ABC’s Q+A program plummets to record its lowest ever ratings

ABC chatfest Q+A failed to make the top 20 programs on Thursday and the show could move timeslots in weeks.

Hamish Macdonald on Q&A.

The ABC’s struggling political panel show, Q+A, has continued on a downward trajectory, plummeting to its lowest ever ratings at just 228,000 viewers across the five major capital cities.

And it puts further pressure on the public broadcaster to consider moving the show to a different timeslot in the coming weeks.

The chatfest failed to make the top 20 programs on Thursday and fell to position 26.

The disastrous figures come just two weeks after the program already recorded its lowest ratings on March 25 in its 14-season history, drawing just 237,000 viewers across the five major capital cities. 

This is well down on nearly a decade ago when figures from ratings company OzTAM showed in March 2012, the show was reeling in more than 600,000 viewers an episode.

The political chatfest shifted from its long-running Monday timeslot of 9.30pm to Thursday at 8.30pm but the ratings have continued on a downward spiral.

The Australian was told by a well-placed source on Monday the program could be moved within weeks.

“There’s been talk we might have to review the Thursday night timeslot and we might have to move it soon,” the source said.

ABC’s director of entertainment and specialist division Michael Carrington has previously said the program moved nights because “we’ve discovered that audiences now look for content elsewhere around 9pm”. 

Former co-host of Network Ten’s The Project, Hamish Macdonald, took over the hosting role last year – he replaced former ABC journalist Tony Jones. 

So far in 2021 the show has only rated above 300,000 viewers once in the five capital cities – on March 4 when it drew 339,000 viewers.

The ratings fell significantly from 2015 but rose again in 2020 before sharply falling this year to their lowest levels.

The show went on a one-week scheduled hiatus during Easter and on Thursday night returned with a panel focusing on the COVID vaccine rollout, religion and the state of politics.

The panel included Liberal Member for North Sydney Trent Zimmerman, Labor Member for Lilley Anika Wells, Australian Christian Lobby managing director Martyn Iles, Network Ten journalist Antoinette Lattouf and lawyer Teela Reid.

An ABC spokeswoman said panels on the show “have been terrific” and the discussions “informative and agenda setting”.

“The ABC is committed to the program,” she said.

“Q+A was in its former timeslot for 13 years and it has been in its new spot of 8.30pm Thursday for a few weeks.”