Channel Ten defends The Project replacement show 10 News+ after viewers dramatically decline in first week on air
10 News+ officially replaced The Project last Monday evening, launching with an average national broadcast audience of 291,000 viewers.
In June, Ten first unveiled the axed news programme's successor as a 'premium, in-depth news, current affairs and insights program'.
Promising "extended context and deeper reporting on the day's biggest stories", the show is anchored by ex-Seven talent Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace from Sunday to Thursday, with Ursula Heger and Hugh Riminton hosting on Friday.
The network previously said it was keen to see the team's work delivered to audiences across the country, but audiences have so far failed to engage.
10 News+ almost halved its TV viewership by the week's end after intrigue piqued viewers' attention on the first evening.
The show lost 47,000 viewers on Tuesday evening, bringing its national average to 244,000 viewers.
That figure dipped to 205,000 on Wednesday and continued to decline, with a further drop to 159,000 recorded on Thursday.
Ten's hopes for a comeback on Friday were dashed when a mere 152,000 people tuned in, or a decrease of 139,000 viewers compared to Monday.
The fall in viewership is especially stark when compared to The Project's final episode on June 27, which saw 478,000 people tune in to bid the struggling programme farewell.
However 10 News+ inherited the first half of The Project's 6:30pm–7:30pm slot, with the second half hour now freed up for the channel's primetime programming, meaning the two shows cannot be directly compared.
Meanwhile, 10 News+ immediately follows Ten's 5pm bulletin, which enjoyed significantly higher ratings all week – as people actively chose to change channels rather than watch two hours of news on Ten.
A spokesperson for Ten on Monday told SkyNews.com.au the network was 'taking a long-term, multi-platform view of audience development.'
'Building a loyal news audience takes time, and we are prepared for gradual growth as audiences discover and connect with our unique approach to news delivery across many platforms,' the spokesperson said.
'10 is fully committed to 10 News+. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
"We are investing in building a sustainable, quality multi-platform news service that will grow and evolve with our audience's needs over time.'
The 10 News+ anchor team will be supported by an existing pool of Ten reporters, including Political Editor Ashleigh Raper, Bill Hogan, Brianna Parkins, Samantha Butler, Carrie-Anne Greenbank and Claudia Vrdoljak.
Former Project co-host Georgie Tunny also revealed she's staying with Network 10 as part of the new current affairs show.
The 34-year-old presenter, who appeared on The Project for three years, joins the team just days after the long-running news program aired its final episode.
"I've always been a fan of news delivered differently and am excited to be staying with the 10 family," Tunny said this month.
"Can't wait to see where this new chapter leads!"
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