Four months after it launched as a replacement for The Project, Channel 10 has announced a major change to 10 News+ in 2026. The network has revealed that the underperforming current affairs program will be trimmed from one hour to 30 minutes.
Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock will continue co-hosting 10 News+ from Sunday to Thursday, with Ursula Heger and Hugh Riminton presenting on Fridays. The program will also keep its 6pm time slot following the network’s hour-long state-based news bulletins, with Deal Or No Deal now airing at 6:30pm and the upcoming reboot of Millionaire Hot Seat, hosted by Rebecca Gibney, airing at 7pm.
Ten’s news chief, Martin White, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the change will “take some pressure off” the hosts and allow them to break more stories.
“It’s a lot easier to break stories if you’re not having to file every single night, so I think this will serve the team really well,” he said.
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Martin also asserted that, despite regular reports that the show is being cancelled, 10 News+ is here to stay.
“We’re investing in the show by making it half an hour because we think it will work better. We’re not getting rid of it; we’re in this for the long haul,” he said.
10 News+ will be trimmed from one hour to 30 minutes in 2026. Photo: Channel 10
Struggling ratings
10 News+ received an average national broadcast audience of 291,000 on its opening night, which dropped to 152,000 viewers by the end of the first week.
For context, Tipping Point Australia typically has around 900,000 viewers, Have You Been Paying Attention has around 700,000 viewers, and Channel 7’s failed reality show Stranded On Honeymoon Island even had around 300,000 viewers per episode.
Last week, however, the program reached an average of 144,000 viewers, which is its best result in almost two months.
The Project lives on
Although The Project is no longer on air, the show’s social team has continued to post news updates on Instagram to huge success.
“So… I posted a few things. People noticed. Slightly more than I expected,” they wrote.
“Turns out, there’s a lot of news. Whether it’s serious stuff, the weird stuff, the did-that-actually-happen?! stuff. And I reckon we have enough to fill a few posts a day… and you seem to like it?
“So here’s the deal: I post news, you read it, laugh, comment, maybe have a little existential crisis (optional), and we keep building a space that feels smart, sharp and not sad all the time. Sound good? Want more? Say the word. And if you don’t… I’ll just keep pretending you do, for my mental health.”
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The announcement gained 11,000 likes in 12 hours, making it one of The Project’s most popular Instagram posts all year.
Interestingly, Social Blade statistics show that The Project’s Instagram account gained over 12,000 followers in the month after the show was taken off air.
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