With a revamped format and all-star judging panel comprising Rita Ora, Jess Mauboy, Guy Sebastian and Keith Urban, plus Sonia Kruger as host, it was a big night for Seven since the network out-bid Channel 9 for the reality show last year.Now that ratings are in, it’s clear the gamble paid off.RELATED: Aussie stuns with ‘crazy’ performanceJust over 1.3 million Aussies in metro cities tuned in to the episode, airing just after the closing ceremony of the Olympics, which pulled in 1.291 million viewers. The reality show blitzed the night over The Block Fans vs Faves premiere on Channel 9 (747,000), and Survivor on Channel 10 (609,000). Nationwide, The Voice pulled in a massive 1.91 million viewers.Last year on Nine, premiere ratings for The Voice were at 1.082 million, compared with 1.064 million in 2019, 1.072 million in 2018 and 1.277 million in 2017. Seven’s first episode set the tone for what’s to come, with thrilling performances seeing the four chairs turn for multiple artists.RELATED: Channel 9’s b*tchy The Voice statementIt comes after previous coaches Boy George, Kelly Rowland and Delta Goodrem lost their gigs last year amid headline-grabbing speculation, with Guy Sebastian the last man standing.British pop star Rita Ora, Aussie country legend Keith Urban and golden girl Jessica Mauboy officially joined the line-up in December, with details of Seven’s overhaul released soon after.Network bosses vowed to slash production costs to $20 million, which is half of what Channel 9 is rumoured to have spent on the show.TV Blackbox reported in October that at least $10 million of Seven’s budget would go towards securing a megastar coach, though at the time it’s understood they were trying to lock down Mariah Carey.Channel 7 managed to score the program after Nine failed to renew it within the required time frame for another season.Channel 9 responded to the network securing the rights, with a spokesperson telling news.com.au: “Unfortunately due to the age of the show and its declining demographic profile, The Voice had become by far the poorest financial performer on our slate. We wish Seven well in their quest to revive yet another Nine show.”The spokesperson added: “We are very excited about the schedule we have now set for reinvigorating our slate and we will have announcements at our upfronts on September 16. We remain focused on our audience and the financial performance of Nine.”Seven hit back with a promise that the show would have a “tighter format adapted for latest viewing trends”.
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