The ABC will take a “forensic” look at how weekday television spots can be better used going into next year, after a string of shows underperformed in prime-time slots and risked losing audiences.
The notice was given in an email sent to staff from content division head Chris Oliver-Taylor on Monday, seen by Crikey, highlighting the broadcaster’s “hits and misses” last week on the heels of the largest organisational shake-up seen at the broadcaster in more than five years.
Oliver-Taylor, a former Netflix executive brought in as part of the ABC’s restructure, raised questions over six shows in his note to staff. One of them was New Leash on Life, a six-part dog rescue series starring comedian Joel Creasey, which performed “a little under where we wanted”, he said, given its prime-time 8pm slot. “Really enjoyed the show though.”
The show’s “slightly softer launch” had a knock-on effect for The Black Hand, a documentary starring Anthony LaPaglia, which is also “not delivering the broad audience” expected, Oliver-Taylor said. Matters were worse for the team responsible for the BBC docuseries My Life in Ten Pictures, which was described as causing bosses “a major headache” for the killing effect it had on audiences in the slots following it from 8pm on Thursdays.
“Then that flows into Grand Designs New Zealand, which is also not holding up, this then affects Elders and Art Works which mean [sic] neither of those vital Australian shows get a solid lead-in to help build audiences,” Oliver-Taylor said.
The ABC declined to comment.
Earlier on Monday, the ABC announced two high-profile appointments to its content ranks, both from commercial streaming competitors, as the broadcaster attempts to compete for streaming audiences via ABC iview. Former Stan commissioning boss Rachel Okine was tapped as the ABC’s head of scripted, with former Netflix executive Susie Jones taking the reins as the broadcaster’s head of factual.
Some staff read the note, friendly as it may have been, as a warning shot symbolic of a more cut-throat working environment under their new boss, sources told Crikey.
It wasn’t all bad news, though. There was praise for the “massive numbers” secured by the return of Back Roads, a series following journalist Heather Ewart’s visits to remote towns and regions, which continues to prove a “clear audience favourite”, Oliver-Taylor said.
“I think a few more episodes in 2024 might make sense, although a little softer on ABC iview than we would like, so we will keep watching those,” he said.
He was also “really pleased” with the numbers clocked by Utopia and Gruen, “staples of the Wednesday night line-up”, as well as Gold Diggers, a show he “didn’t think would work as well as it has”, saying early iview numbers were strong.
Oliver-Taylor was appointed the ABC’s first chief content officer in March, reporting directly to managing director David Anderson, shortly before the ABC released its five-year plan. In it, the ABC outlined intentions to move resources away from AM radio band transmission and TV to podcast and on-demand programs, delivered through its ABC iview, ABC listen and ABC News platforms, with hopes to have a majority-digital audience by 2028.
As a result of the five-year plan, the ABC wielded the axe on some 120 jobs, including that of high-profile political editor Andrew Probyn, to refocus on attracting digital audiences.
In an email to the content division shortly after the restructure was announced in June, Oliver-Taylor said declining broadcast audiences are a “fundamental challenge” everyone at the organisation “must recognise”.
“The reality and context setting is vital,” Oliver-Taylor wrote in the email, seen by Crikey. “Our audiences have changed; we know this because we are part of the audience. We all watch Netflix or listen to music through Spotify. The biggest streamer in the world is YouTube.
“Linear has a place and remains a major focus for us, but we now must ensure the ABC commissions and delivers its content to all Australians in the way that they want to consume it, growing ABC iview and ABC listen is a key priority for us all.”
Is the ABC losing you? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
So dumping Andrew Probyn who is probably now in therapy helps the ABC transition to digital. I wish someone with half a brain would explain to me how.
Part of the concept of the ABC was to give people access to worthwhile content which may not be commercially successful. If this new breed of brilliant executives want to live in a commercial world please go there and leave the ABC alone.
They might wanna read to the ABC charter AND implement that not the dross the Netflix bloke vomit to get bucks
I have always thought Probyn to be a bit of a lightweight. But not nearly as bad as Jennett and Speers.
But I have been mistaken in the past – I never thought much of Dan Bourchier when he did ABC radio in Canberra but I think he does a great job on tv and I applaud his great work on the Voice.
Wasn’t keen on Probyn (but anodyne Speers has a clear bias), it’s self destructive for the ABC (‘Wrecking Crew’ again) when complaining of audience, then doing everything possible to lose audience share esp. RN.
On the latter, RN programs like LNL, Saturday & Sunday Extra are no longer promoted by program &/or hosts via Twitter, no pod downloads, transcripts, archives etc. (for fear of allowing analysis, but attacked as opinion?), but PK et al. doing radio news can and do Tweet frequently, to promote?
According to the corporate blokes that brought you crap content and dumbed down reasly dunb, ageist , perverse , poorly written and mosly violent and sexist crap – oh and the sexist obsession with sport programming … “He reckons “We all watch Netflix or listen to music through Spotify. The biggest streamer in the world is YouTube.” … wow what a race to the bottom by neo lib IPA picks – Labor clean out the ABC OF neo lib puppets or watch em play us all
Couldn’t agree with you more andy smart lady. Murdoch will be rubbing his hands with glee. But one thing we can depend on is being bludgeoned with sport and more sport – not allowed any art shows of course.
Sports programming sexist? Of course it is. That’s the ethos. Competitive sports were invented and developed by men for men. Mainly English-speaking White men at that. Both competitors and spectators. Others have come late to these men’s sports and games, so they can hardly complain. Better they invent and develop something of their own.
Australia ; no late night entertsinment live music – id firstly tske the current fta licences – i like a bit of AFL BUT im sm not reslly into the obsession so what then some misogynist teckons im the one with issue ?! doh
sic: late night entertainment or talented hosts ; im so not really into people chasing a bloody ball for 2 hours most of the time – but genius reckons I need another outlet of my own ! Yes doh thats why id like a share in the free to air agenda and mates rates
There is exactly zero sport on ABC TV.
Consider FTA limited tv licences and the value women are rewarded ; our combined efforts as a society ; why the predominance then on the above favouritism to serve up sports and the other programming across the tv and media – self explantaory
ABC TV is still my first choice for evening viewing, but locally-made material that appeals to me is getting scarcer. Utopia has to be on top of the flagpole. I’m enjoying New Leash On Life because it’s so different from the other adopt-a-dog show where the dog is selected by the staff in a take-it-or-leave-it option and the dog is frequently misjudged and misunderstood. I’m loving Black Hand for the unexpected story. Gold Diggers I found to be appalling; so many anachronisms and so much exaggerated acting and gabbled dialog. Is it supposed to be funny? A pity to see such material on such a wonderful set. Queen of Oz is also a complete turn-off. More favourites – Hard Quiz, Julia Zamiro, Gruen, Australian Story, and currently Jonestown. By daytime I’m on RN, and although the quality is still high, the repeats are becoming very obvious, to the point that if I don’t turn off, I get to know some programs by heart. Canadian material can only fill in so much. ‘Local and relevant’ is important.
Margaret Hurle.
(Demographic: F, 65+)
your age and sex is not inportant to the blokey corp heads – they have no empathy or understanding that creativity is and should not be driven by profit and favors – kath& kim , Micallef , Monty Python,Big Gig Roy& HG born from failures and education and experimentation and fearlessness
Agree with Maggie.
ABC Morning Show on ABC Adelaide is excellent listening
where are seasoned funny women doing Julia Davis calibre stuff ; oh an ex Netflix hack wont help – invisible and gaslit fodder – im soooooo fkn angry ! Comedy Gold Not
Netflix isn’t all that great unless you want to watch almost identical shows night aftwr night, feels like they all have the same scriptwriter and think any old so-called actors will do-ones who need to be in acting school not in actual films. I spend most of my time watching the first ten minutes–if I can last that long–before hitting stop and trying again to find something worth watching but repeating my previous moves then find out it’s time for bed and I haven’t found anything worth watching – again.
Netflix works well but is very poor value in terms of content relevance its full of toxic masculity ; is violent , sexist and yet tokenistic in its ambit
Another way of saying that is that it is dominated by the tastes of US popular culture – that is violent, sexist, emotionally shallow and unaware of cultural context.
and i will not rrnew subscription – solidarity with the actor/ writer striking against corporate feudalism and greed
Netflix isn’t all that great unless you want to watch almost identical shows night aftwr night…
Just like the commercial channels with their endless “reality” programs that are totally unlike the real lives of any people I know. What we will end up with is the ABC indistinguishable from the rubbish on the commercial channels and we will all stop watching.
Can’t help wondering if that is not the intention.
A conspiracy to wean viewers off a model … yep … maybe not consciously, but driven by a remorseless need to move into new direc5ions/platrorms/channels. Some material has lasted centuries … and some plots are timeless … so it is only youth that imagines it has to come up with something ‘new’. There IS no new in entertainment … the need is the same, the plots are timeless, only ‘delivery’ keeps inexorably inventing itself. So tiring/tiresome. I’m LOVING ‘The Black Hand’ and proud of La Paglia!
Someone in the US 15 years ago beat you to it 🙂
‘The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule (August 2008) is a book written by American journalist and historian Thomas Frank….“Bad government is the natural product of rule by those who believe government is bad.” Frank argues that certain elements of the Republican Party intentionally dismantled the government by many means, including turning public policy into a private-sector feeding frenzy.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrecking_Crew_(book)
Script and acting are mostly atrocious, in most of the Netflix shows we have watched. Long drawn out plots, some the scenery and acting has been interesting to watch , as they have been shot in Europe rather than the USA, which is a nice change. We use mainly Netflix for the cartoons for the grandkids
You mean the network management stacked with Lib captain’s picks still haven’t got Auntie where they want it to be. And it can’t be their fault now can it?
We are all so offended by what’s happened to Aunty. And what I loathe is the way journos on other media channels pussyfoot around this, saying things like the ‘ABC with it’s interminable moaning about a balanced approach’.
If Scotty from marketing can insert himself into multiple portfolios and orchestrate a semi independant govt organisation to cut down the reasonably effective Holgate – out of the Aus post – But labor relinquish responsibilty by a claim its an independant matter? This makes no sense – the cuts and the rest of the decisions and intended changes to the ABC are the death knell for our culture and society political discourse and our freedom from corporate profiteers – but at least on The Drum tonight was a real panel of representative views which challenged Hartcher to see this very distillation re the destructive top down rorting