Worrying pattern of cancellations shows Australian TV's grim future
As the future of free-to-air Australian television continues to be more and more "uncertain", a worrying pattern of dozens of cancelled programs show how the industry has been in trouble for quite some time.
In recent years, dozens of seemingly popular shows have been axed across three major networks with thousands of people across the industry preparing themselves for further cancellations, pay cuts, job losses and career changes.
According to Yahoo Lifestyle, 34 shows across Seven, Nine and Ten have either been axed, put on an indefinite hiatus, or quietly removed from TV schedules with no mention of it again over the last five years.
Many Aussie TV staples such as Millionaire Hot Seat, The Bachelor, and Australian Ninja Warrior, which were all once the highest rated shows on television, have been binned due to declining viewership and dwindling ratings.
Channel Ten's The Masked Singer has also become a casualty in the TV wars, as host Dave Hughes shared that he simply hadn't received a production schedule for the new season of the show, only to discover it had been shelved.
In an attempt to breathe new life into the channels, newer shows like Shaynna Blaze’s Country Home Rescue or Kate Langbroek’s My Mum, Your Dad premiered, but have only survived for single seasons after failing to grab an audience.
Even revived classics like Big Brother, Celebrity Apprentice and Gladiators haven’t been able to survive as they now face growing competition from streaming giants like Netflix and Stan.
As the list of cancelled shows continues to grow, one seasoned lighting director, who asked to remain anonymous, told Yahoo Lifestyle that job insecurity for casts and crews is a major concern.
They said, “Every year the breaks between jobs are getting longer and longer to the point a lot of us (crew) are now leaving the industry. Ten years ago we’d be booked consistently with jobs locked in 12 months in advance for all of the networks, now everyone’s scrambling to try to get on a three-day pilot shoot. Everything is so uncertain.”
Below are all of the free-to-air shows from the last five years that haven’t been renewed.
Channel Seven
Big Brother (2001-2008, 2012-2014, 2020-2023)
SAS Australia (2020-2023)
This Is Your Life (1975-1980, 1995-2005, 2008, 2011, 2022-2023)
Blow Up (2023)
Million Dollar Island (2023)
We Interrupt This Broadcast (2023)
The Voice: Generations (2022)
Big Brother VIP (2021)
Holey Moley (2021)
Ultimate Tag (2021)
Wife Swap Australia (2012, 2021)
House Rules (2013-2020)
Plate of Origin (2020)
Pooch Perfect (2020)
Channel Nine
Millionaire Hot Seat (2009–2023)
My Mum, Your Dad (2022-2023)
The Beach House Escape (2023)
Rush (2023)
Snackmasters (2021-2022)
Australian Ninja Warrior (2017-2022)
Beauty and the Geek (2009-2014, 2021-2022)
Celebrity Apprentice (2011-2015, 2021-2022)
Country Homes Rescue (2022)
This Time Next Year (2017-2019)
Australia’s Most Identical
Channel Ten
Gladiators (1995-1996, 2008, 2024)
The Bachelor (2013-2023)
Studio 10 (2013-2023)
The Masked Singer (2019-2023)
The Traitors (2022-2023)
Would I Lie To You? Australia (2022-2023)
The Real Love Boat (2022)
The Bachelorette (2015-2021)
Bachelor In Paradise (2018-2020)
Image credits: Ten / Seven