Kyle Sandilands reveals real reason 34 Aussie TV shows have been axed: 'Wrong'

After it was revealed that 34 shows across Seven, Nine and Ten have been either axed, put on an indefinite hiatus or quietly removed from TV schedules in recent years, Kyle Sandilands believes he knows why.

On Thursday's episode of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, Kyle revealed why he believes so many free-to-air Australian TV shows have been cancelled in recent years. He said it's simply because they're not cost-efficient.

He told co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson, "They cost a lot of money, like SAS: Australia. It’s months and months filming on location. You’ve got to pay all of the presenters, you’ve got to pay all of the celebrities, the stunt people, there’s a thousand people on set."

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However, he believes the networks can bounce back if they start focusing on more cost-effective programs and change how they perceive ratings.

"The way TV ratings are reported, for years, has been wrong. They’ll say oh in the capital cities this, this and this – you never hear about the regional [viewership]. Plus the 10Plays and 7Pus’s, millions of people are watching these shows – it just takes them a week to see it," he added.

The axed TV shows

Below are all of the free-to-air shows from the last five years that haven’t been renewed:

Channel Seven:

Big Brother (2001-2008, 2012-2014, 2020-2023)

SAS Australia (2020-2023)

This Is Your Life (1975-1980, 1995-2005, 2008, 2011, 2022-2023)

Blow Up (2023)

Million Dollar Island (2023)

We Interrupt This Broadcast (2023)

The Voice: Generations (2022)

Big Brother VIP (2021)

Holey Moley (2021)

Ultimate Tag (2021)

Wife Swap Australia (2012, 2021)

House Rules (2013-2020)

Plate of Origin (2020)

Pooch Perfect (2020)

Channel Nine:

Millionaire Hot Seat (2009–2023)

My Mum, Your Dad (2022-2023)

The Beach House Escape (2023)

Rush (2023)

Snackmasters (2021-2022)

Australian Ninja Warrior (2017-2022)

Beauty and the Geek (2009-2014, 2021-2022)

Celebrity Apprentice (2011-2015, 2021-2022)

Country Homes Rescue (2022)

This Time Next Year (2017-2019)

Australia’s Most Identical

Channel Ten:

Gladiators (1995-1996, 2008, 2024)

The Bachelor (2013-2023)

Studio 10 (2013-2023)

The Masked Singer (2019-2023)

The Traitors (2022-2023)

Would I Lie To You? Australia (2022-2023)

The Real Love Boat (2022)

The Bachelorette (2015-2021)

Bachelor In Paradise (2018-2020)

'Everything is so uncertain'

The ever-expanding list of Australian-produced shows that have failed to find an audience is a growing concern for the thousands of people working across the TV and film industry.

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One lighting director, who asked to remain anonymous, tells Yahoo Lifestyle: “Every year the breaks between jobs are getting longer and longer to the point a lot of us (crew) are now leaving the industry. Ten years ago we’d be booked consistently with jobs locked in 12 months in advance for all of the networks, now everyone’s scrambling to try to get on a three-day pilot shoot. Everything is so uncertain.”

A second source, who has over 20 years of experience working as a sound technician, added that it’s mostly steaming platforms like Disney+, Paramount+ and Stan booking new jobs in Australia these days, or Hollywood film studios. However, they explained that although more and more big-budget movies are now being shot in Australia, a lot of the time, “a large percentage of the crew are flown in” from London and Los Angeles.

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