Throng

Foxtel has reported a rise in earnings for the first half of the 2010-11 financial year.

The pay-TV provider has announced earnings before interest and taxes for the period leading up until 31 December 2010 as $278 million.

Foxtel says total revenue was also up 9 per cent to $1,078m from $989m in the previous period.

The network’s chief executive and managing director Kim Williams says: “The strength of our proposition has never been more evident.”

“Subscribers are consuming more of our services and staying with us longer as we continue to offer more and better services such as our extensive coverage of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, our new On Demand and Foxtel on Xbox 360 services, the significant expansion of our Foxtel High Definition offering and our recently announced partnership with Telstra to offer Foxtel on T-Box.

“While the consumer environment will remain challenging over the next six months Foxtel will continue to innovate and drive value for Australian consumers with the best in range, depth and value in Australian entertainment.”

Source: Mediaspy.org

Hey Hey host Daryl Somers addressed his fans on Facebook this week, saying that the show will not return in the first half of the year and that it may be shelved for good.

Somers wrote that talks with Nine had been disrupted by the holiday season and that the news is “not good for Hey Hey It’s Saturday.”

He wrote: “There is a chance of something happening in the second half of the year but sadly nothing definitive. And if we did return it would probably not be on a Saturday as according to Nine the “economics” don’t stack up: not enough people watching TV generally on a weekend compared to mid week viewing, therefore revenue verses the cost of mounting a two hour variety show like ours does not work. They can make more profit with a cheaper program.

“This is the business of television, no sentiment or viewer loyalty comes into it I’m afraid.  I have made the point that we were never given a chance to consolidate either in our midweek slot or on Saturdays. Both seasons were interrupted by Rugby coverage and even though Nine agreed our figures were strong against the juggernaut of MasterChef and indeed extended our first season by 3 eps. , the Farmer Wants a Wife replaced us in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games.

“I believe had we been left on the Weds, beyond the MasterChef season, we would have attracted a significant percentage of their audience to consolidate our position but we’ll never know the answer to that question. And besides we all enjoyed the return of the show to Saturdays.”

Somers concluded by thanking those that had stuck by the show over the years and for voting for them in the TV Week Logies Awards this year.

Thursday February 10, 2011

Shares:
1 Seven 22.3% (nw 29.2%)
2 Nine 21.7% (nw 28.9%)
3 Ten 16.9% (nw 21.7%)
4 ABC1 11.6% (nw 15.2%)
5 SBS ONE 4.6% (nw 5.1%)

6 GO! 4.2%
7 ELEVEN 3.8%
8 7mate 3.6%
9 7TWO 3.2%
10 GEM 3.0%

11 ABC2 2.1%
12 ONE HD 1.0%
13 ABC3 0.8%
14 ABC News 24 0.7%
15 SBS TWO 0.5%

Top shows for the day:
1 Ch: 7 SEVEN NEWS 1,094,000 263,000 317,000 207,000 127,000 181,000
2 Ch: 7 TODAY TONIGHT 1,070,000 269,000 320,000 190,000 125,000 166,000
3 Ch: 9 NINE NEWS 1,046,000 283,000 323,000 233,000 102,000 106,000
4 Ch: TEN THE BIGGEST LOSER FAMILIES – CONTEST 971,000 267,000 311,000 169,000 90,000 135,000
5 Ch: ABC1 ABC NEWS-EV 939,000 216,000 311,000 147,000 103,000 163,000
6 Ch: 9 RBT 907,000 243,000 313,000 166,000 86,000 99,000
7 Ch: 7 HOME AND AWAY 900,000 255,000 246,000 182,000 107,000 110,000
8 Ch: 7 GREY’S ANATOMY 895,000 255,000 302,000 122,000 94,000 122,000
9 Ch: 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR 889,000 226,000 277,000 214,000 84,000 87,000
10 Ch: 9 CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION -EP1 884,000 198,000 286,000 176,000 103,000 121,000
11 Ch: 7 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER-EP.2 866,000 180,000 314,000 164,000 86,000 121,000
12 Ch: 9 GETAWAY 865,000 225,000 276,000 184,000 88,000 92,000
13 Ch: 9 CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION -EP2 763,000 183,000 260,000 141,000 84,000 95,000
14 Ch: TEN TEN NEWS AT FIVE 761,000 189,000 246,000 130,000 80,000 116,000
15 Ch: ABC1 7.30 REPORT-EV 755,000 192,000 214,000 162,000 84,000 103,000
16 Ch: TEN THE GOOD WIFE 715,000 239,000 209,000 119,000 79,000 69,000
17 Ch: 7 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER 712,000 141,000 246,000 151,000 75,000 97,000
18 Ch: 7 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 674,000 223,000 215,000 74,000 80,000 82,000
19 Ch: 9 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT 664,000 150,000 228,000 150,000 60,000 76,000
20 Ch: TEN LAW AND ORDER: SVU 651,000 196,000 218,000 85,000 70,000 83,000
21 Ch: TEN THE 7PM PROJECT 605,000 147,000 220,000 119,000 54,000 65,000
22 Ch: 9 HOT SEAT 493,000 132,000 136,000 133,000 58,000 35,000
23 Ch: ABC1 THE BIONIC VET-EV 493,000 135,000 128,000 113,000 54,000 64,000
24 Ch: ABC1 GRAND DESIGNS RPT 449,000 113,000 146,000 71,000 56,000 64,000
25 Ch: TEN THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 425,000 113,000 156,000 66,000 38,000 53,000
26 Ch: 7 DEAL OR NO DEAL 412,000 100,000 125,000 77,000 52,000 58,000
27 Ch: ABC1 ASHES TO ASHES-EV 395,000 105,000 110,000 74,000 59,000 46,000
28 Ch: 9 COLD CASE 363,000 99,000 123,000 64,000 34,000 43,000
29 Ch: 7 SUNRISE 360,000 103,000 90,000 78,000 41,000 48,000
30 Ch: 7 PRIVATE PRACTICE 358,000 117,000 130,000 42,000 38,000 31,000
31 Ch: TEN TEN EVENING NEWS 354,000 70,000 123,000 81,000 32,000 48,000
32 Ch: TEN 6PM WITH GEORGE NEGUS 354,000 80,000 128,000 78,000 29,000 38,000
33 Ch: 9 TODAY 308,000 99,000 103,000 62,000 18,000 27,000
34 Ch: TEN TEN LATE NEWS WITH SPORTS TONIGHT 295,000 72,000 113,000 41,000 48,000 21,000
35 Ch: ELEVEN NEIGHBOURS 291,000 83,000 94,000 43,000 28,000 43,000
36 Ch: SBS ONE ZUMBO 253,000 61,000 81,000 55,000 21,000 35,000
37 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV TX1 253,000 37,000 85,000 70,000 32,000 28,000
38 Ch: SBS ONE OZ AND JAMES DRINK TO BRITAIN RPT 249,000 51,000 66,000 74,000 23,000 34,000
39 Ch: TEN GOOD CHEF BAD CHEF 248,000 62,000 83,000 36,000 40,000 27,000
40 Ch: SBS ONE ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS 242,000 62,000 76,000 52,000 22,000 31,000
41 Ch: ABC1 BEST OF COLLECTORS-EV 225,000 46,000 90,000 43,000 22,000 24,000
42 Ch: ABC1 LATELINE-LE 218,000 81,000 65,000 21,000 24,000 28,000
43 Ch: 7 SEVEN NEWS AT 4.30 211,000 53,000 60,000 43,000 29,000 26,000
44 Ch: 9 NINE AFTERNOON NEWS 202,000 59,000 63,000 43,000 25,000 10,000
45 Ch: TEN THE BIGGEST LOSER FAMILIES – TEMPTATION DAY ENCORE 196,000 51,000 60,000 34,000 26,000 25,000
46 Ch: GO! THE INBETWEENERS -EV 190,000 38,000 65,000 45,000 21,000 21,000
47 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV 186,000 27,000 64,000 41,000 23,000 32,000
48 Ch: 7mate MEGASTRUCTURES: WORLD’S TALLEST TV TOWER 186,000 45,000 49,000 35,000 25,000 32,000
49 Ch: ELEVEN THE SIMPSONS THURS 180,000 44,000 75,000 37,000 17,000 6,000
50 Ch: TEN THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW 179,000 32,000 58,000 30,000 35,000 23,000

Top shows 16-39s:
1 Ch: 7 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER-EP.2 429,000 99,000 169,000 70,000 41,000 50,000
2 Ch: 7 GREY’S ANATOMY 424,000 126,000 139,000 59,000 43,000 58,000
3 Ch: TEN THE BIGGEST LOSER FAMILIES – CONTEST 386,000 113,000 114,000 72,000 37,000 49,000
4 Ch: 7 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER 339,000 69,000 123,000 71,000 36,000 39,000
5 Ch: 7 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 277,000 94,000 85,000 30,000 33,000 35,000
6 Ch: TEN LAW AND ORDER: SVU 245,000 76,000 95,000 29,000 14,000 31,000
7 Ch: 7 HOME AND AWAY 240,000 74,000 75,000 34,000 24,000 33,000
8 Ch: TEN THE GOOD WIFE 226,000 82,000 67,000 40,000 17,000 19,000
9 Ch: 9 RBT 200,000 57,000 69,000 37,000 17,000 20,000
10 Ch: TEN THE 7PM PROJECT 182,000 39,000 68,000 47,000 12,000 15,000
11 Ch: 7 TODAY TONIGHT 180,000 64,000 43,000 35,000 16,000 23,000
12 Ch: 7 SEVEN NEWS 179,000 62,000 44,000 36,000 16,000 21,000
13 Ch: 9 NINE NEWS 176,000 59,000 45,000 24,000 13,000 36,000
14 Ch: TEN TEN NEWS AT FIVE 165,000 51,000 42,000 26,000 18,000 28,000
15 Ch: 9 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT 161,000 39,000 41,000 45,000 17,000 18,000
16 Ch: 9 GETAWAY 157,000 41,000 43,000 40,000 14,000 18,000
17 Ch: 9 CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION -EP1 156,000 37,000 38,000 39,000 18,000 24,000
18 Ch: 7 PRIVATE PRACTICE 145,000 52,000 47,000 15,000 18,000 13,000
19 Ch: 9 CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION -EP2 142,000 34,000 35,000 38,000 20,000 15,000
20 Ch: ELEVEN NEIGHBOURS 133,000 28,000 43,000 25,000 15,000 22,000
21 Ch: 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR 130,000 35,000 30,000 30,000 14,000 22,000
22 Ch: TEN TEN EVENING NEWS 128,000 23,000 44,000 32,000 11,000 18,000
23 Ch: ABC1 ABC NEWS-EV 126,000 19,000 56,000 11,000 15,000 26,000
24 Ch: TEN TEN LATE NEWS WITH SPORTS TONIGHT 115,000 22,000 55,000 15,000 18,000 5,000
25 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV TX1 108,000 13,000 46,000 27,000 15,000 7,000
26 Ch: TEN 6PM WITH GEORGE NEGUS 107,000 29,000 37,000 24,000 9,000 9,000
27 Ch: GO! THE INBETWEENERS -EV 98,000 17,000 38,000 23,000 13,000 7,000
28 Ch: 7 SUNRISE 88,000 19,000 32,000 19,000 11,000 8,000
29 Ch: SBS ONE ZUMBO 87,000 25,000 29,000 12,000 10,000 10,000
30 Ch: ABC1 7.30 REPORT-EV 85,000 23,000 33,000 10,000 9,000 11,000
31 Ch: ABC1 GRAND DESIGNS RPT 82,000 10,000 37,000 8,000 7,000 19,000
32 Ch: SBS ONE ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS 81,000 23,000 29,000 10,000 7,000 12,000
33 Ch: 7mate MEGASTRUCTURES: WORLD’S TALLEST TV TOWER 78,000 26,000 26,000 10,000 9,000 7,000
34 Ch: 9 TODAY 77,000 29,000 30,000 10,000 4,000 4,000
35 Ch: ELEVEN THE SIMPSONS THURS 75,000 14,000 37,000 12,000 9,000 2,000
36 Ch: 7 30 ROCK (R) 72,000 25,000 25,000 10,000 10,000 2,000
37 Ch: TEN THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 72,000 22,000 31,000 9,000 4,000 7,000
38 Ch: GO! SUPERBAD -EV 72,000 10,000 35,000 11,000 9,000 8,000
39 Ch: SBS ONE OZ AND JAMES DRINK TO BRITAIN RPT 72,000 16,000 23,000 20,000 7,000 7,000
40 Ch: 7mate THAT ’70S SHOW 66,000 16,000 20,000 16,000 3,000 12,000
41 Ch: ELEVEN THE SIMPSONS 62,000 8,000 42,000 5,000 7,000 0
42 Ch: ELEVEN EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND 60,000 7,000 28,000 8,000 11,000 7,000
43 Ch: ELEVEN STARGATE UNIVERSE 60,000 19,000 14,000 12,000 2,000 13,000
44 Ch: TEN THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW 58,000 8,000 25,000 8,000 12,000 5,000
45 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV 58,000 7,000 21,000 20,000 2,000 8,000
46 Ch: TEN THE BIGGEST LOSER FAMILIES – TEMPTATION DAY ENCORE 56,000 15,000 20,000 10,000 7,000 6,000
47 Ch: 9 COLD CASE 54,000 15,000 9,000 17,000 6,000 7,000
48 Ch: ABC1 ASHES TO ASHES-EV 53,000 17,000 16,000 9,000 6,000 6,000
49 Ch: ABC1 THE BIONIC VET-EV 53,000 19,000 9,000 9,000 5,000 11,000
50 Ch: 9 THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW 52,000 15,000 8,000 15,000 5,000 10,000

Top digital channel shows:
Ranking Ch: Program Average Peak
1 Ch: ELEVEN NEIGHBOURS 291,000 364,000
2 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV TX1 253,000 370,000
3 Ch: GO! THE INBETWEENERS -EV 190,000 334,000
4 Ch: GO! THE BIG BANG THEORY -EV 186,000 252,000
5 Ch: 7mate MEGASTRUCTURES: WORLD’S TALLEST TV TOWER 186,000 280,000
6 Ch: ELEVEN THE SIMPSONS THURS 180,000 237,000
7 Ch: Gem AS TIME GOES BY -EV TX1 171,000 210,000
8 Ch: Gem THE ZOO -EV 170,000 219,000
9 Ch: Gem AS TIME GOES BY -EV 168,000 216,000
10 Ch: ABC2 PLAY SCHOOL-PM 165,000 199,000
11 Ch: ELEVEN EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND 163,000 305,000
12 Ch: ELEVEN THE SIMPSONS 158,000 211,000
13 Ch: ELEVEN STARGATE UNIVERSE 154,000 239,000
14 Ch: ABC2 THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW-LE 147,000 196,000
15 Ch: ABC2 THOMAS AND FRIENDS-PM 143,000 183,000
16 Ch: ABC2 DIRTGIRLWORLD-PM 137,000 170,000
17 Ch: GO! SUPERBAD -EV 126,000 243,000
18 Ch: 7mate GANGS OF OZ 125,000 190,000
19 Ch: ABC2 GRANDPA IN MY POCKET-PM 122,000 185,000
20 Ch: Gem THE GOLDEN GIRLS -EV 120,000 172,000
21 Ch: ABC2 CLASSIC TALES-PM 118,000 135,000
22 Ch: Gem FRIENDS -EV 118,000 158,000
23 Ch: 7TWO M-THE KARATE KID III 117,000 264,000
24 Ch: GO! THE MIDDLE -EV TX1 117,000 179,000
25 Ch: ABC2 THE WOTWOTS-EV 113,000 128,000
26 Ch: GO! BEWITCHED -PM 111,000 149,000
27 Ch: ABC2 SPICKS AND SPECKS-EV 110,000 137,000
28 Ch: 7TWO THE BENNY HILL SHOW 108,000 160,000
29 Ch: 7mate MIGHTY SHIPS 107,000 192,000
30 Ch: Gem THE GOLDEN GIRLS -EV TX1 105,000 145,000
31 Ch: 7mate THAT ’70S SHOW 103,000 178,000
32 Ch: ABC2 TIMMY TIME-PM 102,000 153,000
33 Ch: ABC2 OCTONAUTS-PM 102,000 163,000
34 Ch: ABC2 PEPPA PIG-PM 102,000 147,000
35 Ch: 7TWO BARGAIN HUNT 102,000 197,000
36 Ch: ELEVEN STAR TREK – NEXT GENERATION 99,000 166,000
37 Ch: ABC2 CHUGGINGTON-PM 94,000 113,000
38 Ch: ELEVEN SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH 92,000 126,000
39 Ch: ABC2 ANGELINA BALLERINA: THE NEXT STEPS-PM 92,000 117,000
40 Ch: GO! THE MIDDLE -EV 89,000 131,000
41 Ch: ABC2 THE MR MEN SHOW-PM 89,000 98,000
42 Ch: ABC3 SPLICED!-EV 87,000 104,000
43 Ch: ELEVEN FAMILY TIES 85,000 130,000
44 Ch: ABC3 THE TWISTED WHISKERS SHOW-PM 84,000 112,000
45 Ch: GO! SEINFELD -EV 84,000 133,000
46 Ch: ELEVEN THE BRADY BUNCH 84,000 110,000
47 Ch: GO! AUSTRALIA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS – DAILY EDITION -EV 84,000 138,000
48 Ch: ABC3 PRANK PATROL INTERNATIONAL-EV 83,000 106,000
49 Ch: ELEVEN HAPPY DAYS 82,000 105,000
50 Ch: ABC2 FLORRIE’S DRAGONS-EV 82,000 105,000

OzTam Five city Live and As Live Preliminary Ratings Figures. Five Cities are Sydney (S), Brisbane (B), Melbourne (M), Adelaide (A) and Perth (P). Figures are shown in order Total, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth. Shows not aired in certain cities denoted by 0 or n/a (not aired).  Does not take into account overruns or extreme last minute programming changes. Shares are 6pm – Midnight unless otherwise stated. Network abreviated to “nw”. 

Dannii Minogue took to the stage in Sydney last night to launch her three-part fashion television series Dannii Minogue: Style Queen, which will premiere exclusively on FOX8, on Wednesday, February 23 at 7.30pm.

Alongside best friend and business partner Tabitha Somerset Webb at harbourside restaurant Aria, Dannii spoke of her excitement about launching her own fashion label, Project D.

“Making a series like Style Queen was a great way for me to give people a behind-the-scenes look at how we went about starting up our own fashion line,” Dannii said.

“To do something like this with my best friend was a dream come true and I couldn’t have done it without her.

“We had the cameras there from the very beginning, capturing every exciting moment. During filming I was pregnant with Ethan and shooting X Factor in the UK – it was one of the busiest and most memorable times in my life.”

The series of three one-hour episodes allows viewers access into the private world of one of Australia and the UK’s most popular stars. Cameras follow Dannii as she juggles starting her dream business as a fashion designer whilst juggling TV, music, red carpet events, modelling and writing her autobiography, as well as spending time with her boyfriend Kris Smith and her biggest and most important challenge to date – becoming a mother.

Dannii Minogue: Style Queen is an ITV Studios Production in Association with Communicate Productions. The executive producers are Jo Scarratt and Steve Vizard.

Dannii Minogue: Style Queen premieres February 23, Wednesdays at 7.30pm AEDT, exclusively on FOX8.

The original UK version of MasterChef has taken a leaf out of Australia’s book by revamping their set and format for the new season.

The series has ditched its low-key kitchen and style and now boasts a flashier set that resembles that of the Australian version.

The series visits Australia during its new season as well.

Sheen offers to pay crew’s wages

Charlie Sheen has reportedly offered to pay the crew of sitcom Two and a Half Men for the two weeks hiatus they were forced to take while he was dealing with personal issues. Sheen has agreed to pay one-third of their salaries if CBS and Warner Bros come to the party and pay the rest.

Top Gear’s Mexican comments cut rom US broadcast

Top Gear’s controversial Mexican comments will be cut from the broadcast when the show airs in the US next week. Whether or not the reason behind this move was because of the estimated 30 million people of Mexican descent living in the US is not known.

Lost actor joins pilot

Lost actor Henry Ian Cusick will take the lead role in a new pilot by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. The Emmy-winning actor will feature in the PR pilot alongside actress Kerry Washington.

Death on NCIS set

A security guard was killed yesterday on the set of crime drama NCIS after he was hit by a wayward van. The man was struck by the vehicle as it left the road and veered into the area in which he was working. Production has been suspended indefinitely.

Channel Nine – the Home of Encores – presents:

The traditional Sunday Afternoon The Farmer Wants a Wife encore.

This season, The Farmer Wants a Wife will again be encored on the weekend, currently scheduled for 4pm Sundays, starting this Sunday Feb 13.

A chance to catch up, see again, relive, or just have on in the background on a lazy Sunday afternoon…

Pay TV operator Foxtel have increased their earnings to $278m, up 17% in the six months to the end of Dec 2010.

Subscription revenue increased 7% to $900m while total revenues were up 9% to $1,078m.

The number of subscribers canceling the service was down from 13.3% to 12.5% with non-wholesale or business subscribers growing to 1.55m, another rise of 2.4%. 

It’s going to be a big year for Kids’ WB in 2011 with new cartoons, new games, new competitions – and two new hosts.

Lauren Phillips and Andrew Faulkner are the new hosts of the popular children’s program which returns this Saturday at 10.00am.

Kids’ WB is going to be bigger and better than ever with two hours of awesome viewing every Saturday morning on Nine plus eight hours a week on GO!, where it will be seen from 7.00am on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Lauren Phillips, a household name in Melbourne with her role as a presenter on the Postcards travel program, says she’s ready to step up to a national hosting role: “It’s a big step for me and I’m excited by the challenge – I can’t wait.”

After getting a taste of television with a guest role on Neighbours, Andrew Faulkner is excited about his new adventure starting out on Kids’ WB.

“I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m really looking forward to trying something completely different,” he said.

In 2011, Kids’ WB will be jam-packed full of cartoon favourites including brand new episodes of Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien plus Looney Toons, and much more.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. This year Kids’ WB will be giving away more amazing prizes that are on every kid’s wish list, including Razor scooters, Ben 10 toys and the ever-popular Liv Dolls.

Kids’ WB will be filmed at Nine’s new Docklands headquarters.

From next Monday (Feb 14), Ten will be encoring 6PM with George Negus each night at 10.30pm in the hope to expose the show to more viewers who may not have thought about trying 6PM with George Negus at 6PM. Ten last year encored the 7PM Project at a similar time. Ratings for 6PM have fallen below 400,000 overall.

The 6PM encores will be at 10.30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10.40 on Tuesdays and 11.30pm on Fridays.

Ten’s Late News with Sports Tonight will follow, as well as all subsequent programming bumped back half an hour.