Post by Inside Australian Idol on Apr 4, 2005 0:52:56 GMT 10
Desperate celebrities as networks resume battle
By David Dale
April 4, 2005
If 2003 was the year of renovation and reality, and 2004 was the year of the talent quest and the cop show, then 2005 will be the year of recycled celebrity and quirky drama.
That's the pattern emerging in commercial television as channels Nine and Ten scramble to regain last year's status, and Seven defends its unexpected spot at the top of the ratings ladder.
The networks took a holiday over the past two weeks, but the battle has now resumed.
The Desperate Housewives appear twice in close succession - on Ten last night (in an Oprah Winfrey special) and on Seven tonight.
Tonight Nine replaces its failed sitcom Joey with Super Nanny USA, the surprise hit of Easter, and on Friday it gives lifestyle one last try with Our Place, wherein gardeners and cooks perform for an audience. That's up against Seven's Better Homes and Gardens.
They will soon be joined by Lost-style dramas about eccentric doctors, cops and alien abductees and variety shows about faded stars risking humiliation.
Nine launches Celebrity Circus next month, followed by a second series of Celebrity Overhaul, while Seven will start work on a third series of Dancing with the Stars as soon as series two is over.
What Nine has to prove: that it can be "still the one" rather than "suddenly the two". Its programming director, Michael Healy, says there is "no panic or crisis" in his building.
"This time last year the Seven executives were all branded losers by the media and we read they were in real danger of losing their jobs," he said.
"This year they launch the two biggest new dramas in the world and they're heroes. The week before the Easter non-survey period Nine had seven of the top 10 programs nationally. I'd like to think we are doing something right."
What Seven has to prove: that it has staying power.
Seven's director of corporate affairs, Simon Francis, says it won't run out of puff by the middle of the year. "We've got quite a bit left in the tank ... we're only less than a third way through [the] available episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives," he said.
"Nine will run out of first-run CSIs and Ten will exhaust first-run of all those Law and Orders before we run out of Lost and Desperate. And the replacements [new seasons of 24 and Alias] are strong and full of potential."
What Ten has to prove: that it can recapture viewers aged 16 to 39 with more than The Simpsons, Big Brother and Australian Idol.
Managing director, John McAlpine, has told shareholders celebrity shows are attractive. "These things are cyclical but we have got a couple coming up at the back end of the year. I think there's room for a lot more."
www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Desperate-celebrities-as-networks-resume-battle/2005/04/03/1112489347196.html
By David Dale
April 4, 2005
If 2003 was the year of renovation and reality, and 2004 was the year of the talent quest and the cop show, then 2005 will be the year of recycled celebrity and quirky drama.
That's the pattern emerging in commercial television as channels Nine and Ten scramble to regain last year's status, and Seven defends its unexpected spot at the top of the ratings ladder.
The networks took a holiday over the past two weeks, but the battle has now resumed.
The Desperate Housewives appear twice in close succession - on Ten last night (in an Oprah Winfrey special) and on Seven tonight.
Tonight Nine replaces its failed sitcom Joey with Super Nanny USA, the surprise hit of Easter, and on Friday it gives lifestyle one last try with Our Place, wherein gardeners and cooks perform for an audience. That's up against Seven's Better Homes and Gardens.
They will soon be joined by Lost-style dramas about eccentric doctors, cops and alien abductees and variety shows about faded stars risking humiliation.
Nine launches Celebrity Circus next month, followed by a second series of Celebrity Overhaul, while Seven will start work on a third series of Dancing with the Stars as soon as series two is over.
What Nine has to prove: that it can be "still the one" rather than "suddenly the two". Its programming director, Michael Healy, says there is "no panic or crisis" in his building.
"This time last year the Seven executives were all branded losers by the media and we read they were in real danger of losing their jobs," he said.
"This year they launch the two biggest new dramas in the world and they're heroes. The week before the Easter non-survey period Nine had seven of the top 10 programs nationally. I'd like to think we are doing something right."
What Seven has to prove: that it has staying power.
Seven's director of corporate affairs, Simon Francis, says it won't run out of puff by the middle of the year. "We've got quite a bit left in the tank ... we're only less than a third way through [the] available episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives," he said.
"Nine will run out of first-run CSIs and Ten will exhaust first-run of all those Law and Orders before we run out of Lost and Desperate. And the replacements [new seasons of 24 and Alias] are strong and full of potential."
What Ten has to prove: that it can recapture viewers aged 16 to 39 with more than The Simpsons, Big Brother and Australian Idol.
Managing director, John McAlpine, has told shareholders celebrity shows are attractive. "These things are cyclical but we have got a couple coming up at the back end of the year. I think there's room for a lot more."
www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Desperate-celebrities-as-networks-resume-battle/2005/04/03/1112489347196.html
