All eyes will be on the TV ratings for Monday, January 29th, with Channels Seven, Nine, and 10 all launching major tentpole entertainment programs on the same night.
There will be wedding bells and the “most polarising season of next-level drama,” as Nine launches the latest season of Married at First Sight (MAFS), whilst the second season of Seven’s rebooted Australian Idol will begin the search for its new champion.
Originally pencilled in for launch on the following Monday, 10’s Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels has been brought forward a week to also launch on January 29.
The change comes at the expense of the original Gladiators schedule, with the show now wrapping up early after dropping from 395,000 five-city metro overnight viewers to 196,000 over the first two episodes. The third episode saw a slight lift with 219,000 tuning in.
Gladiators had had its start date pushed back twice, originally scheduled for January 7th, then January 8th before moving to its eventual launch date of January 15th.
The decision to shorten the Gladiators run also comes after an extensive promotional campaign – which included becoming the inaugural commercial free-to-air television program to advertise using premium 3D anamorphic (3DA) billboards across Australia’s eastern seaboard.
See Also: Gladiators achieves first by dominating 3DA billboards ahead of 10 launch
This is the second time that the three shows have gone head to head, with the same lineup premiering together on January 30th 2023.
Last year, the five-city metro overnight ratings for each show’s premiere were:
Married At First Sight (MAFS): 840,000
Australian Survivor: 447,000
Australian Idol: 413,000
Speaking to Mediaweek about the clast last year, Paul Wilkinson, head of commercial at Half Dome, said the start of the ‘ratings season’ is a significant moment in the TV calendar that sets up each network’s year ahead.
“Get it right, and the halo effect can be immensely powerful. Get it wrong, and the knock-on effect could leave networks chasing their tails for months.”
Married at First Sight is produced by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay company) for the Nine Network.
Australian Idol is produced by Eureka Productions for the Seven Network.
Australian Survivor: Titans v Rebels produced by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay Company) for Network 10.