However it’s also evidence that the networks refuse to commission variety / panel shows without either a significant sponsorship and/or advertorials.
Our commercial networks are simply too cheap to commit properly unless the shows are sandbagged accordingly. I mean just look at the times that Working Dog did once off panel specials, Ten refused to air them without 5 or 6 advertorials spread over the course of the show.
Fair point but I recall Hey Hey itself being heavy on sponsorship during the 1990s. Every segment had a sponsor, be it McDonald’s, Cadbury, Jetstar etc. They even had local car dealers like Ken Morgan Toyota come on to giveaway cars as prizes, and filmed episodes on location at Warner Bros Movie World.
The revival in 2010 had sponsorship on segments
Quite hard for JetStar to have been a sponsor of Hey Hey in the 1990s, when the airline didn’t launch until 2004! 
That said, it’s quite possible they were sponsors during the 2010 revival - Hungry Jacks and MyFun (Gold Coast theme parks promotional brand) were sponsors of “Red Faces” during that series IIRC.
I think Qantas (Jetstar’s parent company) were major sponsors throughout the 90s. Jetstar ran a promotional tie-in during the 2010 season.
Rove started doing live ads during its final years. Those shows are perfect for client integration but apparently still don’t cover the costs involved.
Saturday Night Rove was a good idea in theory, and Rove Live was a great show.
SNR suffered because it had a later timeslot than HH typically had, it wasn’t bright or fun, had Judith Lucy as VO (I love her but this was a big mistake) and tried too hard to be funny.
If they could bring back elements of Hey Hey fronted by Rove, it could work. I doubt Daryl would ever let a HH reboot happen without him fronting it, but you could build a facsimile.
Ken Morgan Toyota was a sponsor going back to the '80s. I remember seeing in show sponsorship for brands unique to Victoria, such as Big M flavoured milk, back when it was a Saturday morning kids show.
The ABC had a crack with *Adam Hills (in Gordon St) Tonight * which was successful enough for three short series until Hills pulled the pin. Taped on a Tuesday afternoon, it did lack the energy of a live show.
There was also a period of a live Telstra ad in the 90s though have a feeling it may not have been national.
Audiences have fallen away so much, while costs have continued to increase. There is no other way to stay afloat, while what they do make now (I.e.: reality) also costs way too much taking much of their budgets) - one of the reasons they often have bloated running times.
Cost per minute of program. Reality is extremely cheap.
Only because of how they milk it across half a week and also almost two hours every night. That is why it is very cheap. If they were tightly produced into 60 minutes two nights a week, I’m sure the numbers would say differently.
Not sure how much of a life variety has in an internet age where you can watch exactly what interests you on demand. Variety previously worked because there was something for everyone in the household - comedy, interviews, a song, etc. Now it doesn’t work by trying to appeal to everyone.
There’s definitely a role and an audience for live and ‘risky’ comedy and television - the Front Bar is evidence of this.
The front bar also shows you don’t need dinosaurs trading on nostalgia for a show to be successful. Australia’s stand up comedy circuit and festivals are so diverse and so good and yet the same four boring people get all the opportunities time and time again on tv - this includes the ABC. Adam Hills, yawn. Wil Anderson, yawn. Utopia, yawn.
Hey Hey was great in its time. But it didn’t change or adapt to evolving tastes and audience expectations. Now it’s seen largely for what it is, a show that traded in comedy that punched down and cultivated casual racism.
And before anyone says but CaNCLe cUlTuRE, the very fact Sommers is still on TV and got an indulgent highlights package on national TV shows cancel culture isn’t a thing and is peddled by sky after dark types to suit their own nefarious purposes.
Now for the inevitable question…will we see a permanent Hey Hey rival in 2022 based off last nights brilliant ratings?
Here’s my take:
I agree. Variety shows like that just don’t work these days. Really glad to see it won the night though, something that I didn’t think would happen.
No, only over 50s watched it.
I think a show like Hey Hey It’s Saturday would definitely work once a year. If they secure some really big name guests and gave it a marquee Sunday night slot as seen last night it could be a big hit.
If it appeared live on Father’s Day Sunday every September for example it could be a nice memorable way to celebrate the occasion.
Sadly the financials wouldn’t stack up. It would be way too expensive to produce for 2-3 hours of primetime content when networks can pump out their licenced reality franchises for a set fee then squeeze out 10+ hours of primetime content per week over X number of weeks.
what about something like Hey Hey it’s New Years?
could be our alternative to New Years Rocking eve