The Voice: Channel 7 halves budget for The Voice after Nine’s $40m costs
Channel 7 will spend $15-$20m on the new season of The Voice, less than half of what it was costing Channel Nine to make the reality singing show.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Channel 7 will produce The Voice for less than half of what it was costing rival Nine, and the network is confident it can create a much better show it’s been revealed.
Confidential understands that Network Seven will spend around $15-$20 million, much less than the $40 million it was costing Nine to produce and promote the reality singing show.
The new format is still being finalised but so far is expected to be tighter and more fast-paced, making for a less drawn out show.
Certain elements will likely disappear when the revamped version goes to air and it will be hosted by previous host Sonia Kruger.
It comes after Seven unexpectedly acquired the rights to the music show, which has aired on Nine since 2012.
Seven also picked up Farmer Wants a Wife from Nine this year and reports claim Australian Ninja Warrior is on Seven’s radar as well.
“Unfortunately due to the age of the show and declining demographic profile, The Voice had become by far the poorest financial performer on our slate. We wish Seven well in their quest to revive yet another Nine show,” a Nine spokesman said.
“We are very excited about the schedule we have now set for reinvigorating our slate and we will have announcements at our upfronts on September 16. We remain focussed on our audience and the financial performance of Nine”.
There is no word yet on whether Seven will recruit brand new coaches and the future of Delta Goodrem, Kelly Rowland, Guy Sebastian and Boy George remains up in the air.
Meanwhile, Big Brother host Kruger told fans she’s thrilled to be returning as host of The Voice after she was replaced by Renee Bargh and Darren McMullen in the latest season when she left Nine for Seven last year.
MORE SYDCON
Magda v Pete Evans after chef slams ‘offensive’ COVID ad
Shock splits: COVID chaos is killing celebrity romance
Andrews defends decision to allow Masked Singer to keep filming
“The Voice is coming to Channel 7! Cannot wait to hit Australia’s biggest stage again for the sizzling new season,” she wrote on Instagram.
Last week, Nine boss Hugh Marks revealed The Voice costs three times that of The Block while alluding to cost cutting measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Voice is three times the cost per hour of something like The Block and maybe double the cost of an hour of something like Married at First Sight,” he said.
“It’s a world at the moment where every efficiency gain is necessary to continue to drive profitability. These are just decisions that we’re going to have to continue to look at.”
Seven CEO and Managing Director James Warburton said: “This is a coup for Seven. Adding The Voice to our 2021 program slate is another brick in the wall of our content-led growth strategy of using proven, power formats. The Voice is a television megabrand that will deliver on our promise of more tentpoles, audience growth and consistency across the year. It is a strong performer in BVOD and will give audiences what they want: the world’s best television.”