One in seven people now watch no commercial TV at all — twice as many as in 2008 — and the overall audience is getting older and watching less.

Streaming services are having a huge impact, with three million Aussies now accessing at least one of them.

And just a year after its local launch, Netflix reaches an estimated 2.7 million people.

Despite that, sitting down to watch a scheduled show on TV isn’t an extinct tradition just yet — broadcast telly still reaches 85 per cent of the population, more than any other medium.

The local industry’s best defence is making more unique content, whether it be blockbuster reality, gritty drama or quality lifestyle programming. And innovating delivery methods is key.

Now, for the first time, News Corp Australia has compiled a list of the 50 influencers and powerbrokers of the small screen, from big name stars to producers of hit series, network bosses and news figures.

It’s this group who are at the frontline, leading the fierce battle for viewers.

POPULAR FACES

Danielle Cormack — Wentworth (Foxtel), Rake (ABC)

Her star only continues to rise, with a growing list of credits making her a much-loved face of TV.

Waleed Aly — The Project (Ten)

When he speaks, people take note — he eloquently sums up the big issues in a way few can.

Julia Morris — House Husbands (Nine), I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! (Ten)

It takes real talent to seamlessly switch between drama and comedy, but she makes it look easy.

Shaynna Blaze — The Block (Nine), Selling Houses Australia, Deadline Design (Foxtel)

One of the busiest lifestyle presenters in the business, and arguably one of the most popular.

NEWS AND SPORT

David Speers — Sky News Australia (Foxtel), Political Editor

When he started with Sky News Australia, political editor David Speers struggled to get politicians to talk to him.

Back in 2000, the 24-hour news channel’s studio at Parliament House was no bigger than a broom cupboard and its profile was just as tiny.

“We didn’t have a presence in Canberra,” Speers said.

“People would ask if we were the horse racing channel. It took a long time to be taken seriously.”

Much like the channel, Speers was the young upstart of the Press Gallery, who’d thrown in his radio career to take a punt on an ambitious TV venture.

“We wanted to fill the gap in the market, drilling down into politics and important issues. We were immediate, in-depth and live.

“We explored things in a lot of detail and devoted lots of time to that. It was quite new at the time.”

In the years that have followed, the whole news game has transformed. Speers and a hungry team of broadcast journalists have been at the forefront.

Sky News is now regarded for its political analysis and election coverage, and he’s broken some of the biggest stories out of Canberra in recent years.

Leigh Sales — 7.30 (ABC), Host

Perhaps the most capable and respected interviewer in broadcast journalism.

Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson — Today (Nine), Co-Hosts

A true yin and yang partnership, on a show that’s winning over its rival’s audience.

Samantha Armytage and David Koch — Sunrise (Seven), Co-Hosts

They’ve had a rough start to the year and it’s an uphill battle ahead, but this pair remain formidable.

Craig McPherson — Seven, News and Public Affairs Director

The boss of Seven’s news division, tasked with leading the fight for ratings glory.

Darren Wick — Nine, News and Current Affairs Director

Charged with ensuring news coverage dominates the ratings — it’s working.

Gaven Morris — ABC, News Director

Responsible for the mammoth task of overseeing the ABC’s legendary news team.

Kurt Burnette — Seven, Chief Olympics Officer

In charge of the Rio Olympics broadcast this year, bringing 928 hours of coverage to viewers.

David Barham — Ten, Head of Sport

He’s significantly boosted the network’s sports stakes, thanks in part to the Big Bash League.

Lee Lin Chin — SBS, World News Host

She’s a respected name in news ... and lately, a pop culture cult figure outside of it.

Tom Malone — Nine, Head of Sport

New in the job, he’ll oversee the network’s many major sports broadcasts from cricket to NRL.

SHOW MAKERS

Jo Porter — Fremantle Media, Director of Drama

Not long ago, Jo Porter found herself having worrying conversations with colleagues about whether drama was an endangered species.

It was at a time when reality shows dominated the schedule, leaving little space for unique scripted content.

“They were very serious conversations,” the acclaimed producer said.

“Many people were wondering whether that was it for drama, whether big reality shows were the way of the future. But then along came Packed To The Rafters.”

These days, Aussies dramas are enjoying something of a resurgence. While reality is still a beast to contend with, the balance is shifting, she said.

“What’s great is that Australian drama is finding an audience, and a big one. We love our homegrown stories.

“Reality is obviously important to programmers but audiences are still engaged with drama. Some of the biggest (ratings) last year were for scripted shows, particularly when you look across various (platforms).”

The quality of big budget shows from overseas, which have never been easier for people to access, means local producers have to lift their game to compete — which is good news for viewers, she said.

“We’re very much playing in an international market,” Porter said.

But that goes both ways. One of her shows is the Foxtel drama Wentworth, which has been onsold around the world and is a hit in many major markets.

“We’ve sold it to more than 80 territories now and it’s doing very well in the US on Netflix. It just goes to show that our content can sit among the best in the world.”

As well as Wentworth, also on her slate this year is the long-running soap Neighbours and two telemovies about Olivia Newton John and Paul Hogan.

And that’s just what Porter is allowed to talk about.

“The right piece of content can absolutely bring in eyeballs. I’m quite optimistic.”

Imogen Banks — Endemol Shine Australia, Producer

This year, she’ll bring one of the most cherished shows on TV — Offspring — back to life.

Rikkie Proost — Channel Seven Productions, Executive Producer

He’s the man behind the biggest show on TV, the unbeatable My Kitchen Rules.

John Edwards — Independent, Producer

A giant of TV, with countless hits under his belt from Offspring to Love My Way, he recently went out on his own. The industry awaits his next move.

Tony Ayres — Matchbox Pictures, Producer

The Slap, Glitch, The Family Law, Wanted ... his credits are enviable and there’s much more to come.

PRODUCTION BOSSES

David Mott — ITV Studios Australia, CEO

Thanks in part to David Mott, the TV industry adopted a new term in 2006 to describe a failure of epic proportions: “Doing a Yasmin.”

It was inspired by the circumstances surrounding Ten’s much-touted Yasmin’s Getting Married — a dating show that was to culminate in a wedding.

Mott, as programming chief at the time, backed the flashy, bold and expensive project ... which lasted just four episodes before being axed.

“That was tough,” he said. “It was a rough couple of weeks in the office.”

The experience taught him an important lesson — whether a show lives or dies is in the hands of the audience. And sometimes there’s no predicting what people will love or hate.

“Sometimes the audience doesn’t necessarily know until they see something.”

Such was the case with MasterChef Australia — a bit of a laughing stock ahead of its debut in 2009, but an instant game-changer and ratings smash.

“It was a huge risk and everything was against us. But it worked. And it worked in a big way.”

He was there for the tough times too and when Ten’s fortunes dramatically soured in 2012, Mott fell on his sword and resigned.

“No one likes to leave under those circumstances,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time, all bar the last 18 months. That period was hard.”

He spent a few years at Nine in Perth before taking the top job at ITV Studios in Australia, responsible for shows like I’m A Celebrity and The Chase.

Mott plans to bring a wealth of new local productions to screens, believing a way of fighting off the threat from streaming services is to make more quality Australian content.

“That’s where it has to be. I think networks see the need to change — they see what’s happening — and adapting is about making more unique Australian shows.”

David Taylor and David Maher — Playmaker Media, Principals

The company’s roster of drama hits includes Love Child, The Code and House Husbands, and the two Davids co-helm a steady ship.

Mark and Carl Fennessy — Endemol Shine Australia, CEOs

This formidable duo are giants of the industry, running a huge recently merged company that makes shows like MasterChef, Offspring and Gogglebox.

Chris Hilton — Essential Media and Entertainment, CEO

It’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch — particularly when they’re making quality dramas like Rake and Jack Irish.

Ian Hogg — Fremantle Media Australia, CEO

Whether it’s a game show, singing contest, biopic or gritty drama, this versatile production house can do it all and Hoggy, as he’s affectionately known, leads a slick team.

Matt Campbell — Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder, CEO

His experienced team is responsible for Gruen, Go Back To Where You Came From and Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery.

NETWORK CREATIVES AND PROGRAMMERS

Stephen Tate — Network Ten, Head of Entertainment and Factual

A few years ago when Ten was at rock bottom, following a series of embarrassing flops and a dwindling audience share, a meeting was called.

Programming chief Beverley McGarvey sat down with her team to spit-ball ideas. In the room was entertainment head Stephen Tate.

“We got together and made a bucket list of formats we really wanted to work on, and we went after them,” he recalled.

“The first of those was The Bachelor. The second was I’m A Celebrity. And the third is our next one — Survivor.”

The first two — as well as spin-off The Bachelorette — have all played a part in Ten dragging itself out of a deep ratings hole.

And Tate has been on the ground, from Sydney’s North Shore to the South African jungle, for most of them.

“It’s kind of my choice,” he said.

“I probably annoy my production company producers because I am a bit hands-on. But then, we all got into TV to actually make it, not sit around watching.”

He’s notched up 15 years at Ten and believes the number three network’s best days are ahead of it.

“The future is incredibly exciting. We’re kicking goals … it’s incredibly satisfying.”

Beverley McGarvey — Network Ten, Programming Chief

A respected and savvy figure in programming credited with leading Ten back from the brink.

Brian Walsh — Foxtel, Director of Television

An industry leader and visionary with an uncanny knack for sniffing out a hit.

Angus Ross — Channel Seven, Programming Chief

There are few blemishes on his record of big hits, which have kept Seven at number one for nine years.

Michael Healy — Channel Nine, Director of Television

The competition has never been fiercer and you can’t doubt Healy’s tenacity.

Richard Finlayson — ABC, Director of Television

He oversees a complex slate of programming at a time when Aunty’s budget is tighter than ever.

Julie McGauran — Seven, Head of Drama

She championed the surprise hit of 2015 — drama series 800 Words — and has a swag of other scripted shows coming up.

NETWORK BOSSES

Tim Worner — Seven West Media, CEO

For all of the doom and gloom, the right kind of show still has people rushing to sit in front of the TV together.

Whether it’s My Kitchen Rules or the Molly telemovie, Seven boss Tim Worner believes broadcast still has a place in millions of living rooms.

But he concedes times are changing.

“The way we are delivering content now is so different to what it was even just a few years ago when we were just one channel,” Worner said.

“Now we have a number of channels, content on demand, on catch up, we do streaming ... and the amount of content we’re originating is growing.”

There are commercial challenges with some of those expansion areas, but Worner thinks it’s a case of adapt or die.

Seven has two goals — maintaining its number one position while continuing to transform the company.

“The landscape is changing so fast, and this company has changed more in the past 18 months than it did in the preceding 18 years.”

Worner said staying humble is also important. Despite a nine-year run on top of the TV heap, he’s aware fortunes can change quickly.

“We don’t get carried away. I think we’re almost conditioned to act more like a hungry number two.”

Kerry Stokes — Seven West Media, Chairman

This media mogul is still hands-on when it comes to his beloved TV network.

Hugh Marks — Nine Entertainment Co, CEO

He’s only a few months into the job at the helm of the second most-watched TV channel in the country, and it’s been a challenging start to the year.

Paul Anderson — Network Ten, CEO

He comes into the job at a time when Ten’s prospects are on the rise — audience share and ad revenue are both up.

Michelle Guthrie — ABC, Managing Director (incoming)

She’s not yet in the chair and faces a tough task of maintaining quality with a reduced operating budget.

Michael Ebeid — SBS, Managing Director

SBS has been revolutionised on his watch, going from a multicultural channel to a diverse media powerhouse.

Bruce Gordon — WIN Corporation, Owner

He owns Australia’s largest regional TV network, in addition to sizeable shares in Ten and Nine.

Peter Tonagh — Foxtel, CEO (incoming)

The current News Corp Australia boss will take on the top job at the subscription TV giant replacing Richard Freudenstein.

GOVERNMENT

Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communication

Cabinet recently approved big media reforms, including changes to ownership regulations, which is expected to see a flurry of buying and selling of TV interests once legislated.