Can of Worms premiered on Network Ten three weeks ago, and despite a luke-warm reception to its uneven premiere and its polarising nature, its ratings have been remarkably decent and more importantly, remarkably consistent.
Most of this is due to Ten's bold strategy of thrusting it into an imposing primetime slot- Monday 8:30, following MasterChef's strong rating elimination night.
It was no doubt given a leg-up in the ratings, helping it to reach the very respectable heights of 900 thousand plus viewers.
However, this week Ten seem to have thrown a spanner in the works, or should that be a hammer, with the second episode of Ten's shiny new reality format The Renovators snatching its old timeslot of 8:30.
This forces Can of Worms to move into a later slot. Before it has even aired, I can tell you it will lose some of its coveted audience. Automatically. This is just basic television ratings 101- move a show to a later timeslot, there will be less viewers. People start going to bed, is one reason why. Another is the obvious fact that it will confuse viewers, as well as frustrate them. One of the gripes of viewers with networks is the way shows are shoved around the schedule with little notice, or consideration for viewers.
And of course there are exceptions; quality shows with a large, devoted following will rate at 9:30.
Take Summer Heights High a few years ago; Chris Lilley had built a large following due to We Can Be Heroes, and they followed in him in droves to his new timeslot.
And normally if a show changed timeslot to 9:30 it wouldn't be the end of the world... But this is 9:50, not only an irregular time-slot to put into your mental viewing diary at less than a week's notice, but also will lead to a large drop-off at around 10:30, which will severely decrease its averaged out ratings.
And viewers aren't stupid, they know when a show isn't working, it is shunted to a graveyard timeslot, and while 9:50 isn't quite that, it is close enough, and who will want to jump on board an unpopular show?
But most importantly, Ten is putting it in direct competition with Q and A- its nemesis, or older cousin, if you prefer. And CoW needs some of that Q and A audience, but who would switch to Ten after watching 15 minutes of a more established, more settled, more sophisticated program?
And that's the other thing, Can of Worms is still finding its feet, so why pull the rug out from under it?
For what it's worth: Can of Worms is actually becoming a great show, and a valuable one at that. Even if it plays too much on its controversy and "awkward" factors, at least it is aiming to be a thoughtful and intelligent show.
And I believe that once MasterChef finishes, it will return to its old timeslot, but by that stage, I fear it may be too late to regain the 300-400 thousand viewers I fear it will lose.
Will you follow the show to 9:50 or do you think everyone else will?
Most of this is due to Ten's bold strategy of thrusting it into an imposing primetime slot- Monday 8:30, following MasterChef's strong rating elimination night.
It was no doubt given a leg-up in the ratings, helping it to reach the very respectable heights of 900 thousand plus viewers.
However, this week Ten seem to have thrown a spanner in the works, or should that be a hammer, with the second episode of Ten's shiny new reality format The Renovators snatching its old timeslot of 8:30.
This forces Can of Worms to move into a later slot. Before it has even aired, I can tell you it will lose some of its coveted audience. Automatically. This is just basic television ratings 101- move a show to a later timeslot, there will be less viewers. People start going to bed, is one reason why. Another is the obvious fact that it will confuse viewers, as well as frustrate them. One of the gripes of viewers with networks is the way shows are shoved around the schedule with little notice, or consideration for viewers.
And of course there are exceptions; quality shows with a large, devoted following will rate at 9:30.
Take Summer Heights High a few years ago; Chris Lilley had built a large following due to We Can Be Heroes, and they followed in him in droves to his new timeslot.
And normally if a show changed timeslot to 9:30 it wouldn't be the end of the world... But this is 9:50, not only an irregular time-slot to put into your mental viewing diary at less than a week's notice, but also will lead to a large drop-off at around 10:30, which will severely decrease its averaged out ratings.
And viewers aren't stupid, they know when a show isn't working, it is shunted to a graveyard timeslot, and while 9:50 isn't quite that, it is close enough, and who will want to jump on board an unpopular show?
But most importantly, Ten is putting it in direct competition with Q and A- its nemesis, or older cousin, if you prefer. And CoW needs some of that Q and A audience, but who would switch to Ten after watching 15 minutes of a more established, more settled, more sophisticated program?
And that's the other thing, Can of Worms is still finding its feet, so why pull the rug out from under it?
For what it's worth: Can of Worms is actually becoming a great show, and a valuable one at that. Even if it plays too much on its controversy and "awkward" factors, at least it is aiming to be a thoughtful and intelligent show.
And I believe that once MasterChef finishes, it will return to its old timeslot, but by that stage, I fear it may be too late to regain the 300-400 thousand viewers I fear it will lose.
Will you follow the show to 9:50 or do you think everyone else will?
