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TV battle set to heat up

4 more weeks until ratings return, but some shows will be back before then.

2014-01-12_0132Officially the start of 2014 ratings is still another four weeks away, but get ready for a return of many key brands.

The Biggest Loser kicks off next Sunday and Monday on TEN, with its “Challenge Australia” season. 14 locals from Ararat will be selected from the Victorian town back to the Biggest Loser house. The remainder of TEN’s week is dominated by the Big Bash League. American Idol is on ELEVEN from Thursday. The Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics is February 8th, and the Closing is February 24th. A full suite of shows probably won’t be with us until then.

Seven’s annual Australian Open kicks off tomorrow. My Kitchen Rules is likely to return on Monday January 27. Seven also has Downton Abbey, Winners and Losers, Revenge, Parenthood, Smash and Tricked waiting in the wings. INXS miniseries Never Tear Us Apart is also expected to show up the network’s strong slate in February.

The Block: Fan vs Favourites is tipped to go head to head with MKR on the same night, while Nine has Love Child and Schapelle -originally expected later in the year- up its sleeve. Sherlock premieres in Perth next Sunday and will soon air around the rest of the nation. There are already promos running for new current affairs series Inside Story.  The One Day International cricket series starts today.

ABC has Doc Martin plus The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Rake, Spicks and Specks and The Moodys coming while SBS has Rectify and Orphan Black -the latter starts on Tuesday night on SBS 2.

On Foxtel over the next few weeks there’s Tricked, Looking, Girls, Nashville, Helix, The Michael J. Fox Show, Perception, Banshee and House of Cards.

25 Responses

  1. I am looking forward to much of ABC offerings, Rake, Doctor Blake Mysteries and Doc Martin, plus any good docos on ABC or SBS.

    7 have some good shows like Revenge and W&L that I will continue to follow.

    I agree with cynical old codger: The promos mean the show has already been filmed and edited. So accurate EPG times should be mandatory. When will this be enforced!! I call it false advertising!

  2. @squareyes

    Yeah well bar London, all i’ve ever known is the Olympics on Seven. Plus i knew TEN had them back then but its a long time between drinks. Thats why i said it will be interesting to see how they cover it. Guess being 26 is classified as still young. lol

    @aryan3

    Even that be true, its only 2 extra weeks. What i was saying is last year Seven started Downton advertising back in mid-November. Even if it didn’t start to mid-Feb its still strange not to see one promo for the #1 drama in this country. I expect them now in January with the Australian Open beginning tomorrow but yet to see one. Thats why i was thinking maybe we won’t see it for a while.

  3. It will be interesting to see what comes of The Voice Kids. The contestants were recently told that production has been postponed indefinitely. And people that got audience tickets say the tickets make no mention of kids. it seems they are now filming he adult version instead.

    Considering The preliminary auditions for kids were held last September, if they delay it too long a lot of kids are going to outgrow the accepted age range.

  4. I can confirm I saw an ad for The Block during the cricket for January 27 start date. I think anyone paying attention has worked out how excited I am about Sherlock. It’ll be good to know when it’ll air in the rest of Australia. Although I’ve noticed one date is Australia Day. So I take it that they will be fine with that.

    I did notice that American Idol was on Thursday because it cuts ST: DS9 back to two episodes. I’ll admit I don’t know what I’m going to do at 8.30pm. I’ll be curious about the percentage as well.

    Lastly I’ll admit I might watch Dr Blake repeats if they show up. Or at possibly the first episode. Or I have to try the DVDs. I am curious about the show.

  5. I agree with aryan3 Inxs will be 9th and 16th of Feb then Downton Abbey will start 23 Feb. As I have said on TV Lounge Downton Abbey is coming on DVD on Monday 20 April it always comes out the day after the final episode. I think C7 will give Sunday 2 Feb a miss so it doesn’t compete with the cricket

  6. @Pertinax: Sun-Monday is TBL as it’s only on for two days and why would Ten go and air SYTYCDA a week before Sochi as it doesn’t make sense. TBL will most likely go on hiatus during Sochi or unless Ten airs TBL in Perth three days which is doubtful.

  7. Jan 27 is going to be a very busy night – Home & Away returns, MKR most likely, The Block, TBL should be on, Hart of Dixie.

    What about new 2 broke girls and when will Mom be on?

  8. Only a guess but I think the first two major Sunday nights will be the INXS mini series. When that is over then I suspect Downton Abbey to return to Sundays. That means we are quite a way off yet – hence no ads.

  9. Ten having the BBL and Sochi will likely result in stuff starting early at least Sun-Tues. Ten are trying to establish BL in a gap while the tennis and cricket are on before MKR and The Block can start.

    Nine has cricket till the 2nd of Feb this year (shorter than in the past so it won’t impact on ratings schedules). They are using Sherlock till the 2nd in Perth so will be planning to launch a drama at 8:30pm on the 9th. Love Child??

    Seven, with plenty of eps available, will launch stuff on the back of Tennis from Monday 27th to defend their position. Seven have been promoting The Blacklist, Revenge and Winners and Losers which would make a Sun-Tuesday lineup. But they have been repeating DA so as they could start S4 on Sunday the 9th. That would mean BL & Revenge on Monday. We shall what the ads are during the Tennis.

  10. @Guy

    You must be a young guy.
    TEN had the Summer Olympics in ’84 and ’88.

    I always remember a pre- LA Olympics special they did from Olivia Newton-John’s Koala Blue store which featured heaps of Aussie celebrities.

    Ah the 80’s…. So much money.

  11. Here’s the funny thing, i’ve seen a tonne of ads for MKR, Home and Away, Tricked, Revenge, The Blacklist, INXS and Winners and Losers but have yet to see a new ad for Downton Abbey. I ask the question considering promos for Downton started late November last year will it start the year? If so then Seven need put the ads out there pronto!

    Going to be good to see the Winter Olympics on TEN too. See how they present an Olympic Games. I guess TEN’s biggest worry is that the athletes don’t turn up due to security issues going on over there. Also looking forward to the return of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Its a great show and hopefully we get some talent this year.

    As for Nine well there isn’t very much on there that i’m looking forward too except Big Bang Theory and the blind auditions of The Voice.

  12. Helix starts this Thursday 16 January with a 2-hour episode on Fox 8 at 9.30pm.

    From everything I’ve read about it online, this looks like an exciting show. Can’t wait!

  13. Perhaps us viewers should also bring some pre-ratings pressure to bear, and demand that pre-recorded programmes times (or at the very least “Actual Running Times”) are accurately promoted, advertised and EPG listed, well in advance of being shown.

    I cite the current Network Seven MKR promo’s and the stages and details of many different contestants including the “Judges” final comments of their efforts, leaves me with very little doubt that there should be ” Absolutely No Excuse” for Network Seven not to treat viewers with the respect we deserve and provide timely and accurate programming details well in advance of the actual airing dates and times etc, as they are showing they have all this knowledge already as per their “Own Promo’s”, or are all the promo’s just B/S as well???

  14. The only good thing about Smash Season 2 were the gilded door handles the cameras would show as the cast entered and exited the legendary Brill Building on Broadway.

    NB: “Legendary” to a 60s music child – it was where so many pop music writers were housed as they created their songs.

  15. 10’s got the right idea getting in before MKR starts with Biggest Loser.

    Is Blacklist going to be on when ratings start? It starts tomorrow in the US. We don’t want to get too far behind with it. Don’t know what happened to Covert Affairs, it’s usually been on over the Summer, too late now, doubt it will be back during the ratings season. Unless they put it on 7Two or 7Mate.

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