damianThis Weeks Top Twenty TV Shows
July 21st 2006 03:37
A weird week in TV land as Dancing on Ice went head to head with Border Security (and lost) and local content fell.
Top 20 Metropolitan TV Ratings 9th - 15th July
Local Content Score- 12 of top 20
Well, it was the clash of the Titans; the show down to see who would rule this little patch of television and a symbolic challenge to the now dominant species of ratings land. Channel 9 is looking down the barrel of ‘no longer the one’ and in order to fight off their old time foe and new-time danger (Cannel 7) they pulled in the big guns. They needed something that would capture the hearts and minds of the Australian public. They needed something that would re-energise Channel 9 and inspire it back to its once giddy heights. They needed a concept that would show the world who ruled TV in Australia...
So they copied a Channel 7 program.
But not only did they copy a Channel 7 program they spent a lot of money copying a Channel 7 program and then ran it up against Channel 7s highest rating show. The aftermath isn’t pretty. Not only did Dancing on Ice not beat Border Security it didn’t even shift it from the number one position. Medical Emergency is a different story as it was sent to the ratings emergency surgery room after haemorrhaging viewers and finding itself way down in twelfth spot but this is small comfort to Eddie and the gang. The target was Border Security and those brave defenders of our nations integrity still stand, unfazed by the antics of a few amateur ice dancers with a strangely public kamikaze streak.
So what does this mean? Do we now value sport less than the ability to keep an eye on those pesky illegal immigrant hordes trying to knock down the door of Australia or do we just not consider celebrity ice skating a sport? Are we unimpressed by Channel 9s try-hard, Eddie-come-lately attempt at sucking up to the TV public or do we just prefer Daryl Sommers to Jamie Durie? Or is it simply a case of needing some time to warm up to the whole ice skating idea? (I mean it’s not like ice skating is a significant part of our cultural world view or something. Dancing? Yeah, why not. Anything to do with ice or snow? Maybe not)
In the end it probably doesn’t matter that much as only the long term will tell. Taking on the most popular show on TV is always going to be a hard slog so it may just need some time to build up awareness and allow audiences to get attached to the various celebrities involved (not to mention understand ice skating in general) but the danger is that people have tuned in to check it out and just aren’t interested. Either way the Channel 9 PR machine will crank itself up over the next few weeks with any and every Channel 9 show promoting DOI the way Channel 7 did for Dancing with the Stars and we’ll see whether we really are more interested in Border Security.
The top of the pile catfight was probably the most interesting thing going for local content this week in the top twenty as the rest was pretty quiet. Apart from the usual news and current affairs suspects you could find What’s Good for You in at sixth which is interesting as it goes to show that we really are interested in that kind of stuff. The show itself isn’t very scientific but Australians obviously want to know what they can and cant believe from todays overwhelming and vocal ‘health and well being’ gurus which is an interesting illustration of where we’re at as a media influenced society- we now have shows that try to sort through all the PR crap we’re bombarded with.
In eighth was a movie- something rare in Australian TV these days- which goes to show that we really do like our pirates (especially if they’re Johnny Depp) and in twelfth, as previously mentioned, was Medical Emergency licking its wounds. Apparently we like real life medical stuff less than ice skating and we’re a lot more likely to watch it if it follows a show about border security.
Finally, below them was Getaway in at thirteenth and Better Homes and Gardens at twentieth revealing what we all know to be true- we like holidays, especially if they’re on display by good looking and funny people, and we’re all rabid consumers who want our houses and gardens looking better than our neighbours (whether we actually get out and go on holiday or get round to doing the whole handy-person thing is another matter but we like to think that we could).
And that was the week that was. For the full chart head over to OZTAM and check in tomorrow for the second installment of The Football Wars.
Top 20 Metropolitan TV Ratings 9th - 15th July
Local Content Score- 12 of top 20
Well, it was the clash of the Titans; the show down to see who would rule this little patch of television and a symbolic challenge to the now dominant species of ratings land. Channel 9 is looking down the barrel of ‘no longer the one’ and in order to fight off their old time foe and new-time danger (Cannel 7) they pulled in the big guns. They needed something that would capture the hearts and minds of the Australian public. They needed something that would re-energise Channel 9 and inspire it back to its once giddy heights. They needed a concept that would show the world who ruled TV in Australia...
So they copied a Channel 7 program.
But not only did they copy a Channel 7 program they spent a lot of money copying a Channel 7 program and then ran it up against Channel 7s highest rating show. The aftermath isn’t pretty. Not only did Dancing on Ice not beat Border Security it didn’t even shift it from the number one position. Medical Emergency is a different story as it was sent to the ratings emergency surgery room after haemorrhaging viewers and finding itself way down in twelfth spot but this is small comfort to Eddie and the gang. The target was Border Security and those brave defenders of our nations integrity still stand, unfazed by the antics of a few amateur ice dancers with a strangely public kamikaze streak.
So what does this mean? Do we now value sport less than the ability to keep an eye on those pesky illegal immigrant hordes trying to knock down the door of Australia or do we just not consider celebrity ice skating a sport? Are we unimpressed by Channel 9s try-hard, Eddie-come-lately attempt at sucking up to the TV public or do we just prefer Daryl Sommers to Jamie Durie? Or is it simply a case of needing some time to warm up to the whole ice skating idea? (I mean it’s not like ice skating is a significant part of our cultural world view or something. Dancing? Yeah, why not. Anything to do with ice or snow? Maybe not)
In the end it probably doesn’t matter that much as only the long term will tell. Taking on the most popular show on TV is always going to be a hard slog so it may just need some time to build up awareness and allow audiences to get attached to the various celebrities involved (not to mention understand ice skating in general) but the danger is that people have tuned in to check it out and just aren’t interested. Either way the Channel 9 PR machine will crank itself up over the next few weeks with any and every Channel 9 show promoting DOI the way Channel 7 did for Dancing with the Stars and we’ll see whether we really are more interested in Border Security.
The top of the pile catfight was probably the most interesting thing going for local content this week in the top twenty as the rest was pretty quiet. Apart from the usual news and current affairs suspects you could find What’s Good for You in at sixth which is interesting as it goes to show that we really are interested in that kind of stuff. The show itself isn’t very scientific but Australians obviously want to know what they can and cant believe from todays overwhelming and vocal ‘health and well being’ gurus which is an interesting illustration of where we’re at as a media influenced society- we now have shows that try to sort through all the PR crap we’re bombarded with.
In eighth was a movie- something rare in Australian TV these days- which goes to show that we really do like our pirates (especially if they’re Johnny Depp) and in twelfth, as previously mentioned, was Medical Emergency licking its wounds. Apparently we like real life medical stuff less than ice skating and we’re a lot more likely to watch it if it follows a show about border security.
Finally, below them was Getaway in at thirteenth and Better Homes and Gardens at twentieth revealing what we all know to be true- we like holidays, especially if they’re on display by good looking and funny people, and we’re all rabid consumers who want our houses and gardens looking better than our neighbours (whether we actually get out and go on holiday or get round to doing the whole handy-person thing is another matter but we like to think that we could).
And that was the week that was. For the full chart head over to OZTAM and check in tomorrow for the second installment of The Football Wars.
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