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spunkygirl · 03-05-2005, 03:18 PM

SMH.com.au

Nine's Oscars telecast loses golden touch
By Harriet Alexander
March 2, 2005

If Channel Nine wasn't trying so hard to be stoic, it would have its rival's flagship drama rebadged Smug Housewives.

That Desperate Housewives won its Monday timeslot for Channel Seven - with more than 2 million viewers for the fifth week running - was no surprise in normal circumstances. What was a shock was that one of Nine's perennial powerhouses, the Oscars telecast, turned in its worst performance in years, despite the success of local heroine Cate Blanchett.

The Academy Awards were swamped by the Housewives, coming in a lowly 15th in the national rankings - their worst performance since 1994. It was the first time in at least 15 years the Oscars did not win the night.

Nine's corporate affairs director, David Hurley, refused to call the result disappointing.
"It was always going to happen and we knew it," Mr Hurley said. "As to the depth of [the loss], there's a dozen variations and it's foolish to second-guess what they are, but at the end of the day the Academy Awards are what they are."

The awards have traditionally scored their highest Australian ratings when there are local nominees, with big viewer numbers in 1999 (Blanchett nominated for Elizabeth), 2000 (Russell Crowe nominated for The Insider), 2001 (Crowe winning for Gladiator), 2002 (Nicole Kidman nominated for Moulin Rouge, Crowe for A Beautiful Mind), and 2003 (Kidman winning for The Hours).

Seven's corporate affairs director, Simon Francis, attributed the low ratings to the delayed telecast, which meant many viewers already knew Blanchett had won and had seen TV news reports, and that many people had not seen the films nominated.

"But nothing can be taken away from Desperate Housewives," Mr Francis said. "It has had Eddie McGuire, stunts and now the Oscars thrown at it and it has survived."

The ABC was also gleeful with the success of Andrew Denton's interview with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary on Enough Rope.
Executive producer Anita Jacoby said it was the best rating ever for the show, based on the ABC's figures, which are averaged over the 40-minute interview, rather than the entire hour.

On those figures, Enough Rope won with 1.53 million viewers, compared to 1.4 million for Crossing Jordan and 886,000 for the Academy Awards. For the hour, the ABC scored 1.17 million viewers.

Despite the Oscar loss, Nine is still ahead for the week-to-date with a 29.1 per cent share of the national audience. Seven is close behind on 27.2 per cent and has its other blockbuster, Lost, to come tomorrow night.

03-05-2005, 03:18 PM	#1
spunkygirl Member Moderator Forum Celebrity Join Date: Apr 26, 2003 Posts: 21,563	DH trounce Oscars in Australia SMH.com.au Nine's Oscars telecast loses golden touch By Harriet Alexander March 2, 2005 If Channel Nine wasn't trying so hard to be stoic, it would have its rival's flagship drama rebadged Smug Housewives. That Desperate Housewives won its Monday timeslot for Channel Seven - with more than 2 million viewers for the fifth week running - was no surprise in normal circumstances. What was a shock was that one of Nine's perennial powerhouses, the Oscars telecast, turned in its worst performance in years, despite the success of local heroine Cate Blanchett. The Academy Awards were swamped by the Housewives, coming in a lowly 15th in the national rankings - their worst performance since 1994. It was the first time in at least 15 years the Oscars did not win the night. Nine's corporate affairs director, David Hurley, refused to call the result disappointing. "It was always going to happen and we knew it," Mr Hurley said. "As to the depth of [the loss], there's a dozen variations and it's foolish to second-guess what they are, but at the end of the day the Academy Awards are what they are." The awards have traditionally scored their highest Australian ratings when there are local nominees, with big viewer numbers in 1999 (Blanchett nominated for Elizabeth), 2000 (Russell Crowe nominated for The Insider), 2001 (Crowe winning for Gladiator), 2002 (Nicole Kidman nominated for Moulin Rouge, Crowe for A Beautiful Mind), and 2003 (Kidman winning for The Hours). Seven's corporate affairs director, Simon Francis, attributed the low ratings to the delayed telecast, which meant many viewers already knew Blanchett had won and had seen TV news reports, and that many people had not seen the films nominated. "But nothing can be taken away from Desperate Housewives," Mr Francis said. "It has had Eddie McGuire, stunts and now the Oscars thrown at it and it has survived." The ABC was also gleeful with the success of Andrew Denton's interview with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary on Enough Rope. Executive producer Anita Jacoby said it was the best rating ever for the show, based on the ABC's figures, which are averaged over the 40-minute interview, rather than the entire hour. On those figures, Enough Rope won with 1.53 million viewers, compared to 1.4 million for Crossing Jordan and 886,000 for the Academy Awards. For the hour, the ABC scored 1.17 million viewers. Despite the Oscar loss, Nine is still ahead for the week-to-date with a 29.1 per cent share of the national audience. Seven is close behind on 27.2 per cent and has its other blockbuster, Lost, to come tomorrow night.