Channel Nine’s long running League program The Footy Show is heading towards the bottom of the ladder after taking a thrashing in the ratings.
Following the controversy where Paul “Fatty” Vautin called an intellectually disabled man “blind drunk”, the show experienced plummeting ratings – with only 166,000 Sydney viewers tuning in last week.
The one-time ratings topper is scraping to beat ABC debate program Q&A, with the politics driven show topping the NRL gabfest.
Core viewers remain loyal to The Footy Show, but this die-hard brigade simply doesn’t have the volume to retain viewer share.
Criticisms of the show have suggested the “sameness” of key hosts Vautin, Matthew Johns, Paul Harragon and Laurie Daley – and that the show has turned “a little beige”.
"They're very careful what they say about players and I understand why, but I don't think that necessarily helps out television," Gary Burns, Nine's Event TV executive producer, told News Limited.
"That creates a lack of tension, but the commentators are paid to commentate and I think they should air their differences of opinion. But if they all have the same opinion, then it's something we suffer from because then it gets a little beige."