It will undoubtedly be a disappointment for the Meilandjes: the new season of Chateau Meiland started well below the million mark yesterday. “It will be hit or miss this TV season.”
Martien Meiland and his family have to settle for bronze. The new season of Chateau Meiland started last night with 887 thousand viewers and that was not enough to beat competitors Kassa and Expedition Robinson. More importantly: they score below the viewer number that they themselves have set as a lower limit.
Last season?
At least a million viewers are needed to keep the Meilandjes on the screen. “As long as we score well above the million, we will continue,” Martien said in Veronica Superguide last week. “If the ratings collapse, we’ll stop. But in five years Chateau Meiland will no longer exist. Then I’m busy with the grandchildren.”
Five years, or maybe earlier? At least those million viewers were not in it last night. “Yesterday Chateau Meiland scored 887 thousand viewers. So not ‘far above the million’. Curious how the rest of the (perhaps last?!?) season goes,” tweeted RTL Boulevard reporter Joost Maiburg.
Neat viewing figure
According to viewing figures authority Tina Nijkamp, Chateau Meiland scored twice as low as Expedition Robinson in the commercial target group (34 versus 17 percent). “SBS 6 will be reasonably happy with Chateau’s figures, although they may have hoped for something more,” she thinks.
Joost thinks it is a ‘decent viewing figure’, but says: “The question is what the Meilandjes think. Certainly with delayed viewing they are probably over the million, but think they expected / hoped more given his statement.”
Up or down
Private boss Evert Sankrediets has the feeling that this will be the TV season of truth for the Meilandjes. “It’s a bit of a hit or miss I think for Chateau Meiland. A million people will really tune in to that, but the two million they were up against at one point…”, he said in the podcast Strictly Private last week.
“I think that the novelty has worn off a bit. It is a pity, but it has also been so much, with repetitions in the summer as well.”
Once a week
Will the overkill of the past year, the Meilandjes still fatal? In any case, they have taken a preventive measure for next season. For example, the number of episodes has been reduced from two to one per week.
“Fortunately, yes,” says Erica in Superguide. “Twice a week is too much. Just let people look forward to Monday night.”
More and more difficult
However, RTL Breakfast news presenter Boyan Ephraim fears that even that one episode is already too much. “The cake is also finished, right?” he tweeted.
Colleague Rob Goossens said: “For SBS6 standards, these are of course still good figures, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find an interesting new storyline.”
Boyan cynically: “To make up.”
