Australian Idol isn’t winning the ratings but there’s a surprising reason why

Australian Idol’s reboot has all the charm of the original but there’s a reason why even Kyle Sandilands can’t get viewers tuning in.

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When Network Seven announced Australian Idol was coming back and bringing Kyle Sandilands along for the ride, I figured it’d become a ratings machine, but the soft start has revealed a sad truth.

According to OzTam’s metro ratings, Australian Idol debuted to 413,000 viewers. It didn’t out 10’s Survivor, which had 447,00 viewers and has been on for 65 seasons, but was ultimately pummelled by Nine’s Married At First Sight, which pulled 840,000 viewers.

Kyle Sandilands seems to be having fun on Australian Idol. Source: Network Seven

413,000 viewers isn’t a train wreck, but to put it in perspective, Seven’s Farmer Wants a Wife debut pulled in 576,000 viewers in 2022 – and they didn’t even bother to get Samantha Armytage to stick around for the whole season – she popped in and out like a flighty aunt and treated the farmers like nephews she forgot to buy Christmas presents for.

The Australian Idol reboot has plenty to offer. It has Sandilands, Singer and American Idol judge Harry Connick Junior, Singer and TikToker Meghan Trainor and Aussie songwriter and songstress Amy Shark.

The network hasn’t skimped on the talent by any stretch, and Seven even took a risk and didn’t give Sonia Kruger the job of hosting but instead handed it to Australian Idol alum Rickie Lee.(I can only imagine the tension in the air when a producer had to gently tell Kruger she can’t host EVERYTHING).

The Australian Idol cast is star-studded. Source: Instagram

The show itself is an easy watch. They haven’t made the mistake of rejigging it so it is unrecognisable.

It is definitely leaning into nostalgia. The blue set even looks comfortingly familiar, and the episodes that have aired see the judges making their way through the live auditions and dealing with everything from wholesome stories to tone-deaf cat singers.

It offers some laughs, some cringe, and occasionally even pulls at the heartstrings. So why isn’t it working? Well, it is too nice.

Kyle Sandilands has become much softer since becoming a dad. Source: Seven

Kyle Sandilands is the king of radio. Picture: Twitter

When I heard Sandilands was heading back to Australian Idol, I figured he’d bring a Simon Cowell vibe to the show. He’d be the mean one with the zingers that would make viral moments because of the harsh criticism he would hand out to contestants. But Sandilands has become a softie, and while he still makes jokes, he isn’t mean.

Remember? When he walked off his own radio show because he didn’t like anyone saying anything negative about former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian - well people that can’t sing in tune aren’t bringing out the same passion.

Viewers now don’t seem to be that invested in nice viewing anymore. Hence why The Bachelors had such a disappointing season, but Married At First Sight has returned and is back to pulling big numbers. Wholesome just isn’t cutting it anymore.

There’s a reason Seven brought out My Kitchen Rules, because it was a spicier version of 10’s MasterChef and during the years that Pete Evans wasn’t telling babies to eat bone broth the show was a huge ratings win – making big numbers as MasterChef’s audience started to dwindle.

Audiences want drama, excitement, and cheating, unless Australian Idol can find a way to work in an OnlyFans scandal I don’t think the show is going to be pulling in the big eyeballs and if Sandilands can’t bring in viewers I don’t think anyone can.

Originally published as Australian Idol isn’t winning the ratings but there’s a surprising reason why