Network Ten has commissioned two new prime-time entertainment shows, Being Lara Bingle and The Living Room.
The new shows were announced less than a week after Ten told the market that its first half earnings would be 40 per cent lower than a year earlier as it implements a new programming strategy amid tough advertising market conditions.
Network Ten chief programing officer David Mott said the two new programs were part of the broadcaster's plan to win back viewers.
“Being Lara Bingle and The Living Room are the first of a series of programs we plan to introduce to this year’s line up, deliberately developed to introduce a different, more playful flavour to our schedule, and one we are sure our audience will not only embrace but celebrate,” he said in a statement.
Many of Ten's new programs for 2012 are currently being rolled out including morning show Breakfast, six-part TV series Brothers in Arms, as well as the return of drama Offspring and reality program MasterChef Australia.
However, Deutsche Bank analysts have raised concerns about Ten's early 2012 ratings performance. "Whilst it is early in the 2012 ratings period, it is alarming that despite the introduction of Ten's new program schedule, the average ratings share in the first Seven weeks of the year is 25 per cent with new shows losing momentum each week," they said.
In Being Lara Bingle, the fashion model is the latest celebrity to trade her private life for wider media exposure through a reality TV program. Widely recognised for her appearance in Tourism Australia’s 2006 campaign, So where the bloody hell are you?, as well as her relationships with high-profile sports stars, Lara Bingle’s notoriety soared after a nude photograph of the fashion model was leaked to Woman’s Day magazine.
Lifestyle series The Living Room, hosted by Amanda Keller, Chris Brown, Barry Du Bois and Miguel Maestre, will combine studio banter and video segments.
The cast of The Living Room.