Post by Inside Australian Idol on Oct 19, 2003 1:41:11 GMT 10
Idol rich in the ratings
October 19, 2003
With only five contestants left to compete for the crown of the country's most popular singer, viewers have voted reality series Australian Idol to the top of the ratings.
After whittling thousands of hopefuls down to just five over the past three months, the tension is rising and so is the TV audience.
Last Sunday, more than 2 million viewers tuned into the Channel Ten show, out-rating Channel Nine's 60 Minutes and Channel Seven's game show Deal Or No Deal.
More than 1.7 million viewers watched the following night's live verdict program, in which one of the singers is voted off, giving Australian Idol its highest Monday night ratings so far and beating a repeat of Friends on Nine and The Great Outdoors on Seven.
All this is music to Ten's ears after the show suffered a few ratings hiccups early on, drawing 1.13 million viewers in week four at its lowest point.
However, Ten's head of entertainment Stephen Tate said Australian Idol outperformed other versions of the program overseas.
"There has been a lot of talk about how Idol has not performed up to our expectations and that's not true," he said.
"It has exceeded our expectations in many ways.
"I have seen other TV executives - unnamed of course - quoted as saying it's been a disaster but it hasn't been a disaster at all. We are very pleased with it."
Audiences are set to increase as the final five are culled down before the grand final, scheduled to air live from the Sydney Opera House on November 17.
"We're at the critical mass point now," Mr Tate said.
"If you want to participate in everyday conversation you need to know what's going on.
"People are discussing it. I have overheard conversations everywhere from a troupe of transsexuals screaming about it on a plane to grandparents," Mr Tate said.
As was the case with Ten's other reality format, Big Brother, audiences are forming a stronger emotional bond with the contestants as their number is whittled down. "People are getting so attached to the contestants now," Mr Tate said.
"We all feel it. We have lived with these people for seven or eight months. We don't want to see any of them go.
"Remember what it was like when Sara-Marie got pipped at the post on Big Brother?
"We're seeing a similar outpouring of opinion. People latch on to their favourites and get very emotional about it," Mr Tate said.
Most of Australian Idol viewers fall into Ten's target demographic of 16- to 39-year-olds, which tallies with the network's business plan.
The network has just announced a record rise in full-year revenue and earnings of $89 million for 2002-03, crediting the rise in profit to its focus on 16- to 39-year-olds.
With advertisers drawn to younger people who are not yet set in their spending habits, Ten's revenue grew by 7.3 per cent for the six months to June 30, its best result in five years, excluding the 2000 Olympics.
www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/18/1066364546726.html
October 19, 2003
With only five contestants left to compete for the crown of the country's most popular singer, viewers have voted reality series Australian Idol to the top of the ratings.
After whittling thousands of hopefuls down to just five over the past three months, the tension is rising and so is the TV audience.
Last Sunday, more than 2 million viewers tuned into the Channel Ten show, out-rating Channel Nine's 60 Minutes and Channel Seven's game show Deal Or No Deal.
More than 1.7 million viewers watched the following night's live verdict program, in which one of the singers is voted off, giving Australian Idol its highest Monday night ratings so far and beating a repeat of Friends on Nine and The Great Outdoors on Seven.
All this is music to Ten's ears after the show suffered a few ratings hiccups early on, drawing 1.13 million viewers in week four at its lowest point.
However, Ten's head of entertainment Stephen Tate said Australian Idol outperformed other versions of the program overseas.
"There has been a lot of talk about how Idol has not performed up to our expectations and that's not true," he said.
"It has exceeded our expectations in many ways.
"I have seen other TV executives - unnamed of course - quoted as saying it's been a disaster but it hasn't been a disaster at all. We are very pleased with it."
Audiences are set to increase as the final five are culled down before the grand final, scheduled to air live from the Sydney Opera House on November 17.
"We're at the critical mass point now," Mr Tate said.
"If you want to participate in everyday conversation you need to know what's going on.
"People are discussing it. I have overheard conversations everywhere from a troupe of transsexuals screaming about it on a plane to grandparents," Mr Tate said.
As was the case with Ten's other reality format, Big Brother, audiences are forming a stronger emotional bond with the contestants as their number is whittled down. "People are getting so attached to the contestants now," Mr Tate said.
"We all feel it. We have lived with these people for seven or eight months. We don't want to see any of them go.
"Remember what it was like when Sara-Marie got pipped at the post on Big Brother?
"We're seeing a similar outpouring of opinion. People latch on to their favourites and get very emotional about it," Mr Tate said.
Most of Australian Idol viewers fall into Ten's target demographic of 16- to 39-year-olds, which tallies with the network's business plan.
The network has just announced a record rise in full-year revenue and earnings of $89 million for 2002-03, crediting the rise in profit to its focus on 16- to 39-year-olds.
With advertisers drawn to younger people who are not yet set in their spending habits, Ten's revenue grew by 7.3 per cent for the six months to June 30, its best result in five years, excluding the 2000 Olympics.
www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/18/1066364546726.html