True to Nine’s usual form, we are currently being absolutely bombarded with ads for all their new shows that will start after Easter with on screen promos, extended length ads during ad breaks, mentions by sports commentary teams and more of the same on GO! and GEM. In fact, GO! now seem to spend more time promoting Nine than they do promoting themselves – especially in social media.
The likelihood of The Block and Celebrity Apprentice airing together is all but confirmed now based on the volume of promos for the two reality series. The Block is using 7 O’Block again – meaning it will be stripped across 7pm weeknights – while Celebrity Apprentice is being presented with its usual side-show like ads with contestants on sitting ducks as an example being used to promote the show. It will most likely air after The Block with 7.30 or 8pm starting times.
The Voice is also set to start after Easter with promos for the singing show hitting equally as hard as its reality counterparts The Block and Celebrity Apprentice.
And, sorry to say, the ads for Tricky Business are so frequent, they are at risk of turning people off the show before it even starts.
One thing is for sure, Nine’s programming will be awash of new content post Easter, and the network will use the Logies on April 15 to catapult Nine right back into the post-Easter ratings race in an attempt hopefully to claw back some of the massive head start that Seven have achieve in the first two months of the 2012 ratings year.
But with Seven set to return Dancing with the Stars, Downton Abbey, Australia’s Got Talent, Amazing Race Australia as well as premiere the much anticipated Titanic mini-series after Easter, Nine will have a hard-felt battle to topple the current number one network.
Where does that leave Ten? Unless Masterchef performs significantly better than last year, Ten will be left behind, well and truly caught in the cross-fire.
Easter non-ratings runs from April 1-14 this year, then it is ratings game-on after Easter, from April 15.
Will Nine be able to beat Seven in any ratings week this year? Will The Voice be a hit – or a big miss like Excess Baggage – now rating so poorly, it doesn’t even make top 100 digital? Will The Block perform as well this year as it did last year? What about Celebrity Apprentice – worked last year, but will it this year? Or will we all be sick of these shows before they start thanks to over promotion by Nine.
Tell us your thoughts. What will you be watching after Easter?
The practice of shows starting later than the time advertised on Seven, Nine and Ten is seriously getting out of hand now. A show advertised for 9.30 sometimes will not start until as late as 9.53pm, an 8pm start could mean anything up to 8.20, while an 8.30pm start these days really means 8.45 or even later.
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