You can now wonder whether Eva Jinek’s mega holidays are a disaster or a blessing for RTL 4. Her ratings are now starting to take on very dramatic forms.
The collapsing ratings of Eva Jinek will cause some gloating, but for the presenter herself this is of course a personal drama. She never lived up to expectations when she switched to RTL 4 and is now just starting to become the channel’s problem child, especially now that her contract is about to expire.
Horror figures
It is an open secret that Eva still earns 1.2 million euros a year at RTL 4, but friend and foe agree that such a mega salary no longer fits her current viewing figures. Numbers that are really not good. All alarm bells went off last week and today they are just blaring non-stop at the Media Park.
What’s the case? Eva attracted 397 thousand viewers yesterday, on election night, representing less than 10 percent market share and a spot in the danger zone of the top 25 viewing figures. Even more painful: she is only one spot above HLF8, the talk show tube disappears.
Near record low
Tina Nijkamp, the former broadcaster boss of SBS 6, who is now the most important viewing figure expert in the Netherlands, points out that this is the second lowest score ever for Jinek. “She gets her second lowest score ever. Ouch. Only on September 7, 2020, even fewer watched: 382 thousand.”
The reason? “There was a lot of election everywhere around 10pm. And earlier in the past few weeks it turned out that Jinek and elections are not a good combination of viewing figures.”
Mega vacation
One thing is certain: Eva and RTL 4 can breathe a sigh of relief after tomorrow night. Then the presenter closes the season and people can start brainstorming about how things should be better in the future, if she returns at all. Beau van Erven Dorens takes over on Monday and he usually scores better than Eva anyway.
Whether Eva will return to the screen at RTL 4 remains to be seen. This weekend it’s time again for one of her infamous half-year mega vacations and her delivery is on the agenda in September.
maternity leave
After giving birth it is of course time for Eva’s maternity leave, so she won’t return to the screen before the end of the year anyway. And just then her lucrative contract with the channel ends. Is there an extension? Or surprise Eva with a return to the NPO?
Time will tell.