My Kitchen Rules ratings dive for 11th season

My Kitchen Rules is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of viewers this year, with the show’s ratings down a whopping 45 per cent in the five-city metro markets, losing out two major rival shows. Viewers have abandoned the reality cooking show for the first two weeks in favour of controversial rival Married At First Sight on Channel 9, and Australian Survivor: All Stars on Channel 10. Based on the all important five-city metro markets, My Kitchen Rules figures are down 45 per cent year on year in what industry analysts describe as a “major disappointment” for the network. “They really didn’t program it very well,” media analyst Steve Allen said. “There was some hubris involved I think. Is it ruined? No. This season is largely ruined though. We do know that it has some upside if it has got some clean air. It just cannot battle against Married At First Sight.” By clean air, Allen is referring to the fact My Kitchen Rules lifted on Thursday night with a five city metro audience nationally of 516,000, up from 422,000 the night before, as Married At First Sight did not air that night. “This is going to be a series that will be the worst in the ratings history of My Kitchen Rules,” Allen continued. “(But) they are not going to take it off air.” The previously popular cooking show received an overhaul this year for its 11th year, being renamed MKR: The Rivals and having famous faces from previous seasons returning to compete against diehard fans. The first episode aired on February 2 to an audience of 498,000, compared to 819,000 for the season premiere last year. Figures since then have fluctuated, with the lowest rating episode airing on February 4 at 402,000 and the highest so far being the second episode of the season at 517,000. Survivor has also consistently rated higher than My Kitchen Rules. Seven has said there will not be any changes to scheduling despite the disappointing start to the year. My Kitchen Rules judge Colin Fassnidge has also broken ranks in criticising scheduling decisions. “This year was the best one we’ve done but not everyone’s watching it, at the moment, cause we’ve got some people in Channel 7 who don’t know how to program a show,” he said on 2GB radio. “A lot of work went into this and then some stupid decisions were made to go up against the tennis and Married, we should have started a week early.” Another rival network executive claimed the My Kitchen Rules format is all but dead. “Just a couple of weeks in and it is clear that most Australians have voted with their remote controls and switched off My Kitchen Rules,” one rival TV executive said. “The show’s audience might bounce around a bit over the next few weeks but there’s no escaping the fact that almost half of the people who watched it last year aren’t interested this year. That is one of the most dramatic year-on-year declines we’ve seen for a TV show in many years. The longer My Kitchen Rules stays in Seven’s schedule, the more damage it’s going to do to the channel’s overall ratings, revenue and brand.”