That’s another good point, though I’ve also noticed these days that for most of the year, Nine and Seven have had similar or identical prime-time schedules after 7:30pm: [reality tentpole], [drama], [late news].
Also, in most cases there are no markets wherein both the AFL AND NRL are on the main Seven and Nine channels respectively at the same time, except when the Swans/Giants/Lions/Suns are playing in prime-time, and it doesn’t clash with the news, Seven would sometimes air these games on the main channel in their respective markets, likewise with the Melbourne Storm on Nine in Melbourne.
On 22 October, HSV7 moved TPIR to 3pm with Coxy’s Big Break taking over the 5pm timeslot. This move was an attempt to boost the ratings of 7 News Melbourne which was unsuccessful.
if I remember correctly, one bulletin in November that year rated under 200,000 - and this was after five years of hard work which saw them become the top-rating bulletin in Melbourne.
Whatever Nine did, whether it was hard promotion, or viewers simply switching back, worked instant wonders.
The ratings magic weaved by “Deal or No Deal” also started to wear off after 2009, too.
I felt the Seven iteration lacked the atmosphere the original Nine version had, though some of the traditional games (such as that game where you had to stop a duck on a mountain, can’t remember the name of it) were carried over into the 2012 revamp.
These days, game show revamps haven’t done well - the Weakest Link revival hosted by Magda Szubanski on Nine crashed and burnt, lasting only ten episodes, plus some celebrity specials, while Nine’s attempt at reviving Wheel of Fortune in 2008 lasted only five weeks.
On that note, it’ll be interesting to see how 10 takes on Deal or No Deal - which as we all know was a much-loved format on Seven and was a major factor in its 6:00pm news ratings slowly but surely increasing, specifically in the key East Coast markets.
While I understand the decision to “rest” Hot Seat was made well after the final “new” episode had been produced, it would be disappointing not to see a tribute show/special like they did when the original Millionaire went on hiatus in April 2006, that coming shortly after Eddie became Nine CEO - a role which required him to move to Sydney.
While the original Millionaire did return for a short run towards the end of 2007, I wouldn’t be surprised if the show (either in the original or Hot Seat format) returned within the next two-to-three years.
Tennis starts Dec 29 so it could go either way with Nine moving tennis to Gem at 5pm for Hot seat rpts or tennis straight into 6pm news meaning Hot Seat ends in December.
