Welcome to the first edition of a new Thursday feature on TV Blackbox
Is SBS turning its back on soccer?
This is going to seem like a strange one considering the success SBS is currently enjoying with its world cup coverage.
BUT… I have it on very good authority the Soccer Broadcasting Service, as it has been affectionately known over the years, is not interested in the game it has broadcast for decades.
I’ve been told by those in the know that a consultancy firm has advised executives that basketball is a bigger drawcard for younger viewers and soccer should be ignored.
Besides the fact it’s very strange for a network to get programming advice from a consultancy firm, the advice has apparently been to secure rights to younger-skewing sports.
Apparently, soccer skews old.
So it begs the question of whether SBS lost the A-League due to an aggressive bid by 10 or a lack of desire from within SBS to continue broadcasting the world game.
It’s no secret Football Australia didn’t treat SBS with respect when they had the A-League rights, allocating premium matches to Fox Sports.
So, maybe it’s a bit of both?
Can Studio 10 be saved?
It was an interesting Tuesday morning when 10’s big boss Bev McGarvey held a staff meeting to announce a restructure of 10’s daytime programming.
Almost immediately I started receiving messages about the content changes which meant I could post all the details before McGarvey had finished taking questions from concerned staff.
One of the changes announced was a reduction of broadcast hours for Studio 10.
Originally launched as a 2.5 hour show from 8.30am to 11am, the show was expanded to 3.5 hours when I was still the Executive Producer.
And it rated.
Back in 2017, just before I was fired, the show was on track to become the number 1 morning show.
It had already become a serious contender for the #2 position, but executives at rival networks have told me they feared it would ultimately become the market leader.
How things have changed since then.
This year the show sank to its lowest ever figure with just 14,000 people watching in the 5 cap cities on 29 September.
Overall the show averaged 29k metro – a fall of 28% from the previous year.
So basically, the changes made since my departure are not working.
But now there’s hope.
Despite what people might think, I would actually like to see the show succeed. It’s a smart idea to reduce the run time and take the pressure off producers.
But now 10 needs to put someone in charge who understands morning TV.
They also need to trust the person they put in charge, not fear them.
But what will the new Studio 10 look like?
TV Blackbox can reveal Sarah Harris is not being replaced. That would indicate a team member from 10 will fill the position. The smart money would be on Angela Bishop or possibly Natasha Exelby, who has shown her comedic skills during her crosses from the now axed 10 News First: Breakfast.
Here’s to a bright future for the show that will always hold a special place in my heart!
Lessons for PR people
Relationships are so important in the world of television. Sometimes, a PR person will ask you to tone down an article and they’ll call in a favour.
It’s a back-and-forth relationship.
But I had to laugh this week when not only was I asked to tone down an article, but was told my article was wrong.
It wasn’t wrong and I had the receipts to prove it.
The problem was my reporting didn’t fit the narrative the PR Jedis were trying to spin.
The problem for this PR person was their company had completely ignored multiple requests for an interview with their talent.
No big drama there, but considering I didn’t even get a reply e-mail after multiple attempts I did think it was a bit rich to be asking for a favour.
Lesson: always be careful how you treat people – you never know when it might bite you on the arse.
That Harry & Meghan promo
Finally, there’s no doubt the promo for the Harry & Meghan doco on Netflix is making plenty of headlines around the world.
There has been a raft of articles over the past few days on how footage has been spliced together, misrepresenting the role of photographers.
Well, let’s get a grip.
While I’m not usually one to defend these two, it should be pointed out promos often take elements out of context in order to create a compelling trailer.
Just because two images are cut together in a promo, does not mean the full show will be the same.
Promos are there to sell the sizzle, not tell the story.
So, before everyone gets up in arms about the way things have been cut in a promo, I’d urge you all to settle down and wait for the actual special.
I’m sure there’s going to be plenty to pick apart, but you can’t base anything off the promo.
Geez, in my promo days I would slow down someone rubbing their eye to make it look like they were crying for current affairs programs and I’d show things in a way that didn’t reflect the actual storyline of a drama series.
Why?
Because it was my job to get viewers to watch the show.
It’s like a newspaper headline – it doesn’t tell you the full story.
So, let’s just settle down before basing opinions on a promo.
See you next week…
‘soccer’ Australia???????? better inform ASIC about the name change because the last time I checked ‘soccer’ Australia as you refer to have been trading under Football Australia / Football federation Australia for the last 20 years.
As far as the “basketball is a bigger drawcard for younger viewers and soccer should be ignored.”
yea…nah…from the footage of the tens of thousands that got up 6am Sunday to go to live sites across the country, it didnt smack of ‘old’ people to me. In fact quite the opposite. Football rules the <40 sporting demography. You just have to look at the tv ratings during all the wc games shown in prime time. It was top of the pops in the 16-39 age demo every night.
Maybe the next basketball world cup will deliver millions of viewers and tens of millions of sponsorship $$$ to SBS. then again maybe NOT.
Story updated to Football Australia.
The commentary re demos is not my view, but rather what the consultancy firm told SBS.
And there is an understanding the World Cup sits outside the general discussion about soccer/football.
At this stage, i think that Studio 10 will not be saved at all. The problem is that hte panel is very weak. Narelda Jacobs used to be watchable 10 years ago, but she has become very opinionated with her self-bias. Studio 10 has become very awful years ago with divisive opinions and chopping and changing news.
10 News First Breakfast — The ratings have been a complete basketcase and couldn’t compete against other FTA networks in the 8am timeslot. They’ve axed it and moved it to Midday timeslot. Now that I’m afraid that this will struggle, beaten by Seven, Nine, ABC, and even SBS and other multichannels in the midday timeslot.