http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainm...ectid=11477563

Saddening article. I think the solution is one of the following...

1 - the under 26's they are aiming at have embraced "on demand" technology and are usually more interested in The only way is Essex type shows - things for people with lower IQ's. Perhaps they could change it to "the only way is summer bay"

2 - capture the 27 - 60 demographic with engaging characters, returnees, and good mix of storylines

3 - do what Neighbours did and slash the budget, and confine the show to a handful of sets.

Not surprised at all.

So fed up with its endless Teenage romances.

They seem to have the same old Romance storyline.

Down 140,000. Which is about half the total of a what Neighbours episode rates in OZ. They were always going to go down once Brax left, it all depends if they had plans to survive after he did. Right now it doesn't seem like.

That said there is plenty of deadwood that could shed. Starting with Lucy Addario.

It's just endless bed hopping, crime and teenage angst. It needs to go back to it's fostering roots and bring back the theme tune.

The only reason Neighbours is still going really is because it's still quite popular in the UK, it hasn't been popular in Australia and New Zealand for years. Whilst Home and Away is still very popular in NZ and in Australia but not so much in the UK.

I doubt they will axe either in a hurry though unless ratings significantly decline as they are both some of the biggest television shows ever in Australia.

There should be a competition to see who can fall faster...

Home and away and Hollyoaks

I love it soaps run into trouble? Brookside anyone?

A shadow of its former self. Bring back the old school writers.

Very cruel. But in many ways, this is far more serious than when Brookside collapsed. This is about viewing patterns and more widely, the future of soaps as a whole perhaps. Brookside finished cos it just got ridiculous

Those ratings aren't that bad. Not great, but not horrendous. Of course as the article says, if it continues then it will be a problem.

I don't agree that returnees are the solution. They are a quick fix and if they do it like they did in Neighbours (recasts) I might have to stop watching.

Yes the writing needs changing and the producers need to go ASAP. Lose the Phoebes and the Maddies (possibly the most unlikeable character ever) also the Hannahs and the Nates.

It's a shame but H&A is in trouble lets hope the show makes the necessary changes before it becomes too late

Didn't take long for the media to jump all over this and call it a major crisis.

H&A deserves to free fall for structuring the show around the Braxtons. They should have had the common sense to know that once they all left, the show would have nothing left to offer those viewers.

Yeah, sure, the ratings are sliding dramatically, but I don't think Seven will cancel the show. I also don't think anyone should blame Gen Y and the changing habits of TV watching, b/c that's a cop-out. The rise of streaming services like, Netflix, have been around for a while now, and Australia have not been slow in taking them up. It's really all down to quality of the show, which is the sole reason why viewers are tuning out.

Hopefully they'll use this time to reboot the show and go back to basics, recapture the heart and soul of what H&A used to be about. A new producer is what's needed, so hopefully Seven realize this and act fast.

Home And Away used to feature warm, engaging characters of all ages played by a mostly very talented cast.

Nowadays it's just a himbos and bimbos soap hell of teen romances. The older characters have been totally sidelined, there's no warmth at all and the acting in the main is very poor.

It really isn't hard to see why it's struggling. It became too dependent on the (in my opinion horrendous) Braxtons and they haven't replaced that with anything.

Spot on.

Am not surprised about this. Its lost its way. I have watched it from the beginning apart from a few lost years here or there.
Its not in good shape at the moment, bland characters, repetitive storylines - Needs more focus on the older residents like Alf and Irene.
Neighbours, surprisingly is much meatier at the moment.

The stories they're dishing out at the moment don't even deserve those ratings. The show is full of many unlikeable characters, who they try and force upon you.

In my opinion they need to get rid of, Ash, Phoebe, Denny, Andy, Josh, Evelyn for a start. I do actually like Nate, and think with the right story he is a character that can shine. I also think that Kat has been one of the show's best additions in a long time.

The frustrating thing with the show, is that when they get the quality right it is amazing. However, Lucy Addario doesn't grasp or respect the basic history of the show.

I just looked and it was 701,000 last night in OZ. Quite poor for a show that was averaging 1.2 million an episode a few years ago. There is something bad about the fact that they are allowed to dish out this dross and still reach 700k, whereas Neighbours is left to fester on a digital channel and struggle to keep above 250k.

Was always going to happen after Brax left. The good thing is that Dan Bennett is in charge of the show now and so far he's done a good job despite having to deal with 2 of the show's greatest actors leaving and the fallout of that. Hopefully it won't just be John and Marilyn deciding to go into fostering and that Irene will too as there's not really anything else they can do with her character apart from a romance or taking up a hobby. For the first time in a long time things are looking up for Home and Away, just needs the time to sort itself out.

Who has Dan Bennett replaced?

Louise Bowes.

Bring back pippa and Sally into the house.

Those ratings aren't horrendous, but they are not exactly promising either. Home and Away used to be a staple in the ratings Top 10 and frequently rated over a million in Australia. Descending to 700 K obviously means something is wrong, but will the viewers who have deserted the show return even if the show undergoes a huge overhaul? Or will the ratings keep sliding and end up on a digital channel like Neighbours. I don't think the show will get the axe as it does very well overseas, but something obviously needs to be done.

Lol at the OP saying people who watch towie Have low iqs. Home and away high brow now is it they are two scripted badly acted unrealistic bullshit shows

Home and Away's lead-in is not the problem. Ratings drops and rises for H&A are not consistent with those for Seven News.

Neither is the supposed decline of younger viewers. Shows like The Project, Masterchef AU, and HYBPA have seen increases in their younger audiences when compared to last year.

The problem with H&A is the show itself.

actually Alf has one of the biggest storylines atm in the show

I love how whenever a soap is in trouble everyone always reckons the solution is to hark back to old irrelevant characters. Bringing Pippa and Sally back won't save the programmes, and the usual idiotic comments of bringing back the opening theme...400,000 havent switched off over the past few years because they cant sing along to a theme song

I hear that there are no gays and lesbians in H & A