Channel Ten star Sarah Harris has poked fun at her own network following a spate of disappointing ratings.
Harris, who anchors Ten’s ratings-starved breakfast show Studio 10, roasted her network’s ailing viewership while co-hosting the Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism alongside fellow Ten star Lachlan Kennedy on Friday night.
As reported by Media Diary, Harris sardonically exclaimed in front of the 500 media professionals in attendance: ‘Wow, so this is what it’s like to have an audience!’
Studio Ten host Sarah Harris (pictured) poked fun at her network’s ailing ratings on Friday night while co-hosting New South Wales’ annual Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism alongside fellow Ten star Lachlan Kennedy on Friday night
Kennedy followed this up with his own self-effacing joke, following reports his new breakfast program 10 News First: Breakfast hit an all-time ratings low last week.
Taking the ratings disaster in good humour, Kennedy declared: ‘I’m the host of 10 News First: Breakfast – thank you all for watching’.
The cutting gag reportedly drew plenty of laughs from the audience.
As reported by Media Diary , Harris sardonically exclaimed in front of the 500 media professionals in attendance: ‘Wow, so this is what it’s like to have an audience!’
Kennedy followed this up with his own self-effacing joke, following reports his new breakfast program 10 News First: Breakfast hit an all-time ratings low last week. Pictured: 10 News First: Breakfast hosts Natasha Exelby (left) and Lachlan Kennedy (right)
It comes after it was revealed that 10 News First: Breakfast took a huge nosedive last Wednesday when it failed to attract a single viewer in the major city of Perth.
Perth, which has a population of 2.1 million, is one of the five key metro demographics used to measure the popularity of Australian programs.
The 30-minute broadcast, which is hosted by Kennedy and Natasha Exelby, has struggled to gain momentum since its launch on June 27.
It comes after it was revealed that 10 News First: Breakfast took a huge nosedive last Wednesday when it failed to attract a single viewer in the major city of Perth. (Pictured left: Lachlan Kennedy; right: Natasha Exelby)
Yet despite the crushingly low ratings, Ten has remained optimistic, telling The Australian on Monday: ’10 News First: Breakfast edition is maintaining its audience and increasing engagement as viewers become more familiar with the timeslot.’
An OzTAM spokesperson also told The Australian the disastrous result could be attributed to the use of ‘small underlying viewing samples’.
It’s the latest in a series of crushing blows for Ten’s new breakfast offering.
During its first five days on air, the 8am broadcast drew an average of 17,000 viewers across the five major cities, but this dropped to just 15,000 a day in week two
During its first five days on air, the 8am broadcast drew an average of 17,000 viewers across the five major cities, but this dropped to just 15,000 a day in week two.
The show managed to deliver the lowest ever ratings in Australian TV history on its second day, after just 44 viewers tuned in from Sydney.
On the same day, the national broadcast attracted just 224 viewers in Perth.
It comes after Channel 10 categorically denied rumours Studio 10 was on the chopping block. (Pictured: hosts Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus)
During another day in week two, the program clocked in just 43 viewers in Perth and 557 in Melbourne.
A Channel 10 spokesperson however told The Australian last month the network was happy with the results.
‘Network 10 is happy with the launch of the 10 News First: Breakfast. It has lifted the 2022 timeslot average by 13 per cent in its first week.’
But a 10 spokesperson rubbished the speculation, telling Daily Mail Australia the program remains profitable and isn’t going anywhere
Ten dropped the first half hour of Studio 10 and replaced it with the new morning bulletin last month.
It comes after Channel 10 denied rumours Studio 10 was on the chopping block.
The morning show has been struggling in the ratings for years, with The Australian reporting there are now fears within the network it could soon face the axe.
But a 10 spokesperson rubbished the speculation, telling Daily Mail Australia the program remains profitable and isn’t going anywhere.
This isn’t the first time Channel 10 has gone into damage control after a breakfast TV show spectacularly flopped.
The station’s last attempt at a breakfast program, Wake Up, was axed in 2014 after just six months on the air.
The program was launched in November 2013 to compete with Channel Seven’s Sunrise and Channel Nine’s Today show, but it failed miserably.
Channel 10’s last attempt at a breakfast program, Wake Up, was axed in 2014 after six months on the air. Pictured: James Mathison (left), Natarsha Belling (centre) and Natasha Exelby (right)
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk
