A prominent figure in Channel 10 has claimed that the network is in a “death spiral” following the debut of its flagship show, The Bachelor, which only managed to draw in 309,000 viewers.
The Bachelor was almost 20,000 less viewers than The Project, which premiered just before it did.
The poor ratings have reportedly angered the network’s TV bosses, who are now considering the company’s long-term future.
It comes just a few days after Cricket Australia rejected the channel’s bid to acquire the nation’s TV rights, opting instead to stay on free television with Seven.
According to the insider, the network’s decision to spend a huge sum on The Bachelor was a desperate attempt to expand its audience.
It was also used to find new viewers for other shows.
During its peak, The Bachelor was able to attract around a million viewers each night.
Unfortunately, the franchise has been in decline since its debut.
Last year’s premiere, which only attracted 482,000 viewers, was regarded as a disaster.
On the second night, the audience dropped even further to 273,000.