The Ellen DeGeneres show is SMASHED in the ratings by reruns of Desperate Housewives after the talk show was axed by Channel Nine amid accusations of a ‘toxic’ workplace
Channel Nine stopped airing The Ellen DeGeneres Show from Monday amid accusations of a ‘toxic’ workplace.
And in what may be the final nail in the coffin in Australia for the struggling talk show, it has been smashed in the ratings by reruns of Desperate Housewives.
The early 2000s hit drama debuted to an audience of 73,000 viewers on Monday.
Is this the end of Ellen? Ratings for this week show that The Ellen DeGeneres show is being easily beaten by reruns of Desperate Housewives (Ellen pictured)
It managed to hold onto a top 50 spot in the daily ratings across all networks for two consecutive days.
It is a feat which The Ellen Show has not managed to pull off since August 4, when just 49,000 viewers tuned in.
The network has bumped reruns of the talk show to 9Gem, while Desperate Housewives, which previously screened on Seven, has taken over Ellen’s usual time slot between 12pm and 1pm.
Drama! Desperate Housewives debuted to an audience of 73,000 viewers on Monday and it managed to hold onto a top 50 spot in the daily ratings across all networks for two consecutive days, a feat which Ellen hasn’t pulled off since August 4. (Pictured left to right Nicollette Sheridan, Brenda Strong, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Teri Hatcher)
While talks continue between Nine and Warner Bros Television regarding the broadcasting rights for the new season- one former senior executive believes the workplace bullying scandal could play right into the networks hands.
Leading TV commentator Rob McKnight, a former senior executive at Nine, believes the controversy ‘has come up at the perfect time during a negotiation period’ and gives the broadcaster bargaining power.
McKnight also told Daily Mail Australia that Nine has the enviable position of being ‘willing to walk away’ from the deal as it refocuses its efforts on prime time.
Power play: Leading TV commentator Rob McKnight (pictured), a former senior executive at Nine, believes the controversy ‘has come up at the perfect time during a negotiation period’ and gives the broadcaster bargaining power
‘Nine are in negotiations and to bring the price down they’re showing Warner Bros. that they’re willing to walk away,’ said McKnight, who is the editor of industry website TV Blackbox.
‘With the advertising market shrinking [due to the coronavirus recession], the focus is on prime time. I’m sure they’d like to keep Ellen, but this whole controversy has come up at the perfect time for them during a negotiation period.
‘They’ll be taking a look at the ratings of Desperate Housewives in the Ellen slot and seeing whether it adversely affects them before they walk away from the deal.
Daytime on the back-burner: McKnight also told Daily Mail Australia that Nine has the enviable position of being ‘willing to walk away’ from the deal as it refocuses its efforts on prime time
‘The fact is, this is all about getting the best deal for Nine. Controversies come and go, but at the moment every dollar counts.’
Warner Bros. Television announced last Monday that three senior producers had been fired from Ellen’s show: Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the show’s head writer.
They were sacked as a result of the internal investigation into multiple allegations of a ‘toxic’ work culture behind the scenes of the popular daytime talk show.
Employees described a working environment rife with ‘racism, fear and intimidation’.
Desperate Housewives ran for eight years from 2004 and starred Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria.
Making headlines: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has aired on Nine since 2013, is currently the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia, after multiple staffers alleged that bullying, racism and sexual harassment were rampant behind the scenes (Ellen pictured with Reese Witherspoon)