• The Australian , Thursday, November 9, 2006 12 PM

Local Australian television has produced a record number of flops so far this year, and the networks believe that's because more viewers are demanding instant satisfaction from programs. "The market believes that the viewer has attention deficit disorder this year," says media analyst Peter Cox. "They can't stick with anything for too long--hence the demise of the movie on TV, because people can only handle an hour."

And in a tight ratings race, with the Nine network expected to win the year against the Seven network by a small margin, nets are forced to get rid of shows that don't deliver big numbers quickly. "With the short attention span, we don't give anything time to work any more. If you don't perform you're out. The pressure is on for the programs to immediately grab an audience." Despite the challenge from Seven, the Nine network will come first this year, but not only in the ratings race: It is also undisputed leader in programming duds.

Read the whole story at The Australian »