He is a real bean counter this Hugh Marks. I guess the other commercial channels will follow.
Children aren’t watching because the content is cheap rubbish, no promotion and out of the way on multichannels.
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True. They shifted the shows off the main channels, can’t be bothered promoting them and then they wonder why kids don’t watch.
It looks like this has been their plan all along so they can just make cutbacks.
Why can a country like Canada make so many TV shows (which we see here in Australia too) but the networks in Australia fail? The UK is about three times our size and they make about ten times more programs for children.
What are Seven and Nine running in the way of locally produced C/P classification content on their multichannels these days?
Obviously I’m well aware that the ABC has a bunch of local content on ABC ME/ABC KIDS while Ten is running the likes of Toasted TV, Totally Wild and Scope on Eleven but I’m not so sure about the status of children’s programing on the multichannels of Seven/Nine.
Going off what people put into wikipedia these shows have screened this past year:
Bottersnikes and Gumbles (7TWO 2015–)
Crunch Time (9Go! 2016–)
Flushed (7TWO 2015–)
It’s Academic (Network Ten 1968–1969, Seven Network 1970–1978, 2005–2012, 7TWO 2013–)
Kids’ WB (Nine Network 2006–2009, Nine Network/9Go! 2009–2012, 9Go! 2013–)
Kitchen Whiz (Nine Network 2011–2012, 9Go! 2013–)
Match It (Seven Network 2012, 7TWO 2013–)
Move It (9Go! 2014–)
Pyramid (Nine Network 2009–2012, 9Go! 2013–)
Saturday Disney (Seven Network 1990–2012, Seven Network/7TWO 2012–2016, Seven Network/7flix 2016)
Surprises! (Nine Network 2012, 9Go! 2013–)
Toybox (Seven Network 2010–2012, 7TWO 2013–)
William & Sparkles’ Magical Tales (Nine Network 2010–2012, 9Go! 2013–)
Yamba’s Playtime (Imparja Television 1995–, Nine Network 2012, 9Go! 2013–)
There are a lot of co-productions in that list with overseas partners.
And coming up, not sure whether Seven will replace Saturday Disney but Nine’s Kids’ WB is being replaced by Kids. Seven have a scripted series called “Drop Dead Weird” and animated series “The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill”. Nine have animated series "Alice-Miranda "/
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Creative title…
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Ah here’s your problem 7, the kids will start watching when everyone’s favourite weather presenter, Jeff Newman becomes the host once again!
Back 15 years ago every toddler was watching quality programming - like Hi-5, the (OG) Wiggles and Playhouse Disney. I’m sure if they promo’d the shows and not make relatively poor content they’d do well (they should check out the domination of multi-channels by ABCKIDS).
I think it’s actually 9Go! Kids.
That must’ve been a Perth-only version. Here on the East Coast, there was a fairly big deal made about It’s Academic returning to TV when the Simon Reeve version started around 2005.
And yes, 9Go! Kids is the title of what I presume will be Kids WB’s 2017 replacement.
My point still stands 
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It was a Perth only version but you gotta take into account the relative success it had to be revived for a national basis. Plus Jeffrey would easily rack in the same figures TVW7 News gets. Everyone loves him, as they do Sue & Rick.
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You can see where Nine are coming from. It is a completely different environment where there are dedicated children’s television channels these days so parents are more likely to just flick that on for kids knowing there is always something on there, rather than looking up when the other networks have shows on. Although even though ABC might air constant children’s programming, they don’t seem to do shows on the Children’s drama side like the commercial networks used to be great at.
Back in my day it was ABC kids after school or you knew 7, 9 and 10 would have kids programming at around 4-5pm. I do have great memories of my era though towards end of primary school and early high school (late 90s / early 200s) where Nine did make a number of really great Childrens dramas. Ones that stand out to me were Spellbinder, Spellbinder 2: Land of the Dragon Lord, The Gift, Outriders and Pigs Breakfast. Those were the days. I’m not sure if they make shows like that these days? I even have the Spellbinder seasons on DVD and have rewatched them again to this day. So much nostalgia!
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Just off hand I can think of Nowhere Boys and Little Lunch on ABC. I imagine there are others.
OK great that they are still doing them.
I’m just thinking back to my era and most of the great Childrens dramas that stand out to me were all on Nine. That 4pm slot after school used to be where they would always be whereas ABC programming was a bit less consistent regarding dramas. ABC did make some good ones from my era though like Round the Twist, Genie from Down Under and Wayne’s Manifesto. I remember them airing a lot more british ones though and Nine airing only the Aussie ones they made. I know I’m going off the topic a bit going back but just feeling a bit nostalgic remembering all these shows. 
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Tomorrow When the War Began, but also on the ABC.
What about kids drama on commercial channels? I can’t think of any.
Eleven do one every year. They had the third season of Mako: Island of Secrets this year and the other two in previous years. Also Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures 2014-2015 and they did Lightning Point in 2012.
7two had In Your Dreams in 2013-2014. They are now producing Drop Dead Weird for 2017.
Last time Nine did one was Lockie Leonard and A Gurls World in 2011.
I had a feeling they weren’t doing them anymore but I can’t believe that it’s been that long since they did one. I remember back when Nine would almost always have a kids drama in the 4pm timeslot after school. They were always better than any on the other networks.
I just looked them up and they are all Jonathan M Shiff productions. I remember almost every children’s drama on Ten was by Jonathan M Shiff.
You would think that kids dramas would be cheap to make and generally seem to get distributed pretty widely worldwide which is a way to make money back on them. Plus they can be repeated a lot too.
Mako was big on Netflix and a lot of these are shown in a lot of markets overseas.
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Good to see Screen Australia has funded another children’s drama for the Ten Network/Eleven called “The Bureau of Magical Things”.
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Either desperate or the commercial networks have a real nerve trying to dump children’s tv quotas.
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A few years ago the commercial networks offered to give money to the ABC to make children’s programs rather than they be burdened with that task. Now they want nothing to do with it.