TV viewers turn off across the channels on Wednesday
Ten’s Masterchef won Wednesday night’s TV ratings in an evening that saw a general decline in viewer numbers compared to the previous week.
Masterchef pulled in 1.5m for Ten, compared to last Wednesday‘s 1.6m, according to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam.
On Nine, Hey Hey It’s Saturday fell again – from 1.2m to 1.1 – but was seventh biggest show of the night -the same as last week.
And Seven’s The Pacific was down from nearly 1.5m to 1.2m.
I’m surprised, where’s the doom & gloom. Where are those brave predictors of TV’s demise that frequent this site?
Before you put finger to key pad, let me save you from further embarrassment (you know who you are) Let’s take last night. At 1930 we had 3.736m folk tuned in to 7/9/10. This figure represents people 2+ in metropolitan Australia, the total potential being 14,527,400. So a quick calculation on my faithful Canon P38-D tells me that 25.7% of people 2+ in metro Oz were watching tv last night! Hardly blockbuster programming too. What’s more dreadful for the predictors of tv demise is that these numbers don’t include ABC 1,2,3 SBS 1, 2, 3, 4, Go, 7Two, One or STV. And then theres time shifted viewing, but what the hey…
Just curious Network – any idea what that figure would have been 20 years ago and where that number is heading? No baiting – just curious.
I hardly watched TV and the amount I watched was declining.
But I purchased a 42″ Plasma over the weekend and it’s on all the time!
Maybe once everyone upgrades their old tv’s to plasma’s TV will become something new and exciting again!
Haven’t done the exercise Adam, but 20 years ago the figure would be higher simply as there were less stations. Where the number is heading will be dependant upon content across the plethora of station choices we now have. Unquestionably networks have canibalised the lead station but if this means maintaining share of the ad $ dollar, so be it.
Network, I think the argument around ‘TV’s demise’ is primarily based on the fragmentation not just of media opportunities per se, but specifically of ‘traditional’ TV as a channel. If the 3 commercial networks are sharing 25.7% of the potential metro audience, thats a huge decline from 15-20 years ago when it wasn’t that uncommon for that to be the audience per station (on a good night).
To clarify, ‘the demise of TV’ argument (which I do think is somewhat overblown) is about the fact that you can’t get the audience you used to, and yet the traditional networks increase their rates every year regardless. It’s not a winning business model when there are other ways to spend your ad dollar.
The Pacific. So the BS and the star hype combined with 3 mediocre episodes failed to keep the viewers who left in droves this week. What a pity because I think the series finally hit its stride with Episode 4 totally engaging with its low key drama and vulnerable humanity. Maybe it was because Graham Yost directed and co wrote the episode with Robert Schenkkan. My only wish is that this new serious level of entertainment remains for the rest of the series.