{"id":253696,"date":"2025-10-31T17:55:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/253696\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T17:55:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:55:20","slug":"channel-10-cuts-down-the-project-replacement-10-news-after-ratings-blow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/253696\/","title":{"rendered":"Channel 10 cuts down The Project replacement 10 News+ after ratings blow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four months after it launched as a replacement for The Project<\/a>, Channel 10 has announced a major change to 10 News+<\/a>\u00a0in 2026. The network<\/a> has revealed that the underperforming current affairs program will be trimmed from one hour to 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s hour-long state-based news bulletins, with Deal Or No Deal<\/a>\u00a0now airing at 6:30pm and the upcoming reboot of Millionaire Hot Seat<\/a>,\u00a0hosted by Rebecca Gibney, airing at 7pm.<\/p>\n

Ten\u2019s news chief, Martin White, told the Sydney Morning Herald<\/a>\u00a0that the change will \u201ctake some pressure off\u201d the hosts and allow them to break more stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier to break stories if you\u2019re not having to file every single night, so I think this will serve the team really well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

Martin also asserted that, despite regular reports that the show is being cancelled, 10 News+ is here to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re investing in the show by making it half an hour because we think it will work better. We\u2019re not getting rid of it; we\u2019re in this for the long haul,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"10<\/p>\n

10 News+ will be trimmed from one hour to 30 minutes in 2026. Photo: Channel 10<\/p>\n

Struggling ratings<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

For context, Tipping Point Australia typically has around 900,000 viewers, Have You Been Paying Attention has around 700,000 viewers, and Channel 7\u2019s failed reality show Stranded On Honeymoon Island<\/a> even had around 300,000 viewers per episode.<\/p>\n

Last week, however, the program reached an average of 144,000 viewers, which is its best result in almost two months.<\/p>\n

The Project lives on<\/p>\n

Although The Project is no longer on air, the show’s social team has continued to post news updates<\/a> on Instagram to huge success.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo… I posted a few things. People noticed. Slightly more than I expected,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurns 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?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

SHOP:<\/p>\n

The announcement gained 11,000 likes in 12 hours, making it one of The Project\u2019s most popular Instagram posts all year.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Social Blade statistics show that The Project\u2019s Instagram account gained over 12,000 followers in the month after the show was taken off air.<\/p>\n

Want the latest lifestyle and entertainment news? Make sure to follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram, <\/a>and TikTok<\/a>. <\/p>\n