Network Ten to cull Studio 10 hosts to two

Studio 10, which currently boasts a panel of seven hosts, is poised to move to a two-person format.

Sarah Harris will retain a prominent role in the new Studio 10 format, and is tipped be one of the show’s two co-hosts. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Network Ten is poised to slash the number of hosts on its television morning show Studio 10 to just two after the loss-making broadcaster last week announced it was dumping stars Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling from the program’s line-up as part of a cost-cutting push.

The Australian understands that Studio 10, which currently boasts a panel of seven hosts, will move to a two-person format similar to Seven’s Sunrise and The Morning Show, and Nine’s Today and Today Extra.

In the show’s new format, Sarah Harris, Narelda Jacobs and Angela Bishop will retain prominent roles on the program, while Denise Drysdale, Craig Bennett, Jono Coleman and Denise Scott are more likely to be retained as “contributors”.

The fate of host Joe Hildebrand remains up in the air, as talks continue. Hildebrand is also a contributor on news.com.au, owned by News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian.

If he re-signs, there has been speculation that he and Harris would be the two co-hosts.

The makeover of Studio 10 is part of an overhaul of Ten’s news operations across the country as the network looks to save money.

Ten, like most players in the media industry, has been smashed by a double-digit drop in advertising revenue during the coronavirus crisis as brands cut spending. Furthermore, competition for viewers has never been more intense thanks to the raft of streaming players such as Netflix, Stan, Foxtel Now and Binge.

Ten’s income has fallen as much as 38 per cent in the past few months from a year earlier.

The third-ranked commercial TV broadcaster dropped to a near $226m statutory loss from revenue of about $601m last year, hurt by the writedown of tens of millions of dollars from the value of its sports broadcasts deals and program rights. Its TV costs ­to­t­alled more than $646m last year, well above its revenue.

Since the merger of Ten’s owner CBS with Viacom last December, the newly created US media giant has been ramping up the integration of its operations in Australia and New Zealand. It has brought together its sales teams and axed Ten’s news website 10 Daily. Over the Easter long weekend, Ten ran a skeleton staff to save on costs.

Ten’s recent program line-up of reality dating shows Bachelor in Paradise and The Bachelor had a lukewarm reception. The eighth season of The Bachelor, which premiered on Wednesday night, is already struggling with the second episode recording the lowest metropolitan ratings figure for the program in six years.

Instead, viewers have favoured Nine’s latest instalment of its obstacle course entertainment show Ninja Warrior and Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife.

In a bid to attract advertisers, Ten plans to launch a fourth TV channel called 10 Shake next month, targeted at children and adults under 40. It will be the first Australian free-to-air channel to be run in the public cloud.

10 Shake, which will feature a big slate of American shows, is one of ViacomCBS’s local content boss Beverley McGarvey’s first major initiatives since her promotion in March following the surprise resignation of Ten boss Paul Anderson. He had been at the helm for nearly five years, including Ten’s stint in administration in 2017 and its purchase by CBS.

Under the restructuring of its news and operations department, Ten will dump its weekday Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth news bulletins from mid-September, and instead broadcast from Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney weather presenter Tim Bailey, who has been with the network for 30 years, will go, leaving it with just one national presenter.

The Australian understands that Ross Dagan, Ten’s director of news content, informed staff of the changes on Tuesday morning.