Commercial Breakdown

While Seven are stressing out about what to show on Tuesday night after Packed to the rafters, Nine have made yet another to their Tuesday nights – barely a week goes by without a channel Nine Tuesday night amendment.

Next Tuesday – July 27 – sees new, fast tracked Top Gear at 7.30pm. That has not changed!

At 9pm, however, will be Adults Only 20 to 1. Plans for Two and a Half Men have been shelved – possibly because there is already an adults only Two and a Half Men hour on GO!

Then at 10pm – Commercial Breakdown returns. This is a show the network tried in 2009 in a 7.30 timeslot that failed in ratings. Basically, it highlights funny ads from around the world, with a host on a cheap set bringing it al together. Essentially a clip show, it would work best without the set or the host.

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA continues at 10.45pm.

So that’s Tuesdays on Nine from July 27. Version 2,341.687.

Subject to change. And there will be. Guaranteed!

If channel 9 have the intention of keeping as many viewers away from their network on Tuesday nights, then they are doing a GREAT job of it.

Their Tuesday night line up has changed AGAIN, and at very short notice AGAIN.

Two weeks ago, they had Dance Your Ass Off at 7.30pm. That show was axed a few days later. Last week, they had Two and a Half Men on at 7.30, then the New Adventures of Old Christine at 8, followed by 20-1 at 8.30, then CSI: NY at 9.30 and 10.30.

This line up failed and gave 9 the worst Tuesday night ratings that I can remember. WHY? Simple: noone knew what was on. Printed guides wrong. EPGs updated sometime over the weekend. And out of those who did know what was on, many would have chosen not to watch any of the shows knowing full well that it is unlikely the same show will be on the following week.

Next Tuesday (Aug 4) sees 20-1 return to its original Tuesday night time slot of 7.30, with an hour of Two and a Half Men to Follow. At 9.30, it’s Commercial Breakdown – another show that noone watches, so expect it not to be on the following week – followed by Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares at 10.15.

If they would only settle on a line up and keep it the same for more than a week, they may actually have the very strange effect of the audience building. The 20-1 / 2.5 Men line up is tired as, and now the laughing stock of the industry. So much so, the line up was sent up on channel 7’s Double Take last Thursday, showing a channel 9 “coming up next” screen with 3 Two and a Half Men episodes, followed by – well, in the skit, they start typing 20-1 in, then change it, then change it again, then say we don’t even know! Maybe another Two and a Half Men?

And even TV Burp had a go at it, with a segment called “RIP Dance Your Ass Off – 15/7/09 – 15/7/09”, which started with Ed discussing the new show on 9 which is a cross between So You Think You Can Dance and the Biggest Loser. While he introduces the show, he takes phone call, saying the show has been axed already.

It’s fair enough to dump shows that are not rating, but it is sheer stupidity to change the line up of a whole night every week at the last minute with no regard for the fact that printed guides will be rendered useless, and many EPGs will not have up to date programming until some time on the weekend. Both channel 7 and 10 go through the same process but, these days, rarely change a show at such short notice.

It is time channel 9 started listening to their audience, and started allowing viewer loyalty to build up. Think back one year or so, channel 10 was in the same boat – chopping and changing the schedule at short notice and coming 3^rd in the ratings. Now look at 10. What’s the difference? THEY LISTEN. They care. They try new shows, new ideas and aren’t afraid to go out on limb.

And as for channel 7, quality, stable programming is also their key. 7 allow shows to build. Look at Scrubs on Monday night for example – it ended up at around a million viewers, but started at 600,000. If that was channel 9, it would have been off after a week.

An interesting fact I read on TV Tonight – When 9 first aired Two and a Half Men, it rated so poorly, that they took it off one week later. The show returned one summer, built audience and has been on ever since.

Finally – there is a twitter account called twitter.com/fixchannel9 following me, and after checking who they are following, a lot of other TV based twitter accounts. Don’t know who or what it is, could be a promo even, who knows? But there’s one thing for sure – channel 9 definitely needs fixing. We’ll have to wait and see what comes out of this twitter account which so far only has one update commenting on last Tuesday night’s performance.

Channel 9 has again changed their Tuesday night line up after the worst performance this year on a Tuesday night so far. This week, Tuesday night (August 4) is as follows: at 7.30 is 20-1, which is followed by a double episode of Two and a Half Men at 8.30. Then after that, is Commercial Breakdown at 9.30, followed by Ramsays’ kitchen Nightmares at 10.15.

On Sunday August 2, the last Random Acts of Kindness Airs. That will be replaced by the return of Domestic Blitz at 6.30, August 9. Also on Sunday August 2, 9’s new locally produced police drama Rescue Special Ops airs at 8.30.

On Wednesday August 12^th, 9’s factual series on organ donation called the Gift returns at 9pm. RPA is still on at 8.30 but drops back to being a half hour show.

The new series Drop Dead Diva will have a split premiere. In Sydney and Brisbane, the show starts at 9.30 on Monday August 3^rd. In AFL markets (Vic, SA, and WA), the show will be held over a week so as not to clash with 7’s finale of Brothers and Sisters, one week behind in those states due to a Monday night AFL game a little while ago.

Farmer Wants a Wife returns Monday Aug 3 at 8.30pm.

GO starts Sunday August 9 at 6.30pm on digital channel 99 (NBN its 88, Win 80).

9HD has cut down breakaways in the lead up to GO. The daytime breakaway ceases this week, meaning that the View, Ellen and ET can all be seen in HD. 9HD break away shows will all be seen on GO in any case. It is yet to be seen if there will actually be any more 9HD break aways once GO is up and running. At least all shows on 9 main made in HD will be seen in HD.