Johnny de Mol is hopeful that, despite the low viewing figures, he can continue with his talk show HLF8. It also makes a difference that his father is the boss. “There is no plan B,” said the TV star.
The viewing figures of the daily talk show HLF8 continue to disappoint seriously on the eve of SBS 6. If the show were not presented by Johnny de Mol, but by a presenter who is not related to the boss, HLF8 would have TV cemetery. But how long will John de Mol continue to tolerate this?
Viewership dip
Johnny causes a huge dip in the viewing figures in the programming of SBS 6 every day. For example, no less than sixty percent of the viewers zapped away when he came into the picture yesterday. While Lang Leve De Liefde scored 546 thousand viewers (12% market share), HLF8 had to settle for 228 thousand viewers (4%).
Meanwhile, Johnny has also lost the support of De Telegraaf. Both Private star journalist Jan Uriot and media reporter Jordi Versteegden think it is time for SBS 6 to intervene, for example by putting Hélène Hendriks on the presentation.
Happy
Now lets Johnny in the podcast 30 Minutes Raw however, know that he is still happy as a talk show host. “For now, yes. It really is a sacrifice with the home front. A lot of time goes into this show and I’m never home at night. So far it’s worth it, but I don’t have a private life anymore. I do have beautiful guests.”
However, the beautiful viewing figures are hard to find. “We still have to push through, we still have to go up a little bit with the numbers, but I am hopeful that we will continue.”
more connecting
According to the Telegraaf stars, HLF8 is not distinctive at all, but according to Johnny that is not due to him. “Obviously we wanted to bring a different sound. Being a bit more connecting, not too heavy, not too journalistic, a lot of self-mockery, but that is very difficult if you always have topics such as #MeToo, corona and the war.”
The tone is different anyway, says Johnny, namely less riotous. “Of course that’s not such exciting television, but on the other hand I think people need a bit of peace again and act a little normal with each other.”
No plan B
Johnny is proud of HLF8. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity that I’ve been given. It’s something I really wanted to do because I was tired of all those fights on TV. Maybe I’m a bit too much of a dreamer for that matter.”
He assumes that he can continue with the program as usual. “The bar is set high and I like that. After all the travel programs it was time for me to take the next step. We are now entering that. There is no plan B. The ideal, if given it, is to be able to do this for years to come.”