Post by Inside Australian Idol on Apr 25, 2004 23:45:24 GMT 10
Our reality check
By GARRY WILLIAMS, TV editor
25apr04
THERE has been much talk about the rise and fall of reality shows in Australia.
Last year The Block, Big Brother and Australian Idol dominated the ratings and headlines, sparking a rush of overseas series. Some, such as Joe Millionaire and The Bachelor, fared well, but there was soon a glut of second-rate products, which the public rejected.
More alarming for the networks was the failure of new Australian shows.
Seven trumpeted it had 14 reality series in production, but after My Restaurant Rules, Popstars Live and What Not To Wear stumbled, most will not see the light of day. And Ten suffered major disappointments with The Resort and The HotHouse.
So has the bubble burst? Not really. A closer look at the figures will show Big Brother and Australian Idol had soft ratings early in their runs. But as the competition heated up, so the did the ratings.
The trend can be traced back to the grandaddy of reality shows, Survivor.
The early rounds of the first series did not create much interest but then the "water cooler effect" kicked in. People started talking about the show - who they liked, who they hated, who they wanted to win, who they wanted eliminated. Word of mouth spread quickly.
Even a show such as My Restaurant Rules, which had been written off, is picking up because the boring preliminaries are over. The audience can now get involved in the elimination stage.
Several reality shows are now at "the interesting stage".
www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9377882%255E2902,00.html
By GARRY WILLIAMS, TV editor
25apr04
THERE has been much talk about the rise and fall of reality shows in Australia.
Last year The Block, Big Brother and Australian Idol dominated the ratings and headlines, sparking a rush of overseas series. Some, such as Joe Millionaire and The Bachelor, fared well, but there was soon a glut of second-rate products, which the public rejected.
More alarming for the networks was the failure of new Australian shows.
Seven trumpeted it had 14 reality series in production, but after My Restaurant Rules, Popstars Live and What Not To Wear stumbled, most will not see the light of day. And Ten suffered major disappointments with The Resort and The HotHouse.
So has the bubble burst? Not really. A closer look at the figures will show Big Brother and Australian Idol had soft ratings early in their runs. But as the competition heated up, so the did the ratings.
The trend can be traced back to the grandaddy of reality shows, Survivor.
The early rounds of the first series did not create much interest but then the "water cooler effect" kicked in. People started talking about the show - who they liked, who they hated, who they wanted to win, who they wanted eliminated. Word of mouth spread quickly.
Even a show such as My Restaurant Rules, which had been written off, is picking up because the boring preliminaries are over. The audience can now get involved in the elimination stage.
Several reality shows are now at "the interesting stage".
www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9377882%255E2902,00.html
