Ten boss Beverley McGarvey warns of broadcasters’ challenges but says risks must be taken
Beverley McGarvey has urged broadcasters and content makers to take risks when creating new TV programs, warning that occasional failures are part of the process.
Network Ten boss Beverley McGarvey says risks must be taken when creating new programs to achieve ratings success, but also warned those in the television industry to not be so “cynical”.
Speaking at the annual Women in Media conference in Sydney on Friday, Ms McGarvey said financial pressures were impacting many industries, including commercial TV networks and content creators, making it more difficult to develop new hit TV shows.
“The difference now is there’s more financial pressure in terms of taking a risk,” Ms McGarvey said at the event.
“You are under more pressure, which means you take less risks which means you can get less hits.
“In terms of selecting shows ... you have to take some risks and you have to be willing to put shows up that don’t work, and that’s how you get hits.”
In March, Ms McGarvey’s role at the network was expanded and she is now Paramount Global’s head of streaming and the regional lead in Australia and New Zealand and Network Ten president, a position which gives her oversight of all original content created out of the region. Ten has for years remained well behind commercial rivals Seven and Nine in the ratings race.
Speaking on a panel led by Free TV chief executive officer Bridget Fair and featuring Mamamia CEO Natalie Harvey and ARN board director Belinda Rowe, Ms McGarvey urged people not to be cynical when creating new content.
“In terms of knowing what audiences want, what I would start with is: ‘don’t be cynical, try and know the audience and respect the audience’,” she said.
Ms McGarvey recalled a story she was told several years ago about not thinking about audiences as a “mass group of people”, but instead as “real people” and to think about what they “want to do at the end of the day when they get home”.
One of Paramount+’s newest Australian series on its streaming platform is the eight-episode long Fake starring Asher Keddie and David Wenham.
It was the streaming platform’s biggest first week launch of a local drama since it arrived in Australia in 2021.
Ms McGarvey also warned that “nobody’s strike rate is 100 per cent” when it comes to getting content right.
“You always get somebody saying ‘why don’t you just commission shows that rate’ — brilliant advice but you can’t (just) do it,” she said.
“When we commissioned Have You Been Paying Attention it did not rate, it was on a Saturday or Sunday early evening, and it didn’t rate.
“They gave Ten the show’s second series for free and the program is now up to series 11.”
The lighthearted quiz program, hosted by Tom Gleisner, has a range of comedians that feature each week. Last month it came under fire after mocking the attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Gleisner asked the contestants: “Chaotic scenes at a Donald Trump rally over the weekend, what happened?”
Comedian Anne Edmonds told the audience: “Very poor shot”.
Ten would not comment at the time about the prerecorded joke, and it was later deleted from its online platform, 10 Play.
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