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Channel 10 slams The Project rumours: 'False and misleading'
Channel Ten has shared another statement about the future of The Project, slamming rumours it will be cancelled due to low ratings.
The network has doubled down on its commitment to the show and its Sunday-night edition, hosted by Lisa Wilkinson, confirming it will return next year after the many reports it wouldn't.
A spokesperson told the That's Entertainment podcast, "Recent media reports inferring that The Project will not be on 10 in 2022 are completely fabricated, false and misleading."
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It comes as some of the Network's other flagship shows such as MasterChef Australia, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette also saw a slump in ratings.
The national audience for The Project has dropped from 725,000 ten years ago to 490,000 this year.
However, it’s important to note that the TV landscape has changed dramatically in the past decade and Channel 10 isn’t the only network to experience a decrease in viewership.
The network has a decent audience on its streaming platform 10Play, however, its overnight metro ratings are a key metric for advertisers when it comes to judging success.
One report by The Sunday Telegraph had also suggested hosts Carrie Bickmore and Lisa Wilkinson would be facing pay cuts, however, this was also slammed as "nonsense".
In a previous statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, a Network 10 spokesperson said: "The Project has just celebrated its 12th birthday and is here to stay! At a time when information, context and understanding is more important than ever, The Project will continue to provide Australians with their dose of news delivered differently."
Speaking on the TV Blackbox podcast recently, former 10 Executive Producer Rob McKnight remarked that the network was "dying in front of our eyes".
"I know they’re making a play for streaming, [but] how low can these ratings go before they can’t make revenue? I find it extraordinary," he said.
"I always supported the idea that there could be three free-to-air commercial networks. What this is showing me is that that is not the case anymore.
"They’re all struggling, but 10 seriously is the wounded animal limping and the fact is they keep running the same s**t and recommissioning the same s**t and it’s not flying with the public."
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