Diary of a TV Junkie: Ten scores with footy fans Felicity Shea
THREE cheers for the Brisbane Lions! One of the most exciting Grand Final matches in a decade was played on Saturday and what a game!
My congratulations to Ten on first rate coverage.
A dedicated AFLfan for most of my life, I viewed the approaching Grand Final with some trepidation: how would Ten match up to Seven’s previously high standard on this, the holy grail of sporting events?
The naysayers in the media would have had us believe Ten was too inexperienced, too unprofessional and too inept to host an AFL Grand Final successfully.
Beginning at 8am, Ten’s coverage can be described as comprehensive.
However, as any fan will tell you, it’s not the volume of the coverage, but the quality of the commentators.
Starting with the traditional AFL Grand Final Breakfast in the morning and moving through, uninterrupted till the final whistle, the commentary team proved equal to the task.
Bruce McAvaney was missed, to be sure. Recalling statistics off the top of your head is a freakish ability. Statistics such as Nathan Buckley’s winning the Norm Smith medal being only the third time a losing team player has won it (behind Geelong’s Gary Ablett and Richmond’s Maurice Rioli). It was those flourishes Bruce added that really set Seven apart.
Whether Bruce simply refused to work during the AFLGrand Final, or Seven didn’t want to pit Sportswatch against it, there was a shortened Sportswatch, and an old movie, further cementing the changing of the guard.
Ten is pleased with its AFLsponsorship sales, but one can’t help feeling an opportunity has been missed.
There was no really innovative advertising; nothing that really announced Ten’s arrival on the scene. There was no ‘Wow!’ factor.
Even the list of advertisers was stock standard: CUB, Nintendo, Ford, Strathfield, Optus and KFC.
At its peak, Ten claimed 3.4 million viewers.
Overall, the average ratings increased on last year—with 2,625,000 watching this year compared with 2,603,00 last year—although the city-by-city breakdown reveals that the only metro market to increase its audience for the Grand Final on last year was Melbourne.
Falling average ratings were mirrored this season by falling gate attendances which would indicate it is an issue for the AFL, rather than the network. Furthermore, it’s difficult to maintain ratings in a market where the team is losing (such as the Swans in Sydney).
Stephen Quartermain—who also hosted the Brownlow Medal count this year—has proven himself to be a true footballing pundit and a successful choice to spearhead Ten’s AFL team.
Anyway, it’s summer now and time for the cricket….
Diary of a TVJunkie is one viewer’s account of what keeps her glued to the small screen. E: Felicity.shea@reedbusiness.com.au.
