Post by Inside Australian Idol on Aug 22, 2003 0:41:16 GMT 10
Performers drowned out by renovators
By Peter Gotting, Marketing Writer
August 21, 2003
In Network Ten's ratings report this week, programmer David Mott had just four words to say about Nine's hit program The Block: "Thank God that's over."
Up against such a competitor, Ten's flagship program of the second half of 2003, Australian Idol, has struggled. But its ratings were also lacklustre on Monday night - after The Block had finished - when Idol attracted only 32.8 per cent commercial share of its target audience, 16- to 39-year olds.
Media buyers said next week would be a crucial one for Idol. "If Idol is still heading down this track next week, Ten will be very concerned," said Barry O'Brien, chief executive of Total Advertising.
Ten's chief executive John McAlpine has said the network was aiming for a 50 per cent share of viewers aged under 40 - a similar share to that attracted by Idol's stablemate Big Brother. It started above that target but for the past two weeks has scored commercial shares closer to 30 per cent. It was beaten by Nine's Friends on Monday night - both overall and in the 16-39 demographic.
On Sunday night Idol attracted 1.1 million viewers and on Monday, 1.22 million. The finale of The Block on Sunday was this year's most watched show, with 3 million viewers.
Mr O'Brien said this year's Big Brother had also suffered a lull in ratings after its launch.
"These programs are supposed to be the cornerstone of the year and you would have hoped that they would be getting higher ratings," he said. "But I would say they have more game plans in store."
Initiative Media executive chairman Alan Robertson said Idol would certainly build, but "whether it's building from where they thought it was going to be, I don't know".
"Ratings lost now are ratings that you are never going to get back," he said. "But I am sure they are learning as they go."
Critics have also suggested that Idol, the Australian version of a global format, is not as slick as others seen elsewhere. Ten is also believed to be considering changing the show's presentation in an effort to boost excitement during the current semi-final stage.
Ten spokeswoman Margaret Fearn said that the Idol format, seen also in the US and UK, had slowed during the semi-finals in every market. "We always expected that these would not be the strongest weeks," she said. "You find that you do have a real spike at the very beginning and you have a bit of a lull and when you get to the finals, it's a very, very different show."
The show has five more weeks of semi-finals, in which two of eight people are selected for the finals, performed in front of a studio audience. It will run until the end of the ratings year in November.
Ten's other showpiece for the second half of 2003, the drama CrashBurn, was watched by 1.2 million Australians on Monday night. Seven's heavily promoted Alias had 1.26 million and Nine's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 1.62 million.
Nielsen Media Research AdEx data shows that Seven has trebled its ad expenditure this year, while Nine and Ten have reduced their budgets.
Seven, which has been heavily promoting itself on radio, spent $740,000 on advertising (excluding its own TV ads) in the seven months to July. Nine has slashed spending to $100,000, from $880,000 in the same period last year. Ten has cut its external advertising from $2.4 million to $800,000.
Seven's new sales director James Warburton started at the network this week, after leaving media agency Universal McCann last month. A report by advertising firm KPMG shows the challenge ahead of him.
Seven earned 31.1 per cent of the $1.06 billion spent on metropolitan TV advertising in the first half of 2003, down from 32.6 per cent in the same period last year. Nine snared 39.4 per cent from January to June and Ten, 29.5 per cent.
This story was found at: www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/20/1061368349908.html
By Peter Gotting, Marketing Writer
August 21, 2003
In Network Ten's ratings report this week, programmer David Mott had just four words to say about Nine's hit program The Block: "Thank God that's over."
Up against such a competitor, Ten's flagship program of the second half of 2003, Australian Idol, has struggled. But its ratings were also lacklustre on Monday night - after The Block had finished - when Idol attracted only 32.8 per cent commercial share of its target audience, 16- to 39-year olds.
Media buyers said next week would be a crucial one for Idol. "If Idol is still heading down this track next week, Ten will be very concerned," said Barry O'Brien, chief executive of Total Advertising.
Ten's chief executive John McAlpine has said the network was aiming for a 50 per cent share of viewers aged under 40 - a similar share to that attracted by Idol's stablemate Big Brother. It started above that target but for the past two weeks has scored commercial shares closer to 30 per cent. It was beaten by Nine's Friends on Monday night - both overall and in the 16-39 demographic.
On Sunday night Idol attracted 1.1 million viewers and on Monday, 1.22 million. The finale of The Block on Sunday was this year's most watched show, with 3 million viewers.
Mr O'Brien said this year's Big Brother had also suffered a lull in ratings after its launch.
"These programs are supposed to be the cornerstone of the year and you would have hoped that they would be getting higher ratings," he said. "But I would say they have more game plans in store."
Initiative Media executive chairman Alan Robertson said Idol would certainly build, but "whether it's building from where they thought it was going to be, I don't know".
"Ratings lost now are ratings that you are never going to get back," he said. "But I am sure they are learning as they go."
Critics have also suggested that Idol, the Australian version of a global format, is not as slick as others seen elsewhere. Ten is also believed to be considering changing the show's presentation in an effort to boost excitement during the current semi-final stage.
Ten spokeswoman Margaret Fearn said that the Idol format, seen also in the US and UK, had slowed during the semi-finals in every market. "We always expected that these would not be the strongest weeks," she said. "You find that you do have a real spike at the very beginning and you have a bit of a lull and when you get to the finals, it's a very, very different show."
The show has five more weeks of semi-finals, in which two of eight people are selected for the finals, performed in front of a studio audience. It will run until the end of the ratings year in November.
Ten's other showpiece for the second half of 2003, the drama CrashBurn, was watched by 1.2 million Australians on Monday night. Seven's heavily promoted Alias had 1.26 million and Nine's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 1.62 million.
Nielsen Media Research AdEx data shows that Seven has trebled its ad expenditure this year, while Nine and Ten have reduced their budgets.
Seven, which has been heavily promoting itself on radio, spent $740,000 on advertising (excluding its own TV ads) in the seven months to July. Nine has slashed spending to $100,000, from $880,000 in the same period last year. Ten has cut its external advertising from $2.4 million to $800,000.
Seven's new sales director James Warburton started at the network this week, after leaving media agency Universal McCann last month. A report by advertising firm KPMG shows the challenge ahead of him.
Seven earned 31.1 per cent of the $1.06 billion spent on metropolitan TV advertising in the first half of 2003, down from 32.6 per cent in the same period last year. Nine snared 39.4 per cent from January to June and Ten, 29.5 per cent.
This story was found at: www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/20/1061368349908.html