Network Ten axes The Project in current affairs pivot
Network Ten has confirmed its evening experiment of mixing current affairs with comedy won't make it to its 16th birthday.
Cancellation rumours have loomed large over The Project for years, so one may have dismissed questions raised in a 27 May column by former Studio 10 boss Rob McKnight for 7NEWS as more bluster.
But this time has proven to be different.
Unlike past fizzers from several outlets, the story steadily gathered steam this time, with McKnight-led website TV Blackbox publishing more specific claims about Network Ten's plans for the timeslot.
Some of those claims have now eventuated in a separate statements by the broadcaster and program producer Roving Enterprises confirming the axing.
The program will end on 27 June to make way for a reshuffle of Ten's evening block.
An in-house, hour-long "current affairs and insights" program is set for a 6 p.m. Sunday-Friday timeslot, while Deal or No Deal will move to 7 p.m weekdays.
Ten's statement highlighted The Project's news aspect, including its Walkley win and coverage of "a myriad of topics including marriage equality, animal welfare, disability awareness, NDIS, and domestic and family violence".
The network has already grown its news output to three weekday bulletins, and reformatting the evening timeslot adds more news content while divorcing it from The Project brand.
The Project has faced overarching allegations of left-leaning bias from some media outlets, while specific segments have been disputed or faced criticism in court.
In 2021, Peter Helliar apologised for his role in the program's coverage of racism claims by Collingwood player Heritier Lumumba, that included a 2017 interview by Waleed Aly and panel discussion.
Mr Helliar said he "should have believed" Mr Lumumba after an independent review commissioned by Collingwood found "systemic" racism at the club.
And last year, while Justice Michael Lee ruled in favour of Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in a defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann, the judge criticised producers' conduct and other themes in The Project's coverage when assessing its 'qualified privilege' defence.
No criminal findings have been made against Mr Lehrmann, and he is appealing the civil judgement that only has to meet the lower standard of the balance of probabilities.
Roving's statement referenced its staff–who now face uncertain employment–and the light entertainment aspect of the program as a "prime-time destination for countless Australian actors and musicians, and I am proud we have been here as a showcase for the entertainment industry".
In fact, The Project is the de-facto prime-time option for creatives on publicity tours that would otherwise be limited to breakfast programs.
No competing broadcaster produces a studio-based primetime talk format.
Perhaps owing to that strength, Network Ten has repeated The Project in a later slot where its US sister channel CBS would air late-night talk shows with celebrities.
Studio-based entertainment formats like Have You Been Paying Attention? or The Cheap Seats–another stop for celebrities–are also among Ten's highest rating programs.
Rather than pushing entertainment and moving The Project later, Network Ten is instead pursing a 6 p.m. current affairs program.
There's room in that slot, with The Drum cancelled by the ABC in 2023 due to low audiences, but perhaps that should be an omen.
Of course, we can't know if an entertainment pivot was considered–and even if it was, it's now too late.
