The Voice: Controversy over Chris Sebastian as winner
A TV industry expert says one-time ratings hit The Voice is in a terminal decline, as controversy swirls around the show after it was won by Guy Sebastian’s brother.
Confidential
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Channel 9’s The Voice has been rocked by controversy after coach Guy Sebastian’s younger brother Chris was crowned this season’s winner.
Questions surrounding the eligibility of the winner come as the reality singing show registered its lowest ever season finale ratings in its nine-year history on air.
The grand final attracted a national metro viewing audience of 911,000 compared to 995,000 in 2019, which represents an 8 per cent drop and is well down on Ten’s MasterChef at 1.15 million viewers.
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“After nine seasons, The Voice is in serious trouble,” an industry executive said. “Even with the production problems caused by COVID-19, the show has become tired, predictable and just feels dated.
“Look at the numbers, clearly the public agree. It’s a reflection of the decline of the show and public sentiment towards the TV singing show genre in general.
“Getting audiences back will be very, very hard. Channel 10 successfully rebooted and revived MasterChef Australia this year, but that is extremely unusual in the TV business. Normally when a show has the big audience declines The Voice has seen in recent years, its condition is terminal.”
On average over the entire season, viewing figures were down 9 per cent to a national series average of 864,000 people each episode.
Meanwhile, Chris Sebastian’s win has been overshadowed by discussion around his eligibility to compete.
Terms and conditions outlined in the show’s application form state immediate family members of staff are not permitted to enter the competition.
However, a Channel 9 spokesman said the terms and conditions only apply to direct applicants of the show.
“All Stars do not apply to appear in the program through open casting due to the unique situation of having previously appeared on the show,” the representative said.
“The T&Cs on My Casting Net are for direct applicants to the program only.
“The public vote for The Voice winner is highly regulated, operated by an independent third party, and overseen by lawyers. This year’s result was one of our tightest ever, with less than half a per cent of the votes separating the winner and runner-up.”