EXCLUSIVE: 34 axed Aussie shows revealed as future of free-to-air TV 'uncertain'

The future of free-to-air television in Australia is even more “uncertain” than previously thought, with thousands of people across the industry already preparing themselves for pay cuts, job losses and career changes.

Yahoo Lifestyle can reveal that in recent years, 34 shows across Seven, Nine and Ten have either been axed, put on an indefinite hiatus, or quietly removed from TV schedules with no mention of it again – and insiders believe that more cancellations are on the horizon.

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From family-friendly favourites such as Millionaire Hot Seat and Australian Ninja Warrior to dating show staples like The Bachelor, what were once some of the country’s most talked about hits have all been scrapped now due to declining viewership. Many of the network’s recent attempts at celebrity-fronted new shows, such as Shaynna Blaze’s Country Home Rescue or Kate Langbroek’s My Mum, Your Dad, have all failed to be renewed after they also failed to find an audience.

Even revived classics like Big Brother, Celebrity Apprentice and Gladiators haven’t been able to survive as they now face so much competition from streaming giants like Netflix and Stan.

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.

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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When rumours first started circulating as early as 2021 that The Bachelor may be cancelled, host Osher Günsberg took to Instagram to reveal just how many people would be impacted by this decision.

“F**kin’ hell guys I hope not, the around 100 people that work on it have got a mortgage and school fees to pay. Is there another option?” he commented on a post speculating if the show should be rested.

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