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MasterChef: “Extra Taste” or Extra Ads?

7 minute ad breaks? TEN 's ploy of faking Masterchef segments is playing with fire.

Anybody else getting frustrated by TEN’s ploy of “Extra Taste” clips in the middle of an ad break during MasterChef?

These have been specifically designed to resemble the episode we are watching.

Last night during a commercial break I thought we had resumed the show with the team challenge, especially given it had all the usual TEN watermarks.

But no. After a few seconds up came the words “Back Soon” before heading us back into more ads.

All up, between the actual segments of the show an unbelievable 7 full minutes had passed. Very poor form.

Is TEN just doing this to trick those of us watching on PVRs and ad-skipping? Is it done to promote sponsors (Extra Taste was a fast food sponsored ads last night)?

All I can see it doing is pissing off loyal viewers. TEN has already acknowledged this is a show the audience has ownership over.

Media Watch and ACMA need to look closely at this one and Shine Australia should also weigh in on TEN’s practice.

Tamper at your own peril….

29 Responses

  1. Everyone needs a pit stop but if you’re making a cuppa only to come flying into the lounge room because you’ve been fooled into thinking the shows on again only to end up completely flustered and frustrated. That was me the other night with Masterchef. I’m not watching it every night because it’s become tedious very quickly this year. Maybe I’ve developed Reality TV Fatigue? (R TV F)

    Also as I’ve mentioned before, I hate the recaps after ad breaks but after a 7 minute ad break with a false start slipped in, the process becomes delay, delay delay. If this was love making you’d kick them out of bed!

  2. I never watch Masterchef straight from the TV. Way too many ads. I always record so I can skip. The funny thing is if they had less ads (I mean say only 4!) I wouldn’t record and end up actually watching them. Maybe then the networks could charge more for ad spots. Less is more.

  3. It is so annoying! I wouldn’t mind so much if it was the very first commercial in the break but trying to trick people into thinking the show has started again mid-break is quite low. And yes, it is technically “extra footage” but it’s what, 10 seconds long? Hardly worth it.

  4. Ten really seem to like annoying their largest audience by wedging something that isn’t wanted into MC. It’s insidious but I’m unaffected as I don’t watch dramality or, in fact, anything on channel 10. Come to think of it, with the most recent dumping and bumping of shows, I’m hardly watching anything on 1 or 11 either altho’ Sons of Anarchy will be a welcome return.

  5. Yeah, they also did it on MKR and it pissed me off then. I’m sticking with Masterchef (it is the superior show) but it’s bloody annoying.

  6. Tracks, it wasn’t 7 minutes of extra content.

    It was 7 minutes between the end of one segment, followed by adverts before the next segment started.

    Only TEN would be happy about getting half the ratings they used to get.

    Bet they regret Renovators now.

    No viewers, no money, no idea.

    Seriously.

  7. Biggest load of crap if you ask me! 7 mins for an ad bread! That is pathetic and like david said, this is our show so stop f***g us around!

  8. It’s necessary now for TV networks to employ sneaky strategies like these to ensure that viewers see the ads, what with the prevalence of ad skipping. This and product placement.

    Oh and don’t bother complaining. It’s only going to get more widespread and eventually it’ll become the norm. Just stating the truth.

  9. If you dont like the practice, switch off, and if enough of us do it it should reflect in the ratings, but then again the ratings are only a small cross section of who is actually watching, it will not be a true picture unless everyone who watches TV has a black box or whatever to measure stuff including time shifted PVR stuff.

  10. Maybe once internet TV starts knocking the ratings around the networks will take notice of viewer complaints. This is already happening in the US. Faster internet speeds have meant people are cancelling their pay tv in droves. The next to be affected by this tidal wave is free to air tv. The same will happen here in Australia.

  11. Actually I am going to say that I like it.

    Yep. I like it. Here’s why:

    1. It’s extra content no matter which way you look at it. It shows another side of contestants that wouldn’t usually be in the show. Why? because these are the scenes that have been ‘left on the cutting room floor’ – they would never otherwise see the light of day.

    2. I would rather watch an extra 7 minutes of my favourite show than 7 minutes of poorly produced commercial twaddle.

    3. Think of it as a bonus feature on a DVD, a webisode, or a behind the scenes special – except you get to enjoy it in situ, without changing screens.

    4. How else are networks going to pay to produce these extremely expensive shows?

  12. It seems pretty clear that Channel Ten is doing everything they can to milk as much advertising out of Masterchef as possible. Especially given the fact it really is about their only decently rating show.

    Seems to be turning viewers off though, along with the somewhat bad casting decisions & the fact the judges don’t seem like they particularly want to be there to be honest.

  13. Yep, I’ve been fooled by them as well, it is a very annoying practice and seven minutes of ads in unforgivable. On the up side, I am hoping and praying that cry baby Emma gets punted tonight. She has the most over-used tear ducts on Australian TV.

  14. With this one they are copying seven who did the same for MKR. It was a sponsored extra bit of the show followed by a car advert (who sponsored the extra bit) and then the show returned.

  15. I wonder if Network Ten and those that advertise during MasterChef even analysed the potential consequences of utilising such tactics.

  16. Great timing. Did you read my complaint i sent off yesterday to channel 10 or something??? I asked this exact question in my complaint. Whether these “extra time” counts as advertising or program content. Either way i hate it. This is probaably what contributes to the overrun times.

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