Channel Nine’s dramatic changes to NRL Footy Show

CHANNEL 9 has made a dramatic decision on the future of The Footy Show, plunging the careers of network stars into chaos.

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CHANNEL 9 has swung the axe on the NRL version of The Footy Show, shedding some big names and its traditional Thursday night timeslot.

The television bombshell comes less than a week after Nine announced the AFL Footy Show would be returning in 2018.

The Daily Telegraph reports the NRL Footy Show Thursday night format is set to be axed, after key figures, including host Paul Vautin, were told they would not be needed next year.

The report claims Vautin will see out his contract for 2018 in a diminished role as a live football commentator.

Nine said in a statement it is still finalising the format of its rugby league line-up for next year and stressed Vautin remains contracted for the 2018 NRL season.

“Nine will be broadcasting 23 Thursday night NRL games in 2018 and so the NRL Footy Show will have a new look and feel to reflect the games the audience have just enjoyed watching,” Nine said in a statement.

“The exact format of The Footy Show and appearing talent is still to be determined.”

The NRL Footy Show crew Beau Ryan, Erin Molan, Paul Vautin and Daryl Broham. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The announcement comes after Channel Nine announced the AFL Footy Show would return in 2018 to run head-to-head with Channel 7 rival The Front Bar.

Channel Nine was forced to conduct major surgery on its flagship AFL program after a series of ratings disasters sparked by the popularity of Seven’s new footy panel.

Former host Eddie McGuire returned in August in a bid to reignite long-running show’s popularity.

Nine last week promoted the NRL Footy Show in its 2018 advertising promotion, revealing Vautin, Erin Molan, Beau Ryan and Darryl Brohman would be returning for a 25th season.

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield writes Nine’s rugby league programming will actually be expanded in 2018 with a Monday night NRL news and weekend review show set to follow a similar format to the network’s Footy ClassifiedAFL-based Monday night program.

It is a bid to go head-to-head with Fox League’s Monday night with Matthew Johns.

According to reports the network will continue to run a live rugby league show on Thursday night under a relaunched title that will be hosted by Molan.

Eddie McGuire, Sam Newman and Rebecca Maddern on the AFL Footy Show.

The flagship Nine show has been the biggest show in rugby league since first airing 25 years ago.

Rothfield reports the network has made the decision to promote Molan at the expense of Vautin from the Thursday night timeslot in an attempt to win back female audiences — as Fox League has done with Yvonne Sampson who walked out on Nine two years ago.

“Nine’s Footy Shows ratings have slipped to an all-time low this year, often to as bad as 80,000 viewers compared to the halcyon days when it regularly pulled in audiences of around 370,000,” Rothfield said.

The network last week claimed it would be also sticking with its star-studded rugby league commentary team, including Ray Warren and Phil Gould.

Star analysts Andrew Johns, Darren Lockyer, Peter Sterling, Wally Lewis and Brad Fittler will also return.

Commentators Ray Hadley and Mat Thompson will continue to call live matches.

“The NRL Footy Show also returns for its 25th season in 2018, with all the latest breaking stories and loads of fun from the world of rugby league,” Nine said in a statement last week.

“Each week Paul “Fatty” Vautin, Erin Molan, Beau Ryan and Darryl “Big Marn” Brohman will be joined by some of the biggest names in the game, including Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater, as they provide expert analysis on all the matches.”