60 Minutes interview with Cleo Smith’s parents struggles in ratings

The heavily promoted interview with kidnapped toddler Cleo Smith was the fourth most-watched program on Sunday night behind Married at First Sight.

Cleo Smith was found alive almost three weeks after going missing last year. Picture: Supplied

Nine Entertainment’s multi-million-dollar deal to secure a world-first interview with the parents of abducted toddler Cleo Smith failed to pay off for the network after drawing just 750,000 across the major capitals on Sunday night.

The media company paid more than $2 million for exclusive rights to a sit-down interview with Cleo’s mother, Ellie Smith, 24, and her stepfather, Jake Gliddon, on 60 Minutes but Cleo was largely vacant from the program.

The interview – in the 8.40pm timeslot – was heavily promoted by Nine across all its channels including print, radio and TV ahead of its airing, but one senior TV executive described the highly-anticipated program’s ratings as “disappointing” for Nine.

“Given the noise and hype surrounding Nine’s exclusive – and very expensive – deal for Cleo Smith content, this is an underwhelming response from viewers,” the executive said.

“Mike Sneesby (Nine CEO) and the Nine team would have to be very disappointed that more people didn’t tune in.

“This disappointing result raises big questions about the return Nine will get on its $2 million-plus investment.”

Cleo’s parents told of their pain and trauma following her abduction, the social media trolling they experienced and the police investigation that went for weeks.

Cleo Smith's Mother Ellie Smith and stepdad Jake Gliddon. Picture: Supplied

It rated the fourth-highest program on Sunday night, falling behind Seven and Nine’s 6pm news bulletins and Nine’s Married at First Sight.

Figures from TV ratings company OzTAM showed across the five major capital cities the program drew 750,000 viewers, while in the home state of WA where the kidnapping took place, just 67,000 Perth viewers tuned in with programs including ABC’s Vera which aired in the same timeslot attracting the same number of viewers in Perth.

The one-hour “world exclusive” interview was led by reporter Tara Brown, who was unable to fly to WA to conduct the interview with Cleo’s parents due to tough border restrictions.

Despite this Nine managed to mask the fact Brown and Cleo’s parents were nearly 4000 kilometres apart, by using backdrops that were similar in both locations.

Smith was abducted on October 16 last year from a campsite in the Blowholes campsite in Macleod, around 80 km north of Carnarvon in WA, but was found alive and well nearly three weeks later on November 3.

She was located by police in a locked house just minutes from her own home in the WA town of Carnarvon.

Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, has been charged with two offences including forcibly taking a child under the age of 16.

But a Nine spokesman said they were “pleased with the result” and the interview by Brown was “compelling”.

“The show won its timeslot and performed in the key demographics and on 9Now – a record streaming audience for the program meaning last night’s episode as a total number was an increase on the equivalent episode last year, and this is what we look to, we are all extremely pleased,” he said.