Fizzer’s out of here
CHANNEL 10 COUNTS COST AND PONDERS FUTURE AFTER REALITY TV SHOW TURNS OFF VIEWERS
CHANNEL 10 is yet to commit to another season of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! after ratings took a substantial dive compared to last year.
Ten’s reality show, hosted by Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris, slumped approximately 18 per cent (total people) this season compared with the 2017 figures.
Viewers aged 25 to 54 dropped about 12 per cent and those aged 16 to 39 tumbled about 9 per cent year-on-year.
Early figures showed that last night’s Winner Announced segment, which saw comedian Fiona O’Loughlin crowned queen of the jungle, averaged a record-low 804,000 viewers across the five capital cities.
Ten insists that the correct time-altered figure is 872,000 – still well down on the 1.056 million who saw Casey Donovan triumph last year.
It is a disappointing result for Ten given that the show came out of the gate strongly, with 1.274 million viewers tuning in for opening night on January 28.
I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! was hit by bad luck early when its biggest drawcard, tennis player Bernard Tomic, walked after three nights.
But the show was also hurt by questionable casting choices. An emphasis on controversial celebrities – boxer Anthony Mundine, former One Nation politician David Oldfield and Real Housewives of Sydney wife Lisa Oldfield – left viewers cold.
Ten program chief Beverley McGarvey said that Ten would now do its usual due diligence before deciding whether I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! will make it to a fifth season.
“Season four of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! resonated with our core target audience of people 25 to 54 and generated solid results across different screens,” Ms McGarvey said.
“As we do with many shows, now that the season has finished we are reviewing our future plans.”
O’Loughlin triumphed over singer Shannon Noll and boxer Danny Green in this year’s show.
This season’s celebrities also included actor Kerry Armstrong, AFL star Josh Gibson, comedian Peter Rowsthorn and model Simone Holtznagel. The international contingent was made up of singer Tiffany Darwish, reality star Vicky Pattison and former royal butler Paul Burrell.
“Congratulations to Fiona O’Loughlin, who is a very deserving winner of this year’s Fiona O’Loughlin after winning I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!,” Ms McGarvey said.
“Our thanks to Fiona and all the other celebrities for making this season such a great experience. And I would like to thank ITV, the team at Ten and all crew members for their hard work and professionalism.”