Channel 7 ratings success due to longevity of H&A & success of MKR

[Pantherboy]

Article in the Sunday Telegraph today:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/channel-seven-ahead-of-rival-networks-with-olympics-on-the-way/news-story/b6ff01ee4c35633cce9626de52c683c2

Channel Seven well ahead of rival networks as hot teens and chefs flourish

AN amateur cooking competition and a down-home Aussie soap — both program formats available on rival channels, only Seven it seems does it better.

A little over halfway through the year, and with the Olympics still to come, Channel Seven has already won the free-to-air ratings battle, marking a decade of domination.

The network chalked up its 19th week of ratings’ victories last week, winning the year over nearest rival Nine and third-place getter Channel Ten, a position it puts down to the success of My Kitchen Rules and the longevity of Home and Away.

MKR, Seven’s “gateway” juggernaut that originated to counter Ten’s MasterChef back in 2011, raised its viewer average to 1.5 million this year to easily earn the title of Australia’s most-watched program across its 48-episode run.

But it’s the soap Home and Away, now in its 26th year, that continues to serve as the backbone of the network, according to program bosses who admit they continue to be stunned by the show’s ratings average of 1.3 million an episode.

In contrast, the Ten network’s Neighbours now averages just under 200,000 viewers.

Such is the success of Home and Away, Seven scheduling head Brook Hall jokes that the network is considering producing two versions of it. “We’d always love ­another Home and Away,” said Hall, who describes the show as a “once in a lifetime” phenomenon that is a rare example of a show immune to a timeslot change or axing speculation.

“If anything, the only thing we talk about in regards to that show is how we can have more of it. It sets the night up perfectly for us and provides us with reach across so many different demographics. Any network would kill to have it and we don’t take that for granted.”

Former Packed To The Rafters regular James Stewart, who joined Home and Away this year as the patriarch of the new Morgan family, said he has been stunned by the reaction from fans of the show, who approach him “in every city”.

“Sometimes they just want to know what football team I follow, but it just amazes me how many ­people watch the show and what ages they range from,” Stewart said. “I have friends in Ireland who hang on every episode.”

Seven, meanwhile, has achieved its unassailable lead with an overall audience share of 29.9 per cent over Nine (26.1), with Ten a distant third with 19.3 per cent. A normal ratings year spans 40 weeks. However an Olympic year is measured in 38

Seven has now claimed 19 weeks and will easily account for both weeks of the Olympics, an event that is ­traditionally a ratings goldmine.

Nine, in comparison, has won just four. However, the network is hopeful the return of home-reno performer The Block will account for a stronger second half of the year.

A Nine rep said the network was pleased with the ratings of its 6pm news and NRL coverage.

 

 

[samdanfan]

WOW As a fan of Sydney I can relate to that. great location and although I have no favs its nice to see the people now have such support.

 

as for its rival...............3 things have hurt Ramsey Street..............

1. The loss of so many talented and would be "superstars" had they stayed longer.

2. Bad writing

3. letting the fans down by teasing and making statements that don't happen ( I heard rumors for years one of my favs would come back yet from inside info I was told "she put the show in her past")I'm sure the people there now are worried and like Summer Bay I have NO favorites there.

 

7 is hard to beat

 

[Homeandawayfan.]

26th year? It begun in January 1988 not 1990, and is in its 29th season. Get it right Sunday telegraph.

[samdanfan]

Next year their 30th Bet It make Neighbours one  look bad by comparison as CH 7 will go all out to give it the press coverage and celebrations

[dee123]

14 hours ago, samdanfan said:

Next year their 30th Bet It make Neighbours one  look bad by comparison as CH 7 will go all out to give it the press coverage and celebrations

7 might but will Lucy?

[Matt]

On 01/08/2016 at 5:48 PM, dee123 said:

7 might but will Lucy?

Food for thought before this turns into another producer-bashing thread: Coral Drouyn once said to BTTB "...if things go wrong and a show slides badly…you have to point the finger at The Script Producer – it’s their responsibility….just as it’s their credit if a show’s ratings suddenly zoom."

[samdanfan]

Take the credit if things go well blame others when it goes bad.

[H.M]

There is some really sloppy journalism in that article.

"MKR, Seven’s “gateway” juggernaut that originated to counter Ten’s MasterChef back in 2011"

Wrong. My Kitchen Rules began in 2010, not 2011.

"But it’s the soap Home and Away, now in its 26th year,"

Home and Away is not in its 26th year. That has been and gone.

"according to program bosses who admit they continue to be stunned by the show’s ratings average of 1.3 million an episode. In contrast, the Ten network’s Neighbours now averages just under 200,000 viewers."

This comparison makes no sense. It is comparing the figures for Home and Away across the whole of Australia to figures for Neighbours in the five major cities. The figures quoted for Home and Away include regional and rural areas. The figures quoted for Neighbours do not include regional and rural areas. The comparison made in that article would be like combining the ratings for Neighbours in the UK and Australia, and then comparing it to Home and Away's Australian ratings alone. 

Home and Away only hits 1.3m when regional and rural viewers are included. Without those viewers, it drops about 500k. Neighbours figures are only sub-200k when regional and rural viewers are excluded. When those viewers are included, the numbers exceed 300k.

 

 

 

[cadyctslover]

^ And 300k viewers is actually very good for a digital-only channel.

I also believe there is something fishy going on with the way the ratings have been counted since they started doubling up on episodes on Thursdays. They always quote 'average' ratings per episode. I'm pretty sure they take the total ratings for the single episodes Monday-Wednesday, and the double Thursday episode, and then divide it by 4 (rather than 5) to get an 'average'.

Also take a look at the ratings for Neighbours vs. H&A in the UK. The shows are on the same channel and air 30mins apart, twice daily. And yet, Neighbours still outperforms H&A.

Regardless of the numbers, I still enjoy Neighbours far better.

[Gerard]

On 03/08/2016 at 8:21 AM, H.M said:

 to be stunned by the show’s ratings average of 1.3 million an episode. In contrast, the Ten network’s Neighbours now averages just under 200,000 viewers."

This comparison makes no sense. It is comparing the figures for Home and Away across the whole of Australia to figures for Neighbours in the five major cities. The figures quoted for Home and Away include regional and rural areas. The figures quoted for Neighbours do not include regional and rural areas. The comparison made in that article would be like combining the ratings for Neighbours in the UK and Australia, and then comparing it to Home and Away's Australian ratings alone. 

Home and Away only hits 1.3m when regional and rural viewers are included. Without those viewers, it drops about 500k. Neighbours figures are only sub-200k when regional and rural viewers are excluded. When those viewers are included, the numbers exceed 300k

Until the technology arrives when the exact number of viewers can be accurately measured, viewing figures are always something of an estimation. There must be some margin of error, maybe 5% or 10%, but I assume it is good enough primarily for the network management, shareholders and advertisers. If all figures are innacurate by the same degree, then I suppose it is fair to make comparisons. The quoted figure of 1.3 million does seem a bit on the high side compared to what I would have thought (maybe around 800K-1M), but then I suppose the complexities of urban and rural areas may increase the figures. Then you have people who watch back recordings or watch through official internet "On Demand" services. Are these viewers also being included? If they are not comparing like-for-like figures, that is unfair and misleading (but I don't know enough about viewing figures measurements to suspect one way or the other). But it would make sense that they might look for the week in recent times where the H&A figures have the greatest lead over Neighbours, if they were writing a pro-H&A article. Again, I have no idea if they just chose a random week, an average or what.

2 hours ago, cadyctslover said:

^ And 300k viewers is actually very good for a digital-only channel.

I also believe there is something fishy going on with the way the ratings have been counted since they started doubling up on episodes on Thursdays. They always quote 'average' ratings per episode. I'm pretty sure they take the total ratings for the single episodes Monday-Wednesday, and the double Thursday episode, and then divide it by 4 (rather than 5) to get an 'average'.

Also take a look at the ratings for Neighbours vs. H&A in the UK. The shows are on the same channel and air 30mins apart, twice daily. And yet, Neighbours still outperforms H&A.

Regardless of the numbers, I still enjoy Neighbours far better.

Comparing 7 to 11 is like comparing BBC One to Channel 5, or maybe even ITV2 in the UK. Mainstream established channel, vs fairly recent digital spin-off of another main channel. So it is little wonder the estabished channel would get a lot more viewers by default.

I am a bit skeptical about the "average ratings calculation" you mention. I am not sure how they can average a group of things that aren't the same, like apples and oranges, unless in this case they split the Thursday episode in two and count the avearge for each half hour. Otherwise it does not seem like a fair calculation.

Arguably the UK is a different market to Australia, where Neighbours has always been the more popular series, compared to the opposite in Australia. But it is true and fair to say that as both shows are back-to-back on the same channel, it is easier to make accurate comparisons. There may be the occasional anomoly, but (as you said) the vast majority of the time Neighbours at both lunchtime and evening time has the larger audience. This means in the evening, that viewers (and probably those in the series target demographic) actually switching off from H&A - although whether it is because they want dinner, to watch the news, or because they don't like H&A, or whatever reason would be pure speculation.

But the producers of H&A must be doing something right if the series is still pulling in around a million viewers a day after nearly 30 years. Whether most of those million viewers are happy or not with the direction of the show, and the "turnover" of the audience is another question...