Seven banks on Big Brother to close gap

The embattled Seven Network is hoping its new-look Big Brother and the return of the AFL will close the gap on Nine.

Seven’s Big Brother returns on Monday night.

More than halfway through the television ratings season, the embattled Seven Network is hoping its new-look Big Brother and the return of the AFL will be a hit with viewers and close the gap with the Nine Network.

The TV broadcaster, which is part of debt-laden Seven West Media, knows the stakes are high, particularly given the double-digit drop in advertising revenue across the embattled media industry in the wake of COVID-19.

Seven programming boss Angus Ross says reality show Big Brother — to make its long-awaited debut on Monday night in a bid to capitalise on the long weekend — is “very important” to the broadcaster and chief executive James Warburton’s turnaround plans.

“It’s the first stage of James pivoting to make Seven a more outward-focused company in terms of our commissions and a move towards more established and proven formats, rather than being an organisation trying to create your own, which is a pretty high-risk business, ends in a lot of tears and can take years off your life,” Mr Ross told The Australian.

“It’s the first part of that content strategy kicking into action.”

Mr Ross said production company Endemol Shine had produced a “reimagined Big Brother”, featuring layered storytelling techniques that viewers now expect.

The new format pits housemates against each other much like reality competition show Survivor, according to host Sonia Kruger. Big Brother will compete against The Voice and MasterChef on Nine and Ten, respectively.

In a bid to bolster its appeal to viewers and advertisers, Seven will cut ads and breaks during shows by an average of 30 per cent, starting with the launch of Big Brother.

So far this year, Nine has dominated with MAFS, Lego building competition show Lego Masters and The Voice, while Ten has scored with reality shows Survivor and MasterChef.

Seven breakfast show Sunrise, hosted by Samantha Armytage and David Koch, remains popular with viewers, despite another round of hosting changes at Nine.

Armytage and Koch have held the No 1 TV breakfast spot for 14 years, while Karl Stefanovic’s return as host of Today in January, alongside Allison Langdon, has failed to attract more viewers.