When Family Feud dipped below 300,000 city viewers, its days were numbered. Channel Ten simply can’t sustain audiences that small in the crucial 6pm weeknight slot.
The problem now is that Pointless – the quiz show that replaced it – has sunk even lower.
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Last week, Pointless averaged 249,000 viewers across the five major capitals: a drop of more than 100,000 since its debut last month, and well below the 303,000 Family Feud averaged in its final week.
With ratings this bad, Ten could be forgiven for axing Pointless in its infancy. But the network would be wise to give it a chance.
When Ten revived Family Feud in 2014, detractors predicted its quick demise. In fact, the show was an “unexpected hit” – a phrase critics use to gloss over their misfires. For three years, it yielded decent ratings.
Of course, past glories count for nought in commercial television. As audiences dwindled, Ten did what any broadcaster would do: it pulled the plug. (Host Grant Denyer, a talented TV quizmaster, was re-deployed to the upcoming Game of Games.)
Pointless hosts Mark Humphries, top, and Andrew Rochford.
The original British version of Pointless – a success in the UK – airs locally at 4.15pm on ABC. These viewers are unlikely to watch the Australian adaptation for the simple reason it’s on a commercial station.
Pointless is actually one of the better TV quiz formats.
They’re also considerably older than the 25 to 54 demographic coveted by Ten. In that age group, Pointless is doing well: up 31 per cent compared to Family Feud.
When a show airs five nights a week, it needs time to build an audience. And Pointless is actually one of the better TV quiz formats.
Contestants are rewarded for the most obscure answers; their responses tested against a poll of 100 people. For instance, “Name a cinema-release film that Mike Myers received an acting credit for.”
Family Feud has been axed – but host Grant Denyer has a new show.
If you proffer an Austin Powers movie, you’re in trouble. If you recall Myers’ appearance in the 1993 flop So I Married an Axe Murderer, you’ll score fewer points – which is the object of the game.
While the British version is appealingly polished, the Aussie adaptation has minor teething problems – but all the right ingredients. Hosts Mark Humphries and Andrew Rochford work well together; a smooth contrast to the endearingly nerdy contestants that Pointless attracts. All the show needs is time to find its feet.
In 2018, with digital giants such as Facebook and Netflix jostling for attention, this isn't easy. Nor is it helped by online news sites plundering social media for sensational headlines.
“Worst show ever,” declared one outlet, quoting a typically hyperbolic tweet from a person who’d seen just a single episode. Except someone being mean on Twitter – a platform defined by gratuitous offence-taking and sneering one-upmanship – isn’t exactly noteworthy.
A bigger issue is Ten’s clobbering in the 6pm slot by Seven's and Nine’s news bulletins. At best, only a few of these loyal viewers will switch to Pointless.
When you’re starting from a low base, it’s even harder to build momentum.
More encouragingly, Pointless’ online catch-up audience is five times larger than Family Feud’s.
Clearly, people are sampling the show in their own time. If Ten can get them watching its live broadcasts – and hold its nerve just a little longer – it’ll give Pointless the best chance at success.
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