Between Two Worlds: Channel 7 drama bumped after ratings flop
Channel 7 has suffered another disappointment in the television ratings just months after My Kitchen Rules delivered average results with its new Australian drama bumped out of prime time and sources blaming the move on a lack of promotion.
Entertainment
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Channel 7’s new melodrama Between Two Worlds (BTW) has been bumped to a later timeslot due to abysmal ratings.
The locally produced series had a disappointing start last month, with 419,000 metro viewers tuning in to the premiere followed by a measly 279,000 viewers during the second episode below rival Nine’s 60 Minutes with 662,000 viewers and ABC’s Vera, which had 637,000 people watching.
As a result, episode three of BTW has been pushed back from its prime time slot of 8:30pm to 10pm this Sunday and production sources told Confidential that budget constraints and a lack of promotion are to blame for the lacklustre figures.
“There’s been little promotion, it’s almost as if the higher-ups want the show to fail,” an insider said.
“There was no prelaunch, no interviews, radio or print. You won’t see the show promoted on Channel 7’s social media. Episode two was put up for streaming online when episode one aired which likely affected the ratings. There’s been little explanation as to why this happened.”
The Bevan Lee produced show was commissioned under former CEO Tim Worner, before he was replaced by James Warburton last year.
Warburton was brought back by Seven chairman Kerry Stokes to help improve the network’s fortunes, after share prices previously dropped by more than 60 per cent.
“It’s been tough with management changes and budget cuts, there’s been no support,” another source said.
Confidential has contacted Channel 7 for comment.
It comes after Seven’s ratings juggernaut My Kitchen Rules also delivered disappointing ratings earlier this year.
The season 11 premiere debuted to 498,000 viewers across the five city metro market, registering as the franchise’s lowest launch ever.
That figure was down 39 per cent after last year’s launch attracted 819,000 viewers.
However it’s not all bad news as the network’s new season of Farmer Wants a Wife had 908,000 viewers during its premiere last month, up 6 per cent from when it last aired in 2016 and the first 3 episodes jumped 44 per cent nationally compared to Channel 9’s season four years ago.
Angus Ross, Seven’s Network Programming Director, said the show is a hit.
“Farmer Wants a Wife is a hit for us – no question. It’s our biggest launch in two years and continues to bring in the audiences not only in the big cities but right across the regions, where its clear audiences have welcomed such a genuinely feel good program,” he said.
The new season of Big Brother was also a success and peaked at 930,000 metro viewers, resulting in the show being renewed for next year.