News

Ten axes The Circle due to ‘tight fiscal control’

The CircleTen has pulled the plug on The Circle and cut Breakfast by half an hour. The gap left by The Circle will be mainly filled with US content.

The Circle will end on Friday. Ten boss James Warburton said the decision was for financial reasons.

Breakfast launched in February but has struggled to find an audience against the much longer established Sunrise on Seven and Nine’s Today. It will now run from 6am to 8.30am rather than to 9am. Children’s show Wurrawhy will then air at 8.30am.

Gorgi Coghlan Yumi Stynes

Axed: Gorgi Coghlan and Stynes

The Circle launched in February 2010. Original co-host Chrissie Swan departed late last year and the show was weakened after host Yumi Stynes faced a backlash in response to comments she made about war hero Ben Roberts-Smith. The Cricle runs behind Seven’s The Morning Show and Nine’s Mornings.

A spokesman for Ten said there would be redundancies but said a number was “yet to be determined”.

Ratings:

ratings thursday breakfast

Metro ratings: Thursday last week. Source: OzTam

The announcement:

Network Ten today announced changes to the morning program line-up on TEN.

From Monday, August 6, TEN will add four new programs:

  • The Talk: A weekday talk show that offers a female perspective on the day’s headlines. Created and hosted by Sara Gilbert, The Talk has become one of the fastest-growing talk shows on daytime television in the United States since its launch in 2010.
  • TEN Morning News: Hosted by Ron Wilson, TEN Morning News will cover the latest breaking news and the emerging news stories/issues of the day, adding to TEN’s comprehensive news service from breakfast to bedtime.
  • Entertainment Tonight: An institution in the world of entertainment television, Entertainment Tonight has for the past 41 years offered viewers the latest news events, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes first looks and Hollywood’s hottest stories.
  • The Insider: Spun out of Entertainment Tonight eight years ago, The Insider takes viewers inside Hollywood, with exclusive interviews and all the news on the hot trends and events in entertainment.

As a result of the introduction of TEN’s new morning line-up, production of The Circle will cease on Friday, August 3. From August 6, Breakfast will run from 6am to 8.30am, presented by Paul Henry, Kathryn Robinson and Magdalena Roze.

Network Ten would like to thank Pam Barnes, the Executive Producer of The Circle since it launched in February 2010, for her valued contribution to the program and to TEN.

Network Ten would also like to thank all the staff on The Circle, including Hosts Gorgi Coghlan and Yumi Stynes, for their hard work and dedication.

Network Ten CEO James Warburton said: “The decision to cease production of The Circle is unfortunate and was not taken lightly. But tight fiscal control and cost discipline are a core part of our strategy.”

The new lineup:

  • 6am to 8.30am: Breakfast.
  • 8.30am to 9am: Wurrawhy.
  • 9am to 10am: The Talk.
  • 10am to 11am: TEN Morning News.
  • 11am to 11.30am: Entertainment Tonight.
  • 11.30am to 12: The Insider.
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