TV programming battle: reality franchises to fight it out in Q1
As the official ratings season kicks off and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, My Kitchen Rules and Married at First Sight return to screens, Miranda Ward spoke with the free-to-air commercial networks on expectations for the ratings season kick-off.
For TV networks, summer is about sport and using sporting platforms to launch their key programs as the official ratings season kicks off.
Ten started the year with the Big Bash, while Seven had the Australian Open and Nine went with its summer of cricket.
Speaking with Mumbrella, Angus Ross, Seven director of programming, said the network had “a good summer” and was happy with how the Australian Open performed as a launch platform.
That My Kitchen rules is a popular entertainment is one thing, even a good thing, but that it is Australia’s number one television entertainment is abominable. In a world increasingly ruled by bean counters, and smarmy suited men with corporate titles insinuating some degree of programming expertise or artistic merit, and we are overloaded with cheap, semi literate, hyped up and awkwardly manipulated, so called reality programs.
If it ever comes to pass, before television falls entirely into the depths of obscurity, that one television producer is allowed to reestablish real programming, rather than so called “reality programming,” and to set a good drama series/serial and a good variety program on their feet, television will climb back to, at least somewhere near its former glory, and the likes of MKR will be relegated to the morning and afternoon slots where they belong.
The big free to air networks (Sport aside) air such crap it’s mind boggling.
It’s just wall to wall reality garbage that holds no significant value of any kind. They are barely even watchable half the time.
The networks are completely and utterly stuck in a repeating rut of lowest common denominator, and unless they rapidly change – they will end up destroyed by streamable content. Frankly, if that happens I for one – bar the AFL and AO – won’t miss them.
These ‘smarmy suited men’ live or die by their audiences, therefore you could argue they are only giving audiences what they want to see.
If more people watch reality than drama, then give them more reality.
If audience prefer ‘cheap, semi-literate, hyped-up and awkwardly manipulated’ reality, then give them more of that.
Moss, dear chap, you are an exception, not the rule.