Forget prime time, 5pm is where the loyal TV audiences are
The Australian free-to-air television industry is obsessed with prime time. The evening slot — between 6pm and midnight — is where the most important programs are placed, and it’s where the most promotional money is spent. Shows are bumped from prime time as soon as they fail to cut the ratings muster.
Advertisers love prime time, too. But it’s not always where the audiences are. Over at 5pm, two game shows are delivering millions of viewers across an hour-long timeslot, day after day.
“We’re obviously ecstatic with how Tipping Point’s going,” Geoffrey Dyer, the director of network scheduling for the·Nine Network tells Mumbrella.
… As it always has …
Does Todd really have carte blanche to increase the offer? I reckon there are bean counters doing the odds in relation to the budget, experienced producers weighing up the value of the contestant to the show (and what they think audiences will want to happen), and a voice in Todd’s ear telling him how much to offer.