Australian Idol peaks for Ten
October 27, 2003 - 10:52AM
Just as the final four budding pop stars on Australian Idol are peaking at the right time, so too it appears is the Ten Network, which has enjoyed great success this year with its stable of reality TV shows, including Big Brother and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
The network is in a strong position in the lead up to price negotiations with advertisers for next year, when the TV ratings war is bound to be hotter than ever.
After a slow start, Australian Idol is now attracting more than two million viewers as the finalists battle to be top of the pops.
And not only is the show a hit among Ten's favourite demographic, 16-39 year olds, its appeal is spreading to older age groups, too.
Ten's head of programming David Mott admits to being nervous about whether Australian Idol would be a hit after the debatable success of Seven's Pop Stars a few years ago.
However, the fact that close to one million votes were now being lodged by viewers choosing their favourite Idol contestants each week was beyond Ten's "wildest dreams".
"You should always hold your breath with these things but it's come through very well," Mr Mott said.
"There's no doubt we are going to renew Australian Idol. We would be mad if we didn't.
"The other thing about Idol is that...it goes back to the old days of variety talent shows (like Young Talent Time), and those shows attract a very broad audience.
"Not only is this show cleaning up in that younger demographic...but we are seeing some huge shares in the 25-54 demographic and even 40 and 55-plus women.
Idol's Live Verdict show last Monday, where Melbourne pub singer Rob Mills was voted off by viewers, was the most watched show among 16-39 year olds and 25-54 year olds with 2.01 million viewers.
Ten's other new reality show, the American produced Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, enjoyed similar success by winning its timeslot for the same age groups with 1.49 million viewers on the same night.
Ten's success with its reality TV shows appears to be coming at the expense of its nearest rival, the Seven Network.
Seven has been under pressure this year from Ten's Big Brother, Idol and Nine's hit reality renovation series The Block.
It is also currently waiting for the Rugby World Cup, for which it has the TV rights, to pick up in the ratings as the finals near.
Mr Mott said he expects the 2004 ratings battle to be even more competitive than this year.
He said Ten's priority was to maintain its position in the 16-39 demographic but would also take any opportunities to grow its share of the 25-54 year old market, traditionally the staple of Nine and Seven.
"(2003) will be our best year in many years in that demographic without having alienated that younger audience," he said.
"If we do get the growth and the growth continues, I suppose it has to come at the expense of someone...I suppose Seven is closer than Nine.
"Nine is exceptionally powerful and Seven has had some challenges, so we'll see what happens next year."
Mr Mott also expects Ten's success this year in the TV ratings should help put it in a good position when negotiations on advertising rates begin next month.
"These things are never easy but there's a level of comfort given our performance this year," he said.
Bumper TV ratings helped Ten book an $89.038 million net profit in 2002/03 compared to the $108.6 million loss after writedowns the previous year.
If the network can deliver again on the ratings front in 2003/04, and the advertising market continues its recover, it stands to lift its profits further.
One of the challenges ahead for Ten is how to keep its reality TV shows fresh.
Big Brother had proven to be a "little bit harder than previously" this year for Ten, but next year would go "back to basics", Mr Mott said.
Also in store for viewers in 2004 is a local version of Queer Eye and a fourth series of the drama The Secret Life of Us.
There's also what Mr Mott describes as a "sexy piece of TV" coming to Ten - The Cooks - plus the Bryce Courtney mini-series Jessica and new episodes of the popular comedies Everybody Loves Raymond and Becker.
However, one show which is under a cloud is CrashBurn, a locally-produced drama about a married couple's relationship breakdown which has failed to be a hit.
"CrashBurn has been disappointing," Mr Mott said.
"I think for Ten you look for projects that are really different and quite unique and it was certainly that.
"Personally, I love the program but it probably didn't feel right for Ten at the end of the day. Maybe it's too close to home, but the series itself was quite light."
AAP
This story was found at:
www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/27/1067103309528.html 
