by NAZIYA ALVI RAHMAN – NETWORK 10’s The Project will finally go off air on June 27 after a 16 year run.
The announcement was made at the start of the June 9 episode by hosts Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Steve Price and Sam Taunton.
- The Project will be no more!
- It became known for its blend of news, current affairs and woke politics.
- It won nine TV Week Logies, including two Gold Logies, and a Walkley Award.
It was later confirmed in a post on X.
“For nearly 16 years, The Project has been Australia’s destination for the news when you want a little bit of a giggle … all good things come to an end and so are we.”
POSSIBLE
The message thanked viewers, donors and the production team, noting, “This show is not possible without all of you”.
The hosts opened the show by sharing their reactions, with Waleed Aly addressing the audience.
“After 16 years and nearly 4500 episodes, The Project will be no more.”
Sarah Harris recounted her first appearance during a comedy segment hosted by Dave Hughes, calling it an emotional journey.
Conservative panellist Steve Price appeared most emotional about the decision, saying, “Melbourne and Australia has lost something unique this week – a live TV show with passion, courage, humour and a heart. It’s sad.”
Meanwhile, co-host Sam Taunton tried to lighten the mood: “I think I got the tone wrong … we should take this off air!”
Airing six nights a week, The Project became known for its blend of news, current affairs, humour and woke politics.
CONTROVERSY
It won nine TV Week Logies, including two Gold Logies and a Walkley Award, and often featured high-profile interviews.
“The show has successfully balanced humour and heart with poignant discussions,” Ten said in a statement.
Yet its run hasn’t been without controversy.
Criticism came after its 2021 interview with Brittany Higgins and a backlash followed comedian Reuben Kaye’s live joke about Jesus, which led to on-air apologies from Aly and Harris.
Tennis legend Margaret Court also criticised the show saying the tone was “disrespectful” regarding an interview with her views on gay marriage.
The axing of The Project mirrors broader pressures facing traditional television.
A 2024 report by the Centre for Media Transition and University of Technology Sydney noted a decade-long drop in free-to-air viewership, paired with fluctuating ad revenue.
“When the advertising wave is cresting, it somewhat masks the underlying audience trend, and when it bottoms out, things start snapping,” the report stated.
Chair of the CMT Advisory Board Hal Crawford warned: “I think within five years, Seven and Nine’s expensive TV news operations will be cut back severely to match declining audience and revenue.”PC
