TEN signs deal with Q Score company
TEN has signed an exclusive agreement with Audience Development Australia, the company behind the industry's Q Scores, and its creator David Castran.
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TEN has signed an exclusive agreement with Audience Development Australia, the company behind the industry’s Q Scores, and its creator David Castran.
Q Scores rank the popularity of television stars and programmes with audiences through extensive focus group research, which is often sourced by those in programming, casting and advertising. TEN will now have the data exclusively.
TEN CEO James Warburton secured the deal as part of his development of TEN’s programming.
“The agreement with David is further evidence of our commitment to providing viewers and advertisers with the most compelling and creative content now and into the future,” he said.
“David is the best television audience researcher in Australia. He joins the Network TEN team at a time when we are undertaking a creative renewal of our content. David’s insights and experience will be invaluable.”
Castran will provide audience research services and consulting to Network Ten, working closely with Mr Warburton and Network Ten Chief Programming Officer David Mott and becomes the first member of TEN’s new creative development unit.
David Mott added: “I have known David for some 15 years. He is simply the best in the business and he will help us create deeper connections with viewers. I am excited at him joining the TEN team.”
Castran will also attend the Los Angeles screenings later this month, along with David Mott and other TEN executives.
Meanwhile The Australian reports TEN sales managers Adam Hilton, Chris Taylor and Ben Croston all resigned on one day.
6 Responses
No, programming rarely has much to do with sales. However, as a cost saving measure, they’ve probably just cut $500k in salaries. That will be lucky to buy one show. Mott has fluked it the past few years. He passed on chasing Top Gear back in 2004 before it was on Free To Air here. I think he’s lucky the producers of Masterchef got the formula right. He’s destroyed almost everything else. “Um, lets see. We need to put a program in here….I know I’ll repeat a show that has experienced success and do so until it kills the brand, or stick a quality show on so late at night that it will never survive.” ie. Law & Order Franchise, NCIS, Supernatural, Simpsons, Modern Family, Dexter, Nurse Jackie, Californication, etc, etc
This just reeks of desperation – I do feel sorry for David Mott – he should have gone a couple of years ago when he was a hero, and just been a consultant or something, now he is just past his used by date.. And as if 3 people would resign on the same day when they have been clearing the decks there, they must think we are idiots, I am sure we can read between the lines there!!
Hang on. Sales people leaving isn’t directly attached to Head of Programming. I agree there were some bad decisions last year due to cost cuts, but all Programmers have had their buoyant and not-so-buoyant periods. TEN is going through seismic change across about a 2 yr period. It ain’t done yet.
This is a weird announcement. Don’t these type of “consultants” consult to everyone? Why join the inner sanctum of the executive team and attend the upfronts? Is he going to be parachuted in to the programming team? Really? Is this move designed to undermine David Mott? Ten really is a trainwreck this year.
Ten can do what ever they want, to improve the programing output but if David Mott is still there then it wont work. Not to mention Lachlan lurking in the background.
As others have said for months… David Mott is the problem and past his use by date.
Can’t James poach someone from Seven programming dept??