I’m pretty sure that Young Talent Time did used to air on Saturday, even before Hey Hey It’s Saturday moved from the morning children’s timeslot to primetime.
Seven tried that on Sunday nights back in 2008. Guess what? It quickly tanked in the ratings once Nine ran some strong competition against it in Domestic Blitz (from what I remember).
Realistically, the only locally produced programing that Ten (or any network for that matter) would even think about running on Saturday nights are programs like All Star Family Feud that can be recorded in advance. In this day and age, the blockbuster programs will always be reserved for Sunday-Wednesday.
Which is understandable. All Star Family Feud is still a big step up from Bondi Vet and repeated movies. They would still need something else to go with All Star Family Feud. Whether that is something like The Project, Graham Norton or, as someone suggested, Law and Order SVU
Hey Hey and Candid Camera? Oh boy. Not wanting to be dismissive of these ideas but it is 2016 and tastes and trends have evolved.
We have to be realistic. Yes Ten needs to do something about Friday 8.30-10.30 and something about Saturday - but they are not going to invest heavily in quality original programming for Saturdays. The viewership or interest from advertisers is not there - the economics don’t make sense.
You may get a Family Feud or Bondi Vet type thing, but to think ANY net is going to launch a large scale production like Gladiators or Hey Hey into Saturdays is being unrealistic.
I think theme or block programming that requires minimal marketing and promo is the best solution - and reduced commercial loads to entice viewers
NCIS block 730, 830, 930
SVU block 730, 830, 930
Movies 7 and 8.30
I am not 100% sure but I think Nine are producing both of these shows, or shows very similar. Nine have Australian Ninja Warrior and Battlebots or whatever it is called (not sure if it is the UK version). Both are ideas, not 100% bought on Gladiators, but Robot Wars is something interesting and different (but could go after that male market that are watching sports).
I think that is a good idea. They wouldn’t be making much, if any, money of Saturday anyway. So less ads could be a good way to get some viewers back. I just think Movies aren’t the way to go. We have seen them fair not so well so far.
US cable networks and experimenting with reduced ad loads - the ratings are up in a big way - and they can charge more for the ads as there are only 3 in a commercial break and advertisers are paying more for that privilege.
Looking back at the ratings for Ten on Saturday, this discussion is nothing new at all. In general, Ten’s best results have come on nights with 2 movies that have rated well.
To me, a solution would be to get a better movie deal, and stop repeating the same movies over and over.
If you look at what Seven shows in Sydney and Brisbane on AFL nights you can see a good selection of popular movies (they all get repeated at approx the same time each year) and these rate well.
If new movies are hard to come by, Ten could try getting some iconic movies (e.g. Independence Day) in HD, maybe anamorphic aspect ratio, even limited adverts and make it a “classic movie” night.
Some movies worked well on a Saturday night. Others haven’t. Ten just need to find more of a better mix of films to air.
Also, the earlier 6-7.30pm slots have been rated pathetically low lately. Which is a shame, as the shows aired are Australian made new content (Bondi Vet; Travels with the Bondi Vet; Far Flung with Gary Mehigan to name a few). Lifestyle shows are dead in primetime (bar Living Room and Better Homes)? The other lifestyle shows are on during the daytime.
Could Ten return “Before the Game”? Air it at a consistent time in Melb, Ade and Per (and live on One in Syd and Bris)?I thought it rated reasonably well. That’s the best could do in terms of variety…
Surely some sponsored formats could work? I know it didn’t work that well at the time, but wasn’t It’s a Knockout really cheap to make due to the McDonalds tie in?
Yeah, It’s A Knockout was cheap to make because it was sponsored by McDonalds and produced in Malaysia if my memory serves me correctly.
Although I think it’s fair to say that Ten (or any network) should NOT revive an old format that may have worked in the past. The experience with the revivals of Gladiators, Hey Hey, It’s A Knockout and Young Talent Time (probably other shows too) clearly proves that even though those formats worked well in the “simpler times” of the '80s and '90s, it isn’t the type of programing that caters to the seemingly ever increasingly sophisticated tastes of Australian TV viewers in the 2nd half of the 2nd decade of the 21st century.
Ten currently has only movie deal with 20th Century Fox. Seven has deals with Disney and Universal, while Nine has deals with MGM, Sony and Paramount. The Warner Bros deal is on the open market IIRC, so I think Ten should go for it.
Whilst I agree, Ch 10’s ratings on Friday & Saturday particularly are awful, in all fairness…
The other networks don’t “smash it” either.
Seven are really the only ones who can claim that on weekends, which is well documented.
Seven’s strategy of prime-time movies in Sydney & Brisbane (less so Perth) has also been very successful, airing for a long time (share) with Ch 9 not having Saturday NRL rights.
But yes, when Ten had the AFL, their Saturdays were much stronger.
Ten didn’t want to go back to 1989 when they launch two forgettable game shows on a Saturday night up against Hey, Hey. Hey were The Great TV Game Show and The Price is Right, both beaten badly and never returned. Even I Do, I Do, tried out Saturdays on Ten back in late 1996 and it too was gone. I don’t know what the host of I Do, I Do is doing now.
Seven has been more successful on Saturdays in non-AFL states (Syd and Bris). They are lucky also to have successful sequels and trilogies (etc) to air, like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Bourne series to name a few. Nine does okay with their movie choice, but could do a little better (and there was a stage when they aired The Voice Encores on a Saturday night, and did quite dreadful too).
Then there is Ten. They need a total revamp. Sadly, the Rugby Union is a fizzer! Bad movie choices too.
Another option for Ten is to fix up its late night share, since official ratings close at midnight. Currently, all commercial channels give up post 10pm on Saturday nights (well, most nights actually, but that’s a different issue altogether, lol). Seven, Nine and Ten repeat crap movies post 10pm. Ten could air an alternate. Ten can experiment a few random “panel type show”? Like that Fitzy and Wippa special they did last year (on a late Friday night)? As much as I don’t like them, it was a good show. If one of them is a winner, they can air it more regularly, and even earlier? Or even a “Sports Tonight” type show on Sat nights?
