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What is acceptable when claiming a “timeslot win”?

When shows overlap, how do you decide a true timeslot winner? Or should you just not try?

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Yesterday TEN claimed Sunday’s Masterchef launch was first in its timeslot for 25-54 demos.

That’s despite The Voice drawing higher numbers for the same demo.

But TEN advised that the two had different timeslots and stood by the claim.

The Voice ran from 7.03pm to 8.35pm and averaged 611,000 viewers in the 25-54 Demo.

MasterChef Australia aired from 7.32pm to 9.18pm and averaged 558,000.

Once 60 Minutes followed The Voice TEN ranked higher in the Demo, post 8:35pm.

Strictly speaking there are no “rules” in claiming a timeslot win. Traditionally shows would launch on the half hour and run for uniform 30 or 60 minute duration. But that was a long time ago.

As networks are keen to keep viewers longer, and spruik their performance to advertisers, the standards are changing.

But taken to its most extreme, it could mean almost every show could claim a timeslot win -including in Total People- by ensuring a one minute difference from its competition.

So what do readers think is a fair standard where shows overlap?

21 Responses

  1. can never understand how a prerecorded show can run over time anyway , dont they edit the show in the first place . Do networks not have clocks just like casinos

    1. Networks aren’t interested in sticking to 30 or 60 min shows anymore, because viewing is down and TV is fragmenting. They want to keep audiences there longer. The issue is really about whether guides and EPGs are accurate.

  2. I remember when writing about ratings years ago about who won what time slot with which show allowing a start as late as 8.45 to be considered an 8.30 timeslot and therefore saying that show won for 8.30.

    But when the 8.45’s become 8.53’s and then different on every network, comparing who won which timeslot with what show became absolutely pointless – as it is now.

  3. They must think the advertisers came down in the last shower of rain…..its meaningless drivel designed by the numpties in commercial tv PR departments to justify their existence

    “#1 in our own cherry-picked definition of our timeslot where we also exclude our competitors numbers!”

  4. If networks want to compare, they should all agree to get back to the junction stay and finish like the US. It would also stop viewers timeshifting programs because they don’t want to wait until some random time after the advertised time

  5. Who cares anymore? Their little pissing contests are meant for each other, not for us. Just like the public doesn’t care if its First on Nine we also don’t care who won a particular timeslot that’s so specific that no-one in their right mind would notice

  6. TV Networks need to be reprimanded for running shows consistently overtime and the tv industry needs to be cracked down on. The government has to enforce something against them. It’s becoming the biggest joke in tv. They think they can finish whenever they want and it’s time they have set timeslots. It’s the hardest thing when you are recording a tv show. I set 15 minutes after Masterchef was scheduled to finish and I still missed the ending. It’s a joke. TV networks are taking viewers for a ride and it’s time it stopped. Government has to do something about it. They don’t get away with it in the US so why here?

    1. While I agree about the ridiculous starting and ending times and how a network can promote a show as starting at 8.30 when it ends up being 8.53, with up to date EPGs, I don’t find this to be a problem in missing ends of shows if you make sure you include a 10 minute overrun based on the EPG time.

      I have to say, given the history of Nine programming and The Voice, that I was gob-smacked when on Sunday night, 60 minutes started at exactly its EPG time! And Adele only 2 or 3 minutes late on Monday night. in both cases I had not only set overruns, I had put in the entire next program to record in case the Voice (which I’m not watching at all this year) ran half an hour late like it used to in years gone by…

      1. If 10 minutes were enough, fair enough. I add 30 minutes for terrestrial channels and sometimes this is still not enough. Can’t understand how advertisers are happy with this as people end up ditching the programme and then won’t see the ads.

  7. When Ten claim they had a timeslot win 7.32pm to 9.18pm that means that they had more viewers that the other channels in that exact time period. So for Nine that would be The Voice + the start of 60 Minutes. If 60 Minutes had had a larger audience on Sunday then Ten could not have made the claim. So in this case it would suggest that lots of Voice fans switched channels to see the end of MC.

  8. Seems as though Ten have compared their timeslot as 730-915 and seen how they went against the competition, and because the main competition was Voice/60m, then I can see how they got number 1. I don’t think they’re using the argument that there’s a slight difference to the respective timeslots therefore they are different timeslots. Perhaps they should have been better at saying we won 730-930 – a good chunk of prime time, rather than the Seven spin on things.

  9. The networks should be forced to go back to standard timeslots like 7.00 or 8.30pm or 7.30 to 8.30. All these overruns have made me switch off watching television live. I record everything and fast forward the ad breaks now.

    1. I agree, have been doing this for years! The self regulation isn’t working and the Government doesn’t seem to care that they mismanage their networks and offend the majority of their consumers.
      I realise it is Free-to-Air and we do not pay except ABC and SBS, but it still needs regulating! They will become irrelevant as viewers seem to p[refer streaming these days, what they want and when they want!. Just like us with our PVR’s!

  10. Comes back to what demo they are after. Rather than competing against others, if they reach the audience they were after, they win. You get a car, you get a car, you get a car..” Everyone wins a car.
    The tv landscape has changed, and until every view is able to be monitored accurately, figures will be interpreted to suit.

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