Prime-time viewing of the commercial free-to-air networks for the first six weeks of the 2015 survey, live and consolidated, is down by nearly 10% on the same period last year.
Fusion Media’s Steve Allen blames viewer fatigue from wall-to-wall reality shows My Kitchen Rules, The Block Triple Threat and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
“Pretty clearly a reasonable number of viewers are tiring of reality, yet this is the pattern the networks have chosen and committed to for pretty much the whole year, “ says Allen.
”From Sunday to Thursday, nearly every night the three clash. A large proportion of viewers are happy with reality TV; we estimate it is about 65%. The rest do not like or enjoy this genre.
“Thus we think the outlook for audiences, just as SVOD launches as another competitive attack, is a little bleak and problematic. We suspect the three networks hammering away at each other with reality, will diminish audiences further.”
Allen estimates peak live audiences for the FTA broadcasters are off by 11.51% in the first six weeks.
My Kitchen Rules is drawing an average of 1.686 million viewers in the five major metro markets, compared with 1.858 million in the same period last year.
However the Seven Network says MKR share’s is stable: total viewers 33.1% (34.2% in 2014), 16-39s 38.7% (37.9%), 18-49s 37.1% (37.8% ) and 25-54s 36.4% (36.9% ).
The network also points out The Block Triple Threat is averaging 887,000 viewers in the metros, down from 1.307 million in 2014.
To see a graph detailing prime-time ratings in metro cities for first six weeks of 2015, click here
Source: Fusion Media