Channel 10’s The Project set for a re-shuffle
The Project was a ball of confusion for most of 2019 with a rotating roster of fill-in hosts but now the show seems set for a re-shuffle as Channel 10 tries to bring more certainty to its on-air team.
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The Project is set for a re-shuffle as Channel 10 tries to bring more certainty to its on-air team in 2020.
And Grant Denyer’s Celebrity Name Game appears doomed with Ten happy with the ratings of its expanded 90-minute nightly news bulletin.
Ten wants to strengthen its early evening ratings which have been a weak spot at a time when 7.30pm shows such as Australian Survivor and The Masked Singer have been flourishing.
The Project was a ball of confusion for most of 2019 with a rotating roster of fill-in hosts covering extended absences by Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar.
Sundays were locked in with Lisa Wilkinson but most other nights were a lottery with Gorgi Coghlan, Dave Thornton, Joel Creasey, Susie Youssef, and others presenting.
Ten believes ratings will grow if viewers have more confidence about who they will see when they switch on the show in 2020.
Bickmore (who is reportedly contracted for three nights per week), Helliar, and Waleed Aly would likely be locked in for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays right throughout the year.
“You won’t see the same faces six nights a week but what I would like to have is consistency and familiarity,” Ten program chief Beverley McGarvey said.
“It needs to be that if you see Waleed, Carrie, and Pete on a Monday ... it will be every single Monday.
“That’s what we’re working to now. We don’t want people to feel like they’re getting the b-team.”
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Celebrity Name Game’s days appear numbered. Ten says it hasn’t made a firm decision but quiz shows aren’t working at 6pm. Pointless also flopped.
“It has been very challenging ... we haven’t seen the (ratings) growth we want to see,” McGarvey said.
“We feel like there is a real appetite for news at the moment. We did it (extended bulletin) as a trial and it is going really well.
“If this is something we can make work for our audience then of course we would consider it for the long term.”