All Stories FeedIdol: Too long, too low.
Australian Idol sank again last night.
At just 890,000 it was the second-lowest return all season (it took 883,000 in early September)
TEN’s insistence on dragging out the show across two hours this year, together with viewer fatigue, is proving a fatal mix. In previous years the show would get shorter as the contestants were eliminated. While they have previously allowed their finalists to sing two songs, last night viewers had to sit through three each from just three singers.
With no elimination at the end of the show there wasn’t enough to draw them through to the end of the show. The victim of that decision was Rove, having to settle for a disappointing 678,000. Next week Idol will stretch for another two hours with just two finalists, while Rove’s finale will have to wait for a 9:30 start before airing live to air (next Sunday’s Rove is not recorded). Crazy.
TEN was very nearly beaten by the ABC with Electric Dreams also sinking further, to 513,000 viewers.
Meanwhile Seven was the one smiling all the way to OzTAM with 1.6m for The Force, 1.51m for Border Security. 1.36m for Bones and 1.2m for Sunday Night.
Nine’s best was Nine News at 1.09m with 60 Minutes scraping in at 1.02m.
Source: Week 46
- Previous post: Week 46
- Next post: Gone: Without a Trace. Returning: True CSI
idol has been in the gutter since it began, none of them have talent, a few weeks ago when they had rock night, i was saying to my mates they absolutely killed metallica, linkin park and a few others it was all horrible, i’d expect materchef to be the same in a few years, they should really have one production company, and do rotations every 2-3 years, so they can think of better ideas and it doesnt get old.
@Simon I am not guessing at all. Pete Wentz is promoting Fall Out Boy’s new Greatest Hits album.
@sam, I am offended that you think anyone who doesn’t like Rove (and therefore intelligent) is over 50. I never said anything about my age. I am not going to reveal my age, but I can tell you it’s a lot lower than you think.
@ sam – I am 29, fit into all 3 target demos and totally agree with everything Tasmanian Devil has to say.
Rove is now uninspiring, uninteresting and a lame duck.
So there!
@tasmaniandevil
So all of us between 16 to 49 have little intelligence?
How wonderful it must be to sit on a 50+ pedestal and snigger at the 2 younger generations who are actually making a difference and might just pay for your retirement and wipe your bum when it’s required.
Rove spends less than 2 minutes with guests? Last time I watched… infact the entire 10 years I have watched… he does a good 5 to 6 minute interview with everyone as a minimum and gets some amazing stories from them.
You are more than welcome to be embarrassed about those who find his so called tripe “excellent”.
Those of us that do however are also more than welcome to think that your tripe is not only unwarranted but also could do with a little fact checking.
Have a word to someone between 16 & 49… they know how to do it.
@Dave, the fact that Rove still ranks No. 1 in two key demos says nothing about the quality of the programme, but that, as Rove’s immature and lowbrow “comedy” is an insult to one’s intelligence, much of two key demos have little of that. His interviewing skills are just as appalling, asking guests pointless and puerile questions instead of intelligent ones, and spending less than two minutes with them, opting to use the bulk of the show to feature his mediocre regulars. In fact I find it rather embarrassing that there are people who actually find his tripe “excellent”.
@ franz chong – why on earth would the ABC want to broadcast this piece of crud?
To everyone saying ‘oh poor hard done by Rove’ if he was a number 1 drawcard they wouldn’t stuff his start time around – obvioulsy he is not.
Both shows need to die.
@Ryano – “In the near future, Ten may as well look at copying the Police/Authority style obdoc shows that we see mostly on Seven…”
Ten has The Recruits, good show.
@Simon – Fall Out Boy actually have a Greatest Hits compilation with some new tracks coming out next week…
I agree with everybody else that they need to scrap the judges (or at least, Marcia & Jaydee), place it on a new night, and completely change up the format. They need to open up the age range more, make it something like 16 to 50 year olds and also add the option of bands entering the competition. The talent on the show will definitely rise a lot more if they allow bands and groups to enter. I’m sure there are loads of great bands out there who are looking for the perfect chance to get signed onto a record label…not everybody wants to do it alone. Also, what about an idea of swapping between Big Brother and Australian Idol every year? So, say in 2010 we have Idol, then in 2011 we have BB, and then Idol again in 2012? Just an idea, since Big Brother was actually rating better than Idol is this year, but I think Idol has much more potential.
That is all from me, lol.
how to save idol:
1. give marcia, jd, and dicko the flick. bring back holden, kyle and a female judge that can provide criticism (preferably that female vocal coach on idol, the one that been there since season 1 i think. she seems good)
2. cut the journey crap and the montage of the contestant’s so called ‘achievements’
3. the elimination process is the worst with an example of keeping James in the competition. completely ridicoulous.
@KFed, I very much doubt any of them would be doing anything for free, you’re only guessing. Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy is a prime example, the band is on a hiatus, he has no movie or album or underwear range to promote. These people do not f@rt without being paid for it. It’s not like theyr’e just dropping in to do the show, they’re with the contestants for quite some time during the week.
Australians seem to be more nationalist today than ever. I think the main problem with Idol is that many see the show is seen as too Americanized, or anglo-international. Just hear the accents on the Judging Panel.
I also think that the concept of the Pop Star is strating to die, our society is much more fragmented in terms of the various genres of music people enjoy.
This and the fact the show really is starting to becoming dated, predictable and has sort of lost it’s inspiring, big event like feel.
Putting the show on a 2 year rotation might be a good idea to keep it fresh, but in the long run it seems pretty much doomed.
In the near future, Ten may as well look at copying the Police/Authority style obdoc shows that we see mostly on Seven. Shows like The Force entail all do suprisingly well in the 16-39, 25-54 demos.
they should just axe it like they did with Big Brother.
My teenage children dont watch idol anymore. they did watch this show religiously,
It never ceases to amaze me (sorry amuse me) how many people bag out Rove yet manage to quantify their arguments with direct quotes or moments from his show. Hello? Would that mean you’re watching!
I also find it pretty sad that Ten have let him and his show flounder for a real time slot on a Sunday night. Guess what Ten? Some of us actually don’t watch Idol or care. Some of us actually like his show and want it on a regular night at a regular time. Is it that hard to make Idol run to time and make Andy G shut up?
Ten seem to love throwing him out there as their biggest star (god knows he has won enough Logies and got enough press for them by talking about his life both good and bad) yet they still think that we loyal fans will just watch their channel endlessly until he comes on.
What’s hot? – Rove being on tele for 10 years
What’s not? – Channel Ten treating him & his loyal fans like sh*t
Sell the thing off to the ABC where they will show Idol in it’s entiriety without those annoying commercial breaks during the programme,
Here is one they might have not considered but would offer something new and different and that is an Idol for Pianists
@Harry:
The whole point of moving NCIS: LA to partner up with NCIS is so that the two can feed off each other, giving better ratings. TEN’s 9:30 shows don’t generally rate very well, mainly because they don’t pair up the right shows together.
If they tweaked Idol/Dance further and rearranged their schedule, they could get shows working fairly well. And I’ve said this before – TEN need to change their 6-7PM block. I personally think they should comission a new local reality format like The Amazing Race to be stripped at 6PM, and then if they keep it to 30 mins each day, Neighbours could stay at 6:30PM, and if the new show rates well, it might pick up Neighbours, and Biggest Loser/MasterChef could pick up 7PM’s ratings as well.
And I included Big Brother in my idea for TEN’s schedule.. I think they should have another crack at it next year. It would have been gone for 2 years, and people might be interested in seeing it again. If they bumped up the production values, had a better creative team for challenges and whatnot, as well as getting good hosts (Sarah Wilson would be a great host, she’d bring a complete new feel to the show) it could work as a really good revival for TEN.
It’s kinda funny how Idol acts as like the cornerstone of TEN’s programming…
I watched the first 10 minutes of Idol last night and after a spirited group performance came the “elimination”. I felt so bad for the person who was voted out – they had to rehearse 4 songs (3 solo and one group) and then ended up just performing the group one before being shown the door. This was just cruel.
I turned off after that – watching 3 contestants sing 3 songs each was just too much. I did want to watch Rove but I knew that Idol would go over time yet again so I ended up watching a DVD! Sorry Rove! I enjoy your show but TEN has really stuffed you big time! I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t return to TEN next year after the dismal treatment you got this year!
and BTW – Holden should have stayed and Dicko should have been given the heave ho! When he left after season 2 he went to Seven and badmouthed Idol every chance he got! How TEN welcomed him back with open arms and then ditched the loyal and more respected Holden is when the show went downhill rapidly!
Pop Idol in the UK is long gone, the US has the market for the brand, but here…it’s just not cutting it in it’s what is it…8th year? It’s had it’s day and the talent on this years show illustrates they’ve really scraped the talent pool, as I think most kids now are choosing other avenues as Idol fades into mediocrity.
It’s not fresh, it’s actually quite stale, unlike X Factor in the UK which is slightly more entertaining and manages to showcase some unique talent from 15 to 90.
And as much as Ms Hines is a nice gal, her placement there and advice is just now nothing more than a lovely drinking game to play with mates.
“Well done Darlin” drink one shot
“You did well, well done, well done” drink two
you get the idea…
@George: great idea! In the US, American Idol is shown on Wednesday nights (performance shows) and Thursday nights (verdict shows).
I have said it before and I will say it again, Australia doesn’t have a big enough population for shows like Idol, Big Bro or any other similar format to survive on a yearly basis. They should be rotated to every 2nd year but the networks would rather milk them for everything they are worth rather than try something like resting them !
My post would have sounded the same as a few weeks ago.
I’m with Chris..
Idol is now Taped and watched in 20 mins
While I enjoy a lovely nights viewing on Seven
I agree that the 30 minute eliminations on the Monday are better than half hour at the start of each Sunday Show. Maybe they could show the voting graphs in their promos if this happens.. might draw interest.
They would be better off doing a show that focused on song writing. A lot of people can sing but how many of them can write a decent song? I can’t remember a single good song any of the idols have ever released.
There is no point just thinking your voice will get you a career. You need to be creative and bring some interesting songs to the table.
@Leon: and remember, these 9 songs are also drastically truncated versions, running at about 2 minutes each. That’s around 20 minutes of musical content out of… and we’ll tell you after the break.
…Out of around 240. Not a great content percentage there.
@Phil: Lisa Mitchell. Idol image gone, album acclaimed and charted, three ARIA nominations, and credibility with the serious music press.
id say bring back kyle
i cant stand this years judges, its not as interesting without him
idol should be shorter,
andrew g should be fired
and the weekly music ‘genres’ should be more interesting.
rove: should be cancelled.
i know for a fact i wouldnt watch a 30 min ep of idol which just has eliminations, the only good thing about the elimination days were when they had a performance from a popular band. they need to bring back elimination day but it must not go longer than 1 hr and it must have guest performances!! and good ones at that!
So what, are they going to do four songs each next week? The show was deathly boring. I honestly don’t think there are enough young talents left in the country that are willing to go on Idol and ruin their potential careers and the format is done and tired. I would suggest a switch to The X Factor format, but it would need the panto-style antics of the judges and over-the-top contestants to really work. Idol has always tried to shun the idea that viewers would watch for anything other than the contestants, even when the judges have clearly been the only interesting part (certainly not this year…).
@CD You don’t have to care about demo wins, advertisers do. That’s how shows that win demos stay on air.
@Jerome It would be unfair to have an “All Stars” series and have the prize go to charity – most of the past Idol contestants haven’t made any money at all. Cosima, for instance, went bankrupt releasing her album.
@Simon For the most part the international guests would be free. They appear so they can promote a show or a new album.
George,
What you said is spot on. TEN need to shake up the order of their line up.. but NCIS LA would work better in an 8.30pm timeslot for TEN. Why have it on at 9.30 if rates above 1 million consistently which alot of TENs top shows fail to do.
@Dave – not that I need to explain why I think Rove is sh!t – but since you were amazed to think someone would dare think that…. I’ve seen enough of him and his show over the years to be in a position to form an opinion.. whether it be shared by you or not, and regardless of how great you thought last night’s poor rating show was. I don’t care about “demo wins”, that something networks spin when they can’t notch up a win in “total people”. I don’t find Rove McManus funny and I don’t find anything about the show entertaining. In fact I cringed when I saw it recently (not by choice I was at a friends house at the time). When he has guests on he never asks them interesting questions, he talks over them, prattles on and spins the interview back to focus on him. If you find that sort of self indulgent TV great entertainment and funny that’s cool, but I know many who don’t watch it and share the my view. If he can’t stand up on his own and deliver decent ratings – even with a poor lead-in like Idol – then yes, it’s time to go Rove! Cheers.
Francis says:
Australian Idol isn’t dead.
Are you serious? Australian Idol died three years ago. It needs to go… the remaining idols are ‘hopeless’… The whole group this year were ‘Hopeless’.
And as for Rove, don’t even get me started on that show – Even a return in May/June/July, or whatever month it is, is way too early.
next year idol will have to be a duffer ent show. changing a judge is not enough.
i would do an all stars season. get one or two representatives from each season, cosima would be the obvious choice for season 1, riki lee and maybe anthony from season 2 ect. tell everyone it will be the last season. air it on a weekday. 10 weeks max. prize is that you get money for a chosen charity (like DWTS) as well as pulicity.
this also cuts off the auditions which is where a lot of the costs are made.
it would be a good way the end the series and salvagr the image. and imo the only way to end on a high.
i woudln’t bring back kyle. they would want a judge that know’s wht he is on about and knows good music talent. 10 wont axe this show even when there is absolutely no one even interested in going to the call ups for singers. they love flogging a dead horse
If 10 continue with Idol next year, they are kidding themselves. I feel really sorry for the Guest judges who have to sit through a long and drawn out show. It isn’t necessary to throw in time wasting segments like “Moments” (add sponsor) and the host trying to be funny. Pete Wentz last night must have been paid quite a bit to sit through that. Mind you, while this show does produce some talent, the format is dead and has run its course.
If Idol went for an hour on a weeknight and had a 30 min elimination show the day after it’d work well for TEN. Say, 7:30 Wednesdays they have the performance show for an hour (or 90 mins tops) and Thursday at 7:30 they can have the elimination.
Or, if they have the show earlier in the year next year to ride off MasterChef’s success, they would have it on at 8:30PM Wednesday until 9:30, and the elimination show could be at 8PM Thursday.
The latter would probably be a better option for TEN, so that they could possibly retain some of the audience from MasterChef, and hey, most of what they put on Wednesdays doesn’t work, so if Idol can get more traction next year on that day it’d work well for them. As for NCIS: LA, it could go to 9:30PM Tuesdays, and Lie to Me could be on Monday or Thursday.
As for the show’s running time.. It could start with an hour and a half for the Top 12, but as soon as the show can fit into an hour slot they should cut it down to that, and put a show like Nurse Jackie on after it.
From doing this, TEN also frees up Sundays for Merlin, New Simpsons, The Cleveland Show and Rove at 8:30PM. And if Rove is coming back next year in a Hey Hey style format, having the show as 2 hours each week would work well for them.
Just my $0.02.
Ive watched Idol this year and will continue too until its axed. It hasnt been at all good this year and the stupids who run it should cut the show to 1.5 hours next week. Last night was a bore – crap theme nights as well. Pete Wentz barely had an influence. Love Hayley though – hope she makes it.
I dont think the winners actually expect a career. Natalie Gauci, in my opinion, has been the most talented contestant on Idol and she basically wanted exposure more than anything. The record deals are crap.
But meh, the ratings arent good at all. Would be better if the show was 1 hour.. maybe a new night for next year?
I’m not a teenage girl and I watch it. Admittedly this year I’ve watched out of habit. I’ve made comments on previous posts but I’d like to summarise my complaints as a very disappointed Idol loving viewer.
1. Judges: keep Dicko flick JD and Marcia. Bring back Kyle. Have two permanent judges and one guest judge each week.
2. Speed it up. 4 songs this week are way too much
3. Be true to the theme. I don’t care how you spin it “All The Single Ladies” is not in any way shape or form a big band or swing number.
4. I don’t want to hear the contestants arguing with the judges. Don’t let them talk especially this year because they can barely sing.
5. Finally, and I don’t know how, find a way to make us care.
Yeah, how bout some more Singing! That’s what we’re here for. It baffles me how they are so persistent on making us wait so long for the performances. It takes half an hour to get to the first performance and then we’ve gotta sit through 5 minutes of ads in between all the others. For this reason, it stands no chance against Big Bang Theory, which is not as stingy and actually provides some entertainment.
I hope its not back next year.
Ten are mad to be considering another season of Idol next year.
I hope Ten takes the hint and just lets Idol die like they did with Big Brother.
does anyone apart from teenage girls watch this? and lets face it, they would idolise me if i got up on stage. the prob is these artists don’t go any further so there is no real substance to the show.
david is an idiot for letting this happen! and no doubt it was in some part his decision, 2 hrs is way too long and hearing 3 contestants sing 3 crap songs is enough to put you off the show! We should be down to 1 hr by now with rove starting at 8.30~~~!
@CD — Rove is shit?? I think the fact it still ranks #1 in two key demo’s (16-39 and 18-49) disagrees with that. Did you actually watch Rove last night or were you not a part of the 678,000 that did?
Last night’s episode of Rove was excellent! One of the best Rove episode’s of the year, especially the part’s featuring Joel & Benji Madden and the comic genius that is Hamish & Andy.
If you didn’t watch it CD I don’t believe you are allowed to comment on the program.
I suspect Ten is primarily interested in the demos as opposed to total number of viewers. That being said, if the show must come back year, it needs a major shakeup – including scrapping most of the judges, and like American Idol, the audition process needs to look for “voices” and not just pretty faces that can hold a note. Idol here just focuses too much on finding pretty faces and not proper vocal talent. There is not one person in the top 12 I would have been interested in buying their music. Where are the Jessicas, the Emilys, the Cosimas and the Anthonys who you watched week after week hoping they’d get to the final? This year I couldn’t have cared less who left each week. I ask myself why I keep watching. Some habits are just hard to break. I won’t waste my time next year if they don’t at the very least scrap Marcia and JayDee.
I’m watching out of habit, but couldn’t really handle such a drawn out show. They really need to revamp the show like they did in 2006. None of the changes they’ve made seem to have worked. I hate to say it, but I never thought I’d miss Kyle!
at the end of the day idol has been on for 7 years and each year the winner makes a few song shortly after winning and then never make a song again, when was the last time you saw a new video by casey donovan or damein leith, the show is not about the constants but rather ratings and when the season is finished idol couldn’t care less what happens to them. the description of idol should be “a group of people compete to see who will become a singer for one year then fade away”
Australian Idol isn’t dead.
It just needs to be made shorter.
When will Ch 10 realise that by making the show an hour and an half is enough??
Maybe even an hour show would be okay.
Cut all the crap out and just put the singers singing. Trust me.
Make the show shorter and you’ll get back the viewers!
But then again, who am i? Just a lonley tv viewer who knows nothing!!
Great piece David. Wonder how much all the special international guests are costing Channel Ten? With all the associated costs, one can only wonder how much longer Ten can keep propping up the show for ratings under 1 mill. If you compare this to many other “prime time” shows, 890K is pretty low. Also doesn’t help when the talent pool is starting to wear pretty thin.
Oh Please David… Don’t blame Idol on Rove’s figures – Rove is sh*t… It’s hard to believe even 678,000 tuned in last night… it’s time for both Aust Idol and Rove to go to the TV graveyard… I can see MasterChef eventually going down the same road. I think 10 should at the very least rest Idol next year… bring it back in 2011 with 3 decent judges & better Talent, this years top 12 were crap! I’ve seen better performances at the local karaoke bar!
Without the 7pm Project Ten would have to go back to Seinfeld Reruns and All those other long dead US Sitcoms for an offering at that time of day.
Also some of us are not home for the 5pm and 6pm News Bulletins but still need their Evening News and other than waiting till 9:30pm for SBS what are they going to do.
They could sell the Idol Thing to the ABC but will they buy it.
Get rid of the judges. Make a radical decision like that.
Idol has to go. Sunday nights on TEN in 2010 should be like this:
Family viewing until 9.30.
6.30pm: Merlin (I dont watch but rates well)
7.30pm: The Simpsons (new)
8.00pm: Modern Family – New US Comedy Import
8.30pm: Glee (Move Rove to 9.30 Tuesdays again)
9.30pm Quality scripted show (Dexter Season 4, Nurse Jackie Season 2 (when available), True Blood Season 1/2
American Idol, even after 8 seasons, is still one of the most popular and highest rating shows over there. I think TEN are desperate to get that kind of popularity over here, but it’s just falling apart.
Over in America, the winners and semi-finalists usually do quite well in the charts and are usually quite respected. Here in Australia, the finalists are looked down upon and I haven’t met one person who thinks the performers are legitimate musicians. It takes years to shake off the Australian Idol image and do something noteworthy (look at Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy) and the majority of winners flunk out.
TEN need to realise that here in Australia, people are over Idol. But they won’t get rid of it because they are so desperate for the popularity that Idol has in America.
Oh dear, when are Ten going to wake up to the fact that Idol is dead? Why must they insist on dragging it on and on? If Idol was on Nine it would have been put out of its misery a long time ago. But Ten want to bring the show back next year, when it’ll only get even worse. Then the next year, and the next…
Should be noted Rove was #1 in 18-49 and 16-39.
I pointed out that 9 performances in 2hr 2min (add overrun Amazingly) is totally unacceptable.
PayTV gets through 9songs in about 40mins.. Rage can get through’em in about 26mins.. and yet Ch10 takes over 2hrs!!
Personally, I find with so much content about (Bigpond movies, FTA, downloaded content) that I have to be much more critical about what I watch. Not enough hours in the day to watch it all, so somethings have to go. I’ve haven’t quite dumped Idol yet though largely because we are nearing the end and because of the time already invested in it over the season. However, there is no way I’ll spend two hours watching it. I manage Idol in ’sampler’ mode – fast forward on the PVR in 20 minutes to get the gist of what is going on.
I watch TV for enjoyment, however with some shows it seems to become an endurance test. I’ll even extend that to regular TV series that run for 20+ episodes. It’s too much of a commitment to same old thing. Some shows get it right – quality vs quantity
- Dexter as 12 eps/season
- Nurse Jackie – 12 eps
- The Shield 10-13 eps.
- Most UK series run to 6 or so eps. Special mention to Torchwood season 3 – 5 consecutive shows that worked brilliantly.
I guess their thinking it that is cost effective to produce in bulk, but if a show gets canned because of poor ratings then it was all for nothing.
Dear Ten, please schedule Rove at 8:30 pm in 2010.
9:30 time slots are draining my energy levels.
I think Rove is a victim of view fatigue as well.
Also why is the 7pm project still on… It would work late night… but in prime time?
Time to bring back a revitalised Big Brother… Or perhaps a new version of The Hot House.
Last night’s two hour opus from Idol was insane. Since when is it necessary for them to sing three sings each? Puh-lease! Absolute overkill and thoroughly unnecessary. Worst season of Idol ever.
I’d think Idol’s in… limbo. Ten, axe Idol and bring on some variety.
people have lost in this show and 10 are too diluted to realize this. they want to bring it back next year as well. the show and this kind of format is dead and 10 and alot of it’s upporters should realize this
what a dreadful bore