I think the biggest problem with the main channels of all 3 commercial television stations is that between 5pm and 9:00pm on a minimum of 4 nights a week the type of program shown is almost identical.
There are few variations from this and I feel this boredom and fatigue bleeds viewers from the main channels to secondary channels or streaming services.
The networks need to work on a strategy to arrest viewer decline and draw interest back to the networks.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Seven and Ten aired scripted serial drama at 7:30pm a couple of nights a week. This is why I am thinking if Seven tried this with Home and Away it could work. If Seven though 3 X 1 hour episodes 3 nights a week over 37 to 39 weeks a year may be too much, then maybe cut production back to say 200 episodes a year and screen it 2 nights a week over say 50 weeks.
I really think that Seven if it wanted to could try a 7pm game show if it were to change its 7pm show and didn’t want to go down the current affairs path.
A relaunched Wheel Of Fortune or Sale Of The Century could work utilising familiar, uncomplicated formats and rules.
These are simply suggestions and I know other users may argue against this, but for the moment I think Seven, Nine and Ten are playing it safe, which in turn leads to regional affiliates like WIN, SCA and Prime following the same strategy