The exhaustion of reality shows

The reality TV formula is no longer foolproof.

Few years ago, they were popular. Some are now at the bottom of the ratings. Talent shows and reality shows still have success stories, but overexploitation, controversy, and the abundance of attractive offers (on other channels or streaming) have made programs like ‘Factor X’ (in its first edition) and ‘Master Chef’ no longer public favourites.

Factor X returns. This is Telecinco’s umpteenth attempt to gather some of Antena 3’s night-time audience, except for “Supervivientes” nights, and it only managed 5.5% in its final. 399,000 viewers are just 50,000 shy of this season’s minimum. Looking at the final audience figures for all program editions is enough to compare:

Bad choice. The failure of ‘Factor X’ reveals one of Telecinco’s worst decisions: reviving a program that had low interest in its previous edition, which aired six years ago and had only 9.9% share (far from the 15.1% share it debuted on Cuatro, which was a very notable figure, especially for the channel). The success of its immediate competitor ‘La Voz’ and its variant ‘Kids‘ at the top of the ratings has encouraged Mediaset to revive the format, but without success.

‘Master Chef’s ups and downs. In the final episode (number 12), ‘Master Chef’ had a 5.1% share and 1,033,000 viewers, the best of this edition. The program’s least-watched final ever doesn’t make it successful. The culinary contest remains one of La 1’s most watched, but it shows the format’s exhaustion. The audience figures of all finals show the progressive decline:

Those who succeed. It’s no surprise that Telecinco’s only strength is ‘Supervivientes’ Its average share in this edition, still unfinished, is 19%, up from 17.5% last year. These numbers are impressive. ‘La voz Kids’ is a special case because it airs on Saturday nights and usually leads (except for the Eurovision contest a few weeks ago). It has 14% shares this year, which is notable. However, these two cases are rare successes.

‘Big Brother’ ‘Big Brother VIP’ had its worst audience ever in 2023, averaging 12.9%, down from 32.3% in its previous edition. Telecinco may want to reform the format and return anonymous contestants for the first time since 2017 for its next edition.

The streaming case. Format exhaustion may be reality TV exhaustion as presented by the big channels. Max’s shift towards programs balancing game and reality shows, as seen in Discovery, demonstrates their profitability and cost-effectiveness, from ‘Naked Attraction‘ to ‘Traitors’ or ‘Super tacaños’. Netflix has tried reality TV with ‘Insiders’ but with success with ‘Love Is Blind’ and other spin-offs.

‘Operación Triunfo’ succeeds. ‘Operación Triunfo’s success on Prime Video shows that it’s not a format crisis but a reformulation for the new era. The Amazon platform has learnt from the format’s classic stage on TVE and added a youthful character, social media presence, and fan handling with the program’s 2018 resurgence. The lesson: reality and talent shows can change with their audience.

We need oxygen tanks. The success of ‘Operación Triunfo’ on Prime Video is a change in the status quo that Mediaset should take note of, especially since the Amazon talent show’s audience figures on open television would likely not be as impressive or at least not as high as in its first edition. ‘Operación Triunfo’ has benefited from its style renewal, but the public (and the figures above) may be tired of the same faces, tics, and springs. Saturation is starting to affect audience ratings: ‘Master Chef’ has 12 seasons, ‘Supervivientes’ 23.

The exhaustion of reality shows

The reality TV formula is no longer foolproof.

By nr39r

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