Channel Ten has rebranded its flagship reality dating series this year, but it seems the network still isn’t confident enough to pitch The Bachelors against Channel Nine’s massive ratings winner, Married at First Sight.
The somewhat unusual start date of January 2nd places the program outside the 40-week ratings year television networks typically use, which starts in February and ends in November, with a small break over Easter.
With ratings lower over the holiday periods and advertisers spending less money, networks tend to save their biggest launches for February. By bringing The Bachelors season forward, it will likely have finished its run before MAFS hits the air.
The announcement was made at the launch of Ten’s 2023 programming this week, which included new shows The Traitors and Taskmaster, and old favourites The Bachelor, Survivor, MasterChef, and the return of 2022 success Hunted.
The Bachelorette was notably omitted after Brooke Blurton’s ground-breaking 2021 season with both men and women vying to win the heart of the series’ first Indigenous lead.
“The Bachelorette is not gone for good; it’s just being rested,” said Daniel Monaghan, head of programming at Ten, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I think the schedule accommodates for one series at this moment; it has nothing to do with last year’s series at all. The Bachelorette will come back, but our focus for 2023 is on The Bachelors.”
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The new season of The Bachelor Australia will feature three bachelors instead of one, with leads Jed McIntosh, Felix Von Hofe and Thomas Malucelli announced earlier this year.
All three leads have been making news already, with McIntosh announcing a move to the US to pursue his music career, Malucelli involved in a motorcycle accident earlier this week, and Von Hofe linked to former contestant Stephanie Lynch.
The Bachelors was bumped from the 2022 ratings season in favour of The Real Love Boat, in turn pushing I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! right back into ratings season.
