The Real Love Boat ‘didn’t pop like we would have hoped’, but give it time, says Paramount’s head of content following poor launch ratings

The Real Love Boat, as teased in Paramount ANZ’s content slate last week, launched somewhat disappointingly last Wednesday, premiering to 215k metro viewers and 174k the following night. Speaking on the Mumbrellacast Upfront special, Paramount SVP, content and programming, Dan Monaghan, said the program needs more time and a chance.

“(The Real) Love Boat is a really good show, it is also shot in the Mediterranean, so visually it has a stunning backdrop. It clearly didn’t pop in the way we would have hoped straight out of the gate,” he said.

“It will be at 8:30 this week. Maybe give it a better chance when it’s out of the way of heavy traffic – The Block is doing very well at the moment.

“I think the show is good, we haven’t put up a bad show, it just didn’t connect in the way we want it to or in the way we expect it to. ”

Chief sales officer Rod Prosser added that the show presents “an interesting proposition” if advertisers look at the audience across all platforms.

When asked about the The Real Love Boat’s viewability across BVOD, TV and potentially on Paramount+ in the future, he said the “utility” of the cross-platform will have “another kick for advertisers particularly if they are integrated within the body of the show” and can potentially “exist within another service”.

Other shows set to premiere later this year include The Traitors, a new show that sees 24 strangers converge on an old hotel in the countryside where they’re forced to lie and deceive to win a $250,000 prize.

To hear the rest of the conversation about the slate of Paramount programming set for 2023, its cross-platform sports offering and its SVOD services, listen to the full episode below.