Ten’s 6pm news debut draws over 750,000 viewers
Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock
Ten’s new hybrid news and current affair show 10 News+ has launched to a national audience of 769,000 viewers.
The hour-long show, hosted by Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock, debuted with a mixed bag, as promised.
It featured the day’s news headlines and short packages, alongside interviews with PM Anthony Albanese, astronaut Chris Hatfield, and convicted drug smuggler Debbie Voulgaris — who made a tearful plea of innocence from a Taiwanese prison.
The show reached an audience of 769,000, with an average viewership of 291,000 at any given time.
Hosts Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock
It debuted in the toughest time slot on television, up against Seven and Nine’s flagship 6pm news bulletins. They topped the Oztam ratings for Monday night, with audiences of 2.32 million and 2.23 million, respectively — each drawing roughly three times the audience of 10 News+.
There’s still a long way to go, and a lot of entrenched viewing habits to dismantle if they are to compete with Seven and Nine’s top-rating programs. A splashy PR campaign wouldn’t go astray, either.
However, a truer picture of the show’s debut will become available once we account for catch up viewing, and those who watch segments on Youtube, and through Spotify — part of Ten’s off-kilter distribution strategy for the show.
The show’s executive producer Dan Sutton told Mumbrella the linear audience is just one part of the equation.
“We readily acknowledge that not everybody who wants to see what we’re doing is necessarily available at 6 o’clock every night,” he said. “We know that’s a busy time. But we’re there if you want to watch on linear.”
The debut of 10 News+ has also benefitted Deal Or No Deal, which has been moved from its 6pm timeslot — where it failed to make the top 30 in the ratings most nights — into a plum 7pm spot.
Last night’s 7pm debut featured guest contestant Sandra Sully — and the combination of a shiny new timeslot, a Ten legend opening the briefcases, and a nice lead-in from Ten News+, was enough to see the show draw 763,000 viewers, with an average of 351,000.
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Bring out your dead
I am very disappointed that The Project has been replaced by News10+.
Not sure what audience they want to attract???
I watched The Project six nights a week but I will not watch News10+ as there are better shows streaming on current affairs.
The Project was a show that attracted many age groups.
Bring back the project….?
It felt like Australian Anchorman
Absolutely no chemistry between the hosts. Used to watch the Project 6 nights a week. Will not be tuning into the new show again. It was like watching paint dry.
Wrong time slot. Need something light and fun at the end of a working day. Project was perfect. Miss it already.
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To serious bring back the Project..this was definitely a better format..light-hearted funny..much better at that time slot..
Bring back the Project. An hour of news then another hour of this boring hyped up stuff is too much. The 2 presenters have no personality.
Loved the project
I miss my down time and laughs. Please bring back the Project ?
Pleeezzzz bring back the Project
We have enough of these 10news+ shows. Ie. 60mins & 7Spotlight. Bring back The Project which had serious news items & reality as well as humour. It was very entertaining with overseas guest loving to speak freely. I certainly won’t be watching this show & know of so many others people doing the same.
I don’t think 10 News + is the right fit in that time slot. Too serious.
The Project had a better mix of news ,humour, feel good stories and reached a large audience of the everyday Australian.
Channel 10 did this with the morning show some time back and got rid of that I’d like to know why they would think that we need to see the news in the afternoon around 3 pm, then again at 5 pm and again at 6 pm , what have the other news time slots not already told us on the three o’clock and the five o’clock news.
I don’t mind keeping up to date but to be saturated with depressing news about some more on that’s running the USA and all the people is stabbing people killing people etc I think the project gave a little bit of breathing space with their news on The project because there was interjections of humour and they’re good stories and some comedians.
The only people that would be watching three slots in a row of news of people who are depressed.
Bring back The Project!!!
Why make something like everyone else…… although i did check it out on the furst night……. it turns out we have a pair of cardboard cut out trying to smile on cue presenting a cookie-cutter version of mixed news and current affairs…..
I thought it was pretty good, better than expected. Imagine if it went gangbusters and made 9 & 7 smarten up their “news” hours.
Not a good show bring back PROJECT.
It is sad that 2 great reporters gave up working for channel 7 to work for channel 10 who are losing viewers all the time.
This is alot better than THE PROJECT with all its canned laughter.
LOL. !!. Is that considered be a big audience imn the graveyard of free to air broadcasting?
I Just wish Monica Kos, Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock would all Return to Channel Seven.
The Project was horrible. ten news+ is a little bit better
I don’t know why they axed The Project. I watched it every night. Tuned in to this new show out of curiosity, and couldn’t even make it all the way through. What a snoozefest.
The project gave us all this new show gives.
But the project out classes it with the comedy and smiles we all have enjoyed.
Bring it back.
I am so disappointed that the project has been replaced with just another news edition. We have enough news shows that are just all the same. Bad news followed by more bad news, hour after hour. The project had news, entertainment, good chemistry between a variety of presenters, humour and human interest stories that raised awareness in the human condition and the things that matter to the planet and all its inhabitants ( animal and human) Promotion of the arts in all forms. Where else do we see this? Free to air doesn’t have much to draw people in any more which is very sad, as not everyone can afford all these streaming services, so even the advertisers are also doing themselves a disservice.
Rubbish. Just like another ACA. Maybe give us feelgood stories of interest rather than confrontational BS that no one cares about.
Watched 10+ found it too heavy and the segments too long and boring. I want a wrap up of top news stories at 6pm which the Project used to provide. I agree with earlier comments, the Project format was perfect it was serious when it needed to be, lighthearted which is uplifting after a day’s work and all the sad news that is constantly in our faces. Plus the presenters were terrific, real authentic people who weren’t afraid to show their vulnerabilites. I also liked the discussion of different opinions especially on Monday nights with Stevie Price. Channel 10 has lost me at this timeslot.
No one turns to Ten for news