Ujuk was most recently scripted supervising producer for Seven Studios, where she part of the senior executive team. There, she helped to established the Scripted Originals division, including acquiring IP, script development, packaging, financing, production, and developing the strategic direction, management and execution of a diverse slate of projects for both local and global platforms. Her recent credits include Secret Bridesmaids Business, Between Two Worlds, and Fam Time. Ujuk also played a role in securing Amazonâs first Australian original drama commission Back to the Rafters.
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It was first reported in The Australian today.
Both Suzy Hounslow and Geraldine Orrock were involved in the production of Sevenâs reality shows including My Kitchen Rules.
Just thought Iâll point out Sevenâs share price has been dropping 1-2 cents everyday over the past 2 weeks and continuing to fall.
Looking at the MKR ratings last night, this looks like bad times for the network.
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Thatâs a slow death if Iâve ever seen one.
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Seven is relaunching after the Olympics, yes?
I doubt the Olympics and Commonwealth Games will return to Seven after this year considering their financial woes.
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Primeâs share price has been falling too. Southern Cross Media has a market capitalisation that is larger than Seven and Prime put together.
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Imagine if Nine got rights, along with the Aus Open and Married, plus all their other hit shows. Thatâs signal the closure of the other networks just about 
Would certainly bolster Nineâs slogan of Wide World of Sports.
Wonder if 10 would bid big?
The early 00s when 7 lost the AFL rights wasnât a good time for the network. In 2004, despite the Olympics, the network finished 3rd behind Nine and Ten in the ratings in July of that year.
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Thatâs what I was saying when Nine got the rights to 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games back in 2004 (I think). At that time Nine also had cricket, NRL and AFL rights so it was a powerful network.
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It would be nice to see a different network broadcast the Olympics, but networks like 10 and ABC just donât have the presenters and assets like Seven and Nine to do so.
Seven needs the next Desperate Housewives/Lost. I donât know which show will the the next Desperate Housewives/Lost, but they need it.
Theyâve pretty much spent all their money on sports and very little on news/entertainment. They need to reposition themselves and focus on quality entertainment/news rather than over-inflated sports rights which are killing them.
Also they need to beef up their online presence and cut loose those stupid New Idea and Pacific Magazines. Then theyâll start to become reputable as a media organization.
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Plus Sevenâs long history of poor business decisions and poor programming offerings have lead them to the position they are in.
Regarding finances, I wonât be shocked if they go into administration this year. Network 10 went into Voluntary Administration at 12 cents which isnât unlikely for Seven at this stage considering their current share price trends and ratings.
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The problem I see with this is as we all know, these days people just watch any shows like this on other platforms before our networks show them.
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The days of Australian networks winning viewers over with international hits came to an end when they decided to screw the audience for those shows over by becoming unreliable. The reliance on reality franchises meant all other forms of post 8.30 entertainment became an afterthought. I know Iâll never trust them again with such programming and will continue to source that content by other means (e.g. legal streaming).
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I didnât specifically refer to international shows. It could be a domestic adaptation of an international format or a locally produced drama or something. The Circle would be a ripe example. Seven couldâve got Masked Singer but 10 got them instead and it became a hit. They couldâve had Back to the Rafters on the main channel but they let Amazon get that instead.
They need the next big show on TV, whether international or domestic. If they donât theyâre going to suffer.
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Desperate Housewives and Lost were the only two shows you mentioned so I just assumed you were talking about that type of content.
Sorry I wasnât clear on that. I was talking about those two shows in the context of their high ratings and success.
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The Good Doctor was massive, but then dropped by Season 3. Though, it still rates well, especially with catch-up.
Maybe weâll soon need a âSevenâs Woesâ thread similar to the âTenâs Woesâ thread of old? Haha!
Yep, it wouldnât overly surprise me if Seven West Media (and Prime Media Group, but that of course is for another thread) go into Voluntary Administation at some point within the next 12 months.
As far as programming is concerned, perhaps the first thing Seven needs to do is completely exit the market for dating, relationship and wedding-themed ârealityâ TV or if they really have to stay in it, at least go for a more compassionate format which is based on actual dating/relationship/wedding reality. Something among the lines of Love Me As I Am or Love On The Spectrum minus the focus on people with intellectual disabilities (because letâs be realistic here, that element is far too niche and/or likely to be handled incredibly badly by commercial TV anyway) would probably be alright.
Sports wise, Iâd probably go as far as saying they should move away from the Olympics and possibly even the AFL for a while. These overpriced deals just arenât worth it for the network if other programming genres are suffering.
While Seven are doing reasonably OK in the areas of news + breakfast/mid-morning/daytime TV at the moment, now is probably the time to start coming up with strategies thatâll win over viewers in Melbourne & South East Queensland because if weâre being realistic here, thereâs unlikely to be any major viewing habit shifts in Adelaide, Perth or Sydney anytime soon.
Iâd probably say that Seven needs to work on developing the next Blue Heelers, All Saints or even Packed to The Rafters since those Australian dramas were huge for them back in the day.
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