation series, digital short-form sketch comedies, family dramas, crime series, vertical comedy series, rom-coms and science fiction-fantasy. The topics covered by these projects roam far and wide, including Indigenous musicians, autism, race, disability, eco-terrorism, ghost hunters, chess clubs, coronavirus, the Australian wine industry, prison, pole dancing and the challenges faced by girls growing up in a dangerous world.
ABC Classic and ABC Jazz will bring 25 new Australian works to audiences over the next year, building on the ABC’s tradition of discovering and developing new music by diverse artists. The debut works receiving support include musical responses to COVID-19, new jazz projects, a suite of dances by female composers reflecting on the 2019-20 bushfire season and emerging Indigenous composers exploring the 250 years since Captain Cook’s landing.
The Fresh Start Fund will also give triple J Unearthed “level up” grants to 16 emerging Australian artists to support their music careers, including funds to record new music, produce music videos and create sustainable merchandise.
The Fresh Start Fund received about 4000 applications from Australian producers, creatives and musicians in need of urgent support due to the shutdown of the independent production industry. Applications for funding closed on 12 June.
Spanning five streams, the Fresh Start Fund recognises the essential role played by independent producers in helping the ABC deliver Australian stories for audiences, across all platforms and services. The fund also supports emerging Australian talent and creatives to ensure the viable future of the local production industry.
The ABC has also acquired additional Australian content for broadcast on ABC TV and iview to keep the nation informed, educated and entertained, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Week 28 TV: Seven wins major demos for fifth consecutive week
Seven’s share was down marginally week-on-week, as was 10 with ABC steady. Both Nine and SBS climbed a little higher.
Seven Week 28
Seven’s 6pm news bulletins dominated the week with all parts of every day averaging over 1m viewers.
Big Brother was the next most-watched program with the Tuesday episode scraping into the top 20 all people with 695,000.
The Chase, Home and Away and then the Thursday night and Friday night AFL matches were next.
Primary all people 19.9% (Last week 20.2%)
Network all people 28.8% (28.8%)
Multichannels 7TWO 3.3% (3.3%) 7mate 3.5% (3.4%) 7flix 1.9% (1.8%)
Nine Week 28
Share climbed marginally week-on-week, but not enough to challenge Seven’s leadership.
After Nine News, The Voice Sunday was the next best with 809,000.
Other highlights included 60 Minutes on 667,000 and the return of a new series of Emergency on 544,000.
Primary all people 18.5% (Last week 18.0%)
Network all people 27.2% (26.5%)
Multichannels GO! 2.6% (2.7%), Gem 2.6% (2.4%), 9Life 2.2% (2.1%), 9Rush 1.2% (1.3%)
10 Week 28
MasterChef Australia: Back to Win continues to bat well above recent averages with all three episodes in the top 10 with audiences of 949,000 or more.
The only other shows to crack 500,000 were Have You Been Paying Attention? on 767,000, The Sunday Project 7pm on 530,000 and The Project weekday 7pm on 503,000.
ABC Week 28
The weekday and Saturday 7pm ABC News both had audiences close to 800,000.
7.30 was next best on 622,000 with Back Roads not far behind on 598,000.
Also over half a million were The Weekly with Charlie Pickering and Grand Designs.
Primary all people 11.7% (Last week 11.7%)
Network all people 16.5% (16.8%)
Multichannels Kids/Comedy 2.5% (2.6%), News 1.9% (2.0%), ME 0.5% (0.5%)
SBS Week 28
The season final of Who Do You Think You Are? ranked #1 with 305,000. Our report last week of an audience of 472,000 for the Troy Cassar-Daley episode was the national audience (metro + regional), but it wasn’t a season high.
Next best was Tony Robinson’s World by Rail on 303,000.
Primary all people 5.6% (Last week 5.2%)
Network all people 9.4% (8.9%)
Multichannels Viceland 1.4% (1.4%), Food 1.0% (0.9%), NITV 0.2% (0.2%), World Movies 1.2% (1.2%)
ARIA Chart
Singles
How many weeks can Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo spend at #1? If past performance from people who reach the summit is any guide it should be longer than the two weeks they have now been there.
There were five new releases in the top 50 this week:
#25 Pop Smoke with The Woo. The first if three tracks to chart this week from his debut album.
#31 Kanye West with Wash Us in the Blood featuring Travis Scott. A track from Presidential hopeful West’s forthcoming tenth album God’s Country.
#32 Pop Smoke with For the Night
#48 Pop Smoke with Dior
#49 Amy Shark with Everybody Rise. A modest chart debut for the first new music in two years from Amy Shark after her hit debut album Love Monster. While that #1 album was a massive chart performer, Shark also had two top 10 single appearances with Adore at #3 and I Said Hi at #6.
Albums
There are just four chart spots under review to sum up the action this week.
Two new arrivals (one a soundtrack) battled for top spot and then two other soundtracks arrived on the chart – one a re-entry and the other a new release.
The late Pop Smoke debuts at #1 with his album Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon. The album’s arrival is off the back of his mix tape Meet the Woo 2 charting two weeks ago at #33. It moves to #24 this week.
The chart was very close to another #1 Australian album with King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard seeing Chunky Shrapnel debut at #2. This doco soundtrack now available on vinyl equals the band’s highest chart position with two of their 15 previous albums peaking at #2. King Gizzard fans are well looked after by the act with 16 albums in eight years – plus another four live albums.
Other soundtracks making a move this week were Hamilton and The Story of Fire Saga. Hamilton has re-entered the chart at a new chart high of #7 after, surprisingly, only charting for two weeks previously.
The other soundtrack is from the wonderfully funny Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga which debuts at #44. Star Will Ferrell supplies his own vocals in the Netflix movie, which are surprisingly good, while co-star Rachel McAdams is lip-synching to the wonderful sounds of Molly Sandén.
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TV Ratings Sunday July 12, Week 29, 2020
Seven News 1,237,000
Nine News 1,138,000
ABC News 705,000
The Project 312,000/46,2000
The Insiders 451,000
Nine News Late Edition 342,000
10 News 333,000/243,000
Sunrise 267,000
Today 215,000
SBS World News 207,000
Sunday TV
Seven: Big Brother had a night off with the Seven News special from CJZ, Murder in the Outback – The Falconio and Lees Mystery, being the first non-news program to break above 1m in three weeks. The audience of 1.033m easily pushed Seven to first place all people and key demos. It was Seven’s first Sunday victory since the Firefight Benefit Concert back in February and Seven’s second Sunday win since before the Australian Open in January.
Seven was also a clear leader in network share with its combined channel offering on 30.6%.
The 2016 movie Deadpool then did 377,000, ranking #1 after Vera and 60 Minutes each ended.
Nine: The Voice is counting down to the Grand Final, but it stumbled last night with a Sunday audience of 749,000, the lowest Sunday crowd for the franchise in Australia. The week-on-week number was down from 809,000.
There were two 60 Minutes reports from Liam Bartlett (one filmed prior to the Coronavirus pandemic) and one from Sarah Abo with the program on 559,000 after 667,000 a week ago.
10: The judges seemed to feel like they had to channel Gary, Matt and George at times on MasterChef last night. The usually more caring new trio of Melissa, Jock and Andy put pressure on the four cooks – Laura, Reece, Emelia and Callum – as they worked on different courses for the judges and guest chefs. After being constantly asked how she would be presenting something special, it was good to see Laura stick with her idea to present something simple (and a dish that wowed the judges).
Reece looked in trouble as soon as he served his vegetable starter and he ended going home after none of the other contestants stumbled.
The MasterChef audience for the last episode before finals week was 957,000 after 978,000 a week ago. Tonight is the final Mystery Box challenge before another elimination on Tuesday ahead of the finale.
ABC: Grand Designs UK saw host Kevin McCloud in Devon with 526,000 watching.
The always popular Vera returned with episode one of season nine. Presuming this was an ABC premiere, the series takes a while to get here, screening in January 2019 in the UK. The episode featured the very talented Peter Davison. The crime drama returned with an audience of 626,000.
SBS: World News had the biggest audience with 207,000. A repeat of The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story kicked off a night of docos with 183,000. The fascinating Saving Notre Dame followed on 127,000. Be quick if you missed it, it only has two more days on SBS On Demand. An international co-pro with the investors including SBS.
Ending the doco triple play was Toxic Town: The Corby Poisonings on 80,000.
Week 28-29 TV: Friday-Sunday
| FRIDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 11.2% | 7 | 23.1% | 9 | 16.8% | 10 | 8.8% | SBS One | 5.8% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.4% | 7TWO | 3.6% | GO! | 2.4% | 10 Bold | 3.8% | VICELAND | 1.4% |
| ABC ME | 0.4% | 7mate | 4.3% | GEM | 2.1% | 10 Peach | 3.1% | Food Net | 1.0% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.7% | 7flix | 2.6% | 9Life | 2.6% | NITV | 0.3% | ||
| 9Rush | 1.4% | SBS World Movies | 1.2% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 15.8% | 33.5% | 25.3% | 15.7% | 9.8% | ||||
| SATURDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 10.9% | 7 | 22.3% | 9 | 12.8% | 10 | 7.6% | SBS One | 5.3% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 3.5% | 7TWO | 4.1% | GO! | 3.4% | 10 Bold | 4.7% | VICELAND | 1.3% |
| ABC ME | 0.6% | 7mate | 4.1% | GEM | 3.6% | 10 Peach | 2.2% | Food Net | 1.0% |
| ABC NEWS | 2.3% | 7flix | 3.3% | 9Life | 2.7% | NITV | 0.4% | ||
| 9Rush | 1.8% | SBS World Movies | 2.0% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 17.3% | 33.8% | 24.3% | 14.5% | 10.0% | ||||
| SUNDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.5% | 7 | 24.8% | 9 | 21.0% | 10 | 15.2% | SBS One | 4.1% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 1.6% | 7TWO | 2.5% | GO! | 2.3% | 10 Bold | 2.6% | VICELAND | 1.5% |
| ABC ME | 0.4% | 7mate | 2.2% | GEM | 1.8% | 10 Peach | 1.2% | Food Net | 0.6% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.4% | 7flix | 1.1% | 9Life | 1.3% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
| 9Rush | 0.7% | SBS World Movies | 0.9% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 15.9% | 30.6% | 27.3% | 19.1% | 7.1% | ||||
| SUNDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 13.0% | 7 | 27.9% | 9 | 17.4% | WIN | 10.6% | SBS One | 4.4% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.5% | 7TWO | 3.6% | GO! | 2.7% | WIN Bold | 3.5% | VICELAND | 1.5% |
| ABC ME | 0.3% | 7mate | 2.3% | GEM | 2.8% | WIN Peach | 1.1% | Food Net | 0.6% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.4% | 7flix (Excl. Tas/WA) | 1.6% | 9Life | 1.6% | Sky News on WIN | 0.9% | NITV | 0.0% |
| SBS Movies | 0.9% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 17.3% | 35.5% | 24.5% | 16.2% | 7.5% | ||||
| SUNDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 86.7% | 13.3% | ||||||||
All People Ratings
Friday Top 10
- Seven News Seven 1,113,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 1,044,000
- Nine News Nine 995,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 882,000
- ABC News ABC 743,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 629,000
- A Current Affair Nine 607,000
- Seven’s AFL: Friday Night Football Seven 573,000
- Hot Seat Nine 554,000
- Better Homes And Gardens Seven 544,000
Saturday Top 10
- Seven News Seven 1,019,000
- Nine News Saturday Nine 867,000
- ABC News ABC 801,000
- A Current Affair Nine 522,000
- Shakespeare And Hathaway ABC 463,000
- Seven’s AFL: Saturday Night Football Seven 448,000
- Border Security – Australia’s Front Line (R) Seven 434,000
- Getaway Nine 374,000
- Seven News At 5 Seven 345,000
- Seven’s AFL: Saturday Night Football – Pre Match Seven 321,000
Sunday FTA
- Seven News Seven 1,237,000
- Nine News Sunday Nine 1,138,000
- 7news Presents – Murder In The Outback Seven 1,033,000
- MasterChef Australia 10 957,000
- The Voice Nine 749,000
- ABC News Sunday ABC 705,000
- Vera ABC 626,000
- 60 Minutes Nine 559,000
- Grand Designs ABC 526,000
- The Sunday Project 7pm 10 462,000
- Seven’s AFL: Sunday Afternoon Football Seven 405,000
- M- Deadpool Seven 377,000
- Nine News: Late Edition Nine 342,000
- FBI: Most Wanted 10 336,000
- 10 News First 10 333,000
- The Sunday Project 6.30pm 10 312,000
- Sunday Afternoon NRL Live Nine 308,000
- Insiders AM ABC 300,000
- Weekend Sunrise Seven 267,000
- Landline PM ABC 251,000
Sunday Multichannel
- Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 230,000
- Offsiders AM ABC NEWS 190,000
- ABC News AM ABC NEWS 169,000
- Insiders AM ABC NEWS 151,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 145,000
- Shaun The Sheep AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 142,000
- Go Jetters AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 141,000
- Digby Dragon AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 140,000
- Weekend Breakfast: 10am AM ABC NEWS 133,000
- Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 131,000
- Bananas In Pyjamas AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 130,000
- Floogals ABCKIDS/COMEDY 121,000
- Play School AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 120,000
- NCIS Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 118,000
- Death In Paradise 9Gem 110,000
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 108,000
- Book Hungry Bears AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 107,000
- Mrs. Brown’s Boys-Ep.2 Pm 7TWO 104,000
- Kiri And Lou ABCKIDS/COMEDY 101,000
- Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 97,000
Sunday STV
- Live: NRL: Knights V Eels FOX LEAGUE 292,000
- Live: AFL Richmond V Sydney FOX FOOTY 224,000
- Live: AFL Carlton V Western Bulldogs FOX FOOTY 217,000
- Live: NRL: Dragons V Sea Eagles FOX LEAGUE 215,000
- Live: NRL Pre Game Sunday Ticket FOX LEAGUE 163,000
- Live: AFL Port Adelaide V Gws FOX FOOTY 152,000
- Live: AFL Pre Game Sunday FOX FOOTY 131,000
- Live: Bounce: Episode 17 FOX FOOTY 122,000
- Live: F1: Spielberg Race FOX SPORTS 506 98,000
- Outsiders Sky News Live 93,000
- Outsiders Sky News Live 81,000
- Live: NRL Pre Game Sunday Ticket FOX LEAGUE 64,000
- Live: Sunday Night With Matty Johns FOX LEAGUE 58,000
- Live: Grand Prix Sunday FOX SPORTS 506 53,000
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 45,000
- The Trouble With Maggie Cole BBC First 44,000
- Live: First Crack FOX FOOTY 39,000
- Chris Smith & Friends Sky News Live 32,000
- Midsomer Murders UKTV 32,000
- Butterbean’s Cafe Nick Jr. 31,000
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
Media News Roundup
Business of Media
The AFR: SBS delves deeper into back-office mergers than ABC
ABC sources said the potential renting out of parts of its Ultimo headquarters would present a natural opportunity for cost savings, making room for SBS, which houses its Sydney-staff on the lower north shore suburb of St Leonards. According to SBS’ 2018-19 annual report, the broadcaster had 1512 employees, compared with 4649 across the country at the ABC.
In a letter written by ABC chairman Ita Buttrose to Communications Minister Paul Fletcher, leaked to The Sydney Morning Herald, Buttrose accused the minister of lying over suggestions the ABC failed to collaborate more closely with SBS.
An SBS spokesman said the broadcaster was a highly efficient organisation and regularly reviewed its operations to maximise investment in content and services.
“This includes exploring collaboration opportunities with the ABC and others where appropriate. Our efficient operations have been recognised by successive government reviews and processes.”
News Brands
News Corp to launch 50 digital-only local titles over three years
The new titles will cover highly sought-after local crime and court stories, plus planning and development in the area, schools, health and lifestyle. Its subscribers will have also access to News Corp’s vast news content across its newly established newswire service and sports network, as well as newspapers such as The Daily Telegraph in NSW and The Courier-Mail in Queensland.
News Corp’s national community masthead network editor John McGourty says the company has “identified 50-plus sites where we think there’s an opportunity to grow new audiences in the future”.
“We plan to do those 50 over the next three years. We want to do this at a scalable, sustainable pace,” McGourty said.
Of the first 15 titles, eight will be in Victoria, five in NSW and two in South Australia. Some will compete with Antony Catalano’s Australian Community Media and independent publishers for readers and advertisers. All but one of the 15 titles will be in regional areas, including Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, Latrobe Valley, Mildura, Shepparton, Dubbo, Hawkesbury, Port Macquarie, Orange, Tamworth, Clare Valley and Port Lincoln.
Editorial changes: Star columnists return to The Australian
Markson will lead investigations for The Australian, joining her Walkley Award-winning colleague Kylar Loussikian, who returns as national chief of staff.
Markson held several senior positions at The Australian before winning the prestigious Sir Keith Murdoch award and Kennedy Awards journalist of the year in 2018 as national political editor of The Daily Telegraph. She is also host of Sky News Sunday prime-time show Sharri.
Sharri Markson
Loussikian rejoins The Australian in the key news role after several years at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, as well as a stint covering federal politics at The Daily Telegraph.
The highly credentialled pair won a Walkley Award together at The Daily Telegraph for a series of revelations that led to the demise of Barnaby Joyce as deputy prime minister.
Kylar Loussikian
Loussikian was part of the team writing the CBD column for Nine’s metro newspapers. He has been replaced there by another former journalist at The Australian, Stephen Brook who quietly arrived at his new post last Thursday.
Sid Maher
In addition to The Australian’s new appointments, Sid Maher, who has held several key posts at The Australian, including news director and Canberra bureau chief, has been promoted to deputy editor.
Phillip Adams: Even for its critics, the ABC is vital
At night, using my pass to manoeuvre through many layers of security, I make my lonely way to Studio 243 on the fourth floor of the ABC’s Sydney HQ where I present, as I have done for 30-odd years, a program called Late Night Live. Eclectic topics, worldwide guests, good ratings, vast numbers of downloads.
Paradoxically, many – perhaps most – Liberal voters admire the ABC, as do a lot of Nat supporters. (People depend on the ABC in the bush – increasingly so.) I remember making this point to Andrew Robb when he was a Liberal Party apparatchik. He wholeheartedly agreed, albeit describing it as “our enemies talking to our friends”. Robb found attacks on Aunty counterproductive, particularly during elections.
At a recent Friends of the ABC rally I called for a minute’s silence. I asked the crowd to imagine that silence lasting an hour, a day, a week. An endless silence. That may well be the future. If you remain silent. And I’m talking to you Lib voters, to you Nat voters. Not just to that scruffy Labor mob.
You’ll miss us when we’re gone. Even you, Gerard and Chris. Aunty’s critics will have to find a new enemy to attack, someone else to blame for the collapse of civilisation.
Radio
Border crossing: Ray Hadley sets up in new Gold Coast studio
It’s all part of Hadley’s new plan to broadcast his show – which simulcasts on both 2GB and 4BC – more often from Queensland, particularly given the tight upcoming October state election.
Nine has built Hadley a bespoke studio inside Nine’s Gold Coast studios on Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise, a stone’s throw from his apartment on Main Beach. Hadley is wasting no time in broadcasting from there for two weeks, with plans to broadcast one week a month from the Gold Coast from now on.
Triple M’s Margaux Parker shares blunt message to body shamers
Parker, a co-host on Triple M’s The Big Breakfast and a mother of four children to ex-NRL star Corey Parker, posted a message to her Instagram on Sunday, saying she had recently been the target of online trolls “displeased with how I look”.
“They had noticed I have gotten ‘bigger & bigger’ and that I should ‘put down the food’ you ‘fat mole’,” Parker said.
“I am a supportive wife and loving mother. A kind friend and a considerate person. My family loves me and I love me so why do people feel so concerned for me and my ‘weight’. Yes it fluctuates and yes I am OK with that.”
Television
Seven and Farmer Wants A Wife: marriage made in TV heaven?
Big Brother and Farmer Wants A Wife are part of boss James Warburton’s content-led strategy, focused on established and proven formats for its key evening viewing program schedule.
“Our ambition was to win the important demographics for advertisers, bring a younger viewer to the network and grow year on year audience,” said Warburton, who runs the network’s debt-laden parent company Seven West Media.
“Audiences are looking for fresh content. Big Brother has been the first big new tent pole for us and it has paid off. We have three new shows this year including Farmer, along with Plate of Origin and Celebrity SAS, which are looking like very good fresh offerings,” Warburton told The Australian.
“We will continue to invest in content. We have a further four new tent poles being commissioned for calendar 2021, which we will feature at our upfronts later this year.”
Charlie Pickering to host 100th episode of The Weekly on Wednesday
“We said to the network look, ‘We think it’s going to be weird using our big, shiny floor showbiz set, with no one in the audience,’” he explains.
“The ABC were great. They gave us the ability to respond to this change and to put in the work to make a show that was set in the times that we’re broadcasting in, and react to it. But without letting the times get in the way. The fact of the matter is we’re a News-content show and there’s kind of been one big story for the whole year, and I think our set reflected that.”
Amongst his content highlights from 100 shows was taking an early editorial stance on racism directed at Adam Goodes.
“It was at a time when all the noise in the media was in one direction. We really felt like we were the odd ones out: being a white guy in the media saying ‘No, I reckon this is super racist,’” he continues.
“So the fact that we were able to use our platform to express that at the time, against the media tide, I was pretty happy with that. It then ended up being reflected in the documentaries, that subsequently came out.
“But we don’t expect credit for stuff like that, we’re doing our job and we’re making jokes.”
Pickering, who studied as a lawyer before shifting to comedy, also credits his co-executive producer Chris Walker, formerly of The Project.
“I think he’s the most talented TV producer in the country. I get to work every day with a guy who’s one of my best mates, and we just make each other laugh. We challenge each other and push each other. That has been just such a rewarding experience. It’s definitely a huge part of why the show is still here after 100 episodes.”
Wentworth doesn’t sacrifice drama despite the challenges of COVID
Production on season eight Part B resumed last month after a three-month shut down.
“We had lots of meetings about under what conditions we would return,’’ Curry said.
“We were all unanimous that we didn’t want to sanitise or compromise the drama.
“We have protocols in place to protect people but we also need to protect the drama and it was a great collaborative process to get back into production.
“We’ve been back four weeks now and we’re really happy with how we’ve been able to adhere to guidelines and still create drama. It’s an amazing outcome for us.”
Curry said the new season of Wentworth would start with a bang.
Marta Dusseldorp joins the stellar cast, with other guest stars including Peter O’Brien, Kevin Harrington and Tom Wren.
Callum defends Laura as they secure spots in MasterChef’s final four
“It’s because she’s so good. Anyone who is awesome at anything in life, there’s going to be people who love them and people who want to cut them down,” said Hann, who along with Sharrad, Emelia Jackson and Reynold Poernomo, is in this season’s top four.
“I think anyone who doesn’t think Laura is one of the hottest young chefs in Australia is kidding themselves.
“A lot of people say she only cooks pasta but if you’ve watched the show, she’s only cooked it a handful of times…her knowledge of a variety of cuisines is incredible for someone as young as she is.”
With the MasterChef finale set for next Monday, Hann and Sharrad said they’ve both got something special left up their sleeve.
“You don’t want to be the Crows in the grand final against Richmond a couple of years ago and you’ve used up all your good stuff,” said Sprout Cooking’s Hann.
Sports Media
Network 10’s Melbourne Cup broadcast rights under review
10 commenced a $20 million five-year broadcast deal with the Victoria Racing Club last year for the four-day Melbourne Cup week, but the value of the deal could be diminished if restrictions remain in place when the carnival begins in late October.
Industry sources close to the discussions said that 10 had not specifically requested a reduction in the broadcast rights, but was working through four scenarios with Victoria Racing Club to assess the financial impact the restrictions could have on the week. The worst-case scenario would be the Melbourne Cup without any crowds, while other scenarios involve different levels of attendance.