Freek Vonk is doing very poorly as the Saturday evening star of NPO 1. His program about wild animals is falling further and further away. “This just belongs on children’s channel Zapp!”
They absolutely love Freek Vonk at the public broadcaster. Despite the debacle in 2016, he managed to get another program on the Saturday evening of NPO 1: Freeks Saturday Night Safari. After 788 and 615 thousand viewers, the third episode only attracted 576 thousand viewers (12 percent market share) to NPO 1 yesterday.
Definitely failed
These are objectively just dredging numbers. Unsustainable for the Saturday night of the country’s largest TV channel. It’s not a big surprise: Freek already made a similar show seven years ago on the same broadcast night, De Super Freek Show, but that didn’t score well either. So there was no second season.
Now Freek has made his comeback on Saturday night on NPO 1, succeeding Wie is de Mol. “With last night’s low record, he therefore scores two million viewers less than Wie is de Mol. Painful Saturday night comeback for Freek Vonk. After six years, his second attempt also failed definitively,” says Tina Nijkamp.
‘Nice to Zapp!’
Viewing professor Tina thinks that Freek should stick to children’s channel Zapp. “This program will either be broadcast next time on NPO 3 in the Zapp time slot or there will be no follow-up.”
She continues: “Pity for Freek, but wouldn’t a more informative docuseries, a route TV-like program, have suited him better than a quiz where he stands in a decor that looks a bit like Shownieuws decor? (…) The quiz is also quite straightforward. Question and answer with videos. Not very special.”
Anita debacle
Tina points out that it is really over with Freek. “This is the worst-watched 8.30 pm program on NPO 1 since Festival van de Liefde with Anita Witzier. It was only high summer then. Question: how did this end up on NPO 1? It is clear and quiz with children as target group. Why isn’t this on Zapp?”
RTL 4 attracted 1 million viewers with Weet Ik Veel (22 percent) and SBS 6 with Marble Mania 461 thousand viewers (10 percent). So playing marbles no longer scores. “The viewer clearly speaks out against the channel bosses of NPO 1 and SBS 6: we find this programming much too childish, we will watch a movie on Netflix or Disney + with the family.”
Viewing figures
The viewing figures of Saturday, April 1, 2023 (SKO):
Top 15 | Market shares (18-24h, 6+) |
|---|---|
| 01. Journal 20:00 (NPO1) 1,673,000 | 01. NPO1 / 22.2% |
| 02. Studio Sport Eredivisie (NPO1) 1,161,000 | 02. RTL4 / 18.6% |
| 03. I Don’t Know A Lot (RTL4) 1,023,000 | 03. SBS6 / 10.4% |
| 04. The Connection (NPO1) 944,000 | 04. NPO2 / 10.1% |
| 05. Journal 18:00 (NPO1) 901,000 | 05. RTL5 / 5.0% |
| 06. Half past seven news (RTL4) 856,000 | 06.ESPN / 4.4% |
| 07. EenVandaag (NPO1) 755,000 | 07. NPO3 / 3.9% |
| 08. Hidden Past (NPO2) 717,000 | 08. Vero / 2.6% |
| 09. Box office (NPO2) 708,000 | 09. RTL7 / 2.1% |
| 10. Humberto on Saturday (RTL4) 674,000 | 10.NET5 / 1.8% |
| 11. RTL Boulevard (RTL4) 614,000 | 11. RTL8 / 1.8% |
| 12. Freeks Saturday Night Safari (NPO1) 576,000 | 12. Comedy / 1.3% |
| 13. High North (NPO1) 567,000 | 13. BBC / 1.3% |
| 14. Edition NL (RTL4) 498,000 | 14. Paramount / 1.0% |
| 15. Blue Blood (NPO2) 485,000 | 15. ESPN2 / 0.9% |
Market shares per channel group (18-24h, 6+) | More viewing figures at: |
| 01. Public Broadcasting 36.2% |  |
| 02. RTL Netherlands 28.3% | |
| 03. Talpa TV 15.4% |
Programs that did not make the top 15 include De Alleskunner (456 thousand), Hart van Nederland (420 thousand), Nieuwsuur (417 thousand), Big Brother final (368 thousand) and Shownieuws (353 thousand).