The Project's replacement 10 News+ proves a complete disaster for the network as ratings plunge to devastating low
The hard-hitting current affairs series, hosted by former Channel Seven reporters Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace, launched last week a national average audience of just 291,000.
Those figures have only gotten worse, dropping to 244,000 by Tuesday and sliding further still to 205,000 by mid week.
Thursday's ratings keep skidding into oblivious, with just 159,000 national viewers tuning in.
On Friday, the situation was decidedly grim, with only 152,000 viewers switching on the in-depth news program.
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The current affairs program was slotted in to replace The Project after it was sensationally axed after 16 years.
The early figures have shocked industry insiders, after the show heavily promoted its investigation into Australian mother Debbie Voulgaris, who has been jailed for 16 years after smuggling 7kg of drugs into Taiwan.
Meanwhile, a very healthy 478,000 viewers tuned in last Friday to watch The Project's emotional finale.
It's not good news for the program after KIIS FM radio host Kyle Sandilands, 54, slammed the first episode, claiming it was difficult to watch.
'Being a Channel Seven network employee, I still committed to watch 7News but I recorded 10News+ and went back to watch it,' he explained on his radio show on Tuesday.
'I know it was the first episode and it's tough to critique the first, but it was weird. It was like ABC TV had sex with Ron Burgundy and that's what came out.'
Kyle said the news series didn't air 'one story I cared about.'
'They are nice folks at Channel 10, but they want to be this high and mighty. I wanted to give it a go, but I felt like it missed the mark,' he continued.
His co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson defended the series and insisted viewers should 'give it a chance'.
'I bet if you listened to the first show of you and [me], it would have been sh*t. You need to give things a chance,' she said.
The show also received mixed reviews from other viewers upon airing its debut episode last week, with many sharing their thoughts on X.
Several compared 10 News+ to A Current Affair with one posting: 'This is like ACA. Going to people's houses to talk and them avoiding the cameras.'
'You replaced The Project with a Temu ACA not seeing @theprojecttv is incredibly depressing. 10news+ sucks!' complained another viewer.
Someone else said: 'This is proper @Channel7 style commercial JUNK. It's like watching a cross between Fox News and Anchorman. Why the silly 'news' voices!?'
One more person tuning in at home asked: 'Anyone else bored so far?' while someone else said, 'please no more long investigation reports it's 6pm'.
'Oh dear. I thought I would give 10 News Plus a go. I feel like we have regressed 20 years! An inauthentic painfully choreographed attempt at current affairs!' one said.
'Dribble. Won't last the year' a viewer said with another adding, 'Felt like it was a Comedy Company parody from the 80s. The fist pump at the end? Yikes.'
Not everyone was so negative with one fan writing: 'Loving @10NewsPlus - strong launch story. Is this the new Schapelle Corby story we all need to know about. 10 news should be very proud.'
The show's hosts, recently poached Seven journalists Hitchcock and Brace, opened the episode by telling the audience what they can expect from the hard-hitting program.
'Firstly, we're not here to tell you what to think, to scare or depress you' Hitchcock said.
'We will give you facts, information you can trust – the truth,' Brace added.
'Of course, we are a daily news program, so you won't miss the stories that matter,' Hitchcock went on.
'But we are also digging deeper with investigations and original reporting you won't see anywhere else,' Brace said.
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