Big Brother 2020: TV ratings are down
Insiders have revealed why the ratings return from the rebooted Big Brother has been disappointing, saying one missing element from previous years is a major factor.
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After a solid start, Channel 7’s highly-anticipated Big Brother reboot took a slight drop in ratings in its second week.
Tuesday night’s episode saw 777,000 metro viewers tune in to watch the much-hyped “shock twist”, in which fan favourite Angela Clancywas “eliminated” in a fake eviction.
That figure was down from the premiere, which had 866,000 viewers across the five city metro markets and critics are now wondering whether Seven’s rumoured $20 million gamble will pay off.
Ratings dropped to 680,000 viewers on Sunday night, with rival Channel 10 triumphant with MasterChef at 945,000 viewers and Nine’s The Voice coming in at 924,000 viewers.
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Complaints about format changes, with the biggest being that Big Brother is now prerecorded, have been rife on social media. A production source said that ratings have been “disappointing”, particularly in contrast with MasterChef, which has had significantly higher numbers overall.
“When you think about the amount of money they have been spending on Big Brother, the return is pretty disappointing,” the insider said.
“In fairness, they have put a lot of production resource on it. The general feeling from everyone, the fact that Big Brother was around 650,000 on Monday night, is absolutely horrendous. It lacks the live element.
“People want to be able to watch the live stream of people in the house. The fact it is more like Survivor, all prerecorded, is really letting it down.”
TV commentator Rob McKnight said overall, the show is off to a good start.
“The new Big Brother format was always going to divide hardcore fans, but I think Seven will be very pleased with the results,” McKnight said.
“There are pros and cons to the new format and personally I miss getting to know the housemates like we did in the old series, but I also find the new series very compelling.
“Old housemates have told us at TV Blackbox (website) they would not have survived 10 minutes in the new format, so it’s a case of accepting this is a different game... The show has performed well enough to guarantee there will be a second series - that’s my prediction.”
Channel 7 took a risk in its attempt to resurrect the show, with host Sonia Kruger, six years after it was scrapped by rival Channel 9.
The show, which sees housemates live in a shared house competing for $250,000, first aired on Channel 10 in 2001 and consistently managed to draw in more than one million viewers most seasons.
Seven’s reboot has been described by some critics as “a cross between Survivor and Ninja Warrior”.
“Why are we already in a bloody Ninja Warrior Friday Night Games?” former contestant Tully Smyth tweeted during the premiere.
But Seven’s Network Programming Director Angus Ross said Seven is thrilled with the ratings.
“We are stoked with the performance of Big Brother. We have delivered a re-invention of the format for the 2020 television landscape and audiences are loving it,” Ross said.
“On top of the broadcast success in all key demographics Big Brother is currently the highest streamed show in Australia driving 7plus’s leadership in the category.”