The mood at RTL Boulevard is somewhat ‘pressured’ now that the weak competitor M is disappearing from the tube. That’s what TV expert Rob Goossens said jokingly at the desk of the show section yesterday.
RTL Boulevard has been scoring above-average viewing figures for some time now, which is largely due to the weak early evening program of NPO 1. That programming has always been rock solid, with De Wereld Draait Door as the proud centerpiece, but Margriet van der Linden little of it left.
Fleeing viewers
The talk show M scores so badly that the viewer really just flees from NPO 1, and RTL Boulevard benefits enormously from that. But now Margriet has announced that she is finally giving up her attempts to become a ratings hit. Tonight is the last episode of the program.
It is not yet clear what will replace M, but there is speculation that Arjen Lubach may well move to this time. That would of course be a drama for RTL Boulevard.
Boulevard delivered
At RTL Boulevard they are therefore not in a festive mood about the end of M, jokes TV connoisseur Rob Goossens with a serious undertone. “The mood when I came in here was quite depressed, as M has been a great booster every night, chasing people over to us.”
Rob hopes that RTL will make an extra investment in Boulevard. “Of course it will be broadcast at the same time, so I hope RTL will come up with a good next step to keep viewers away from NPO 1.”
night ticket
Luuk Ikink sympathizes with Margriet. “It is a bit of a night candle that goes out there. That’s too bad, isn’t it?”
Rob: “It’s sad, but what happened last summer: first De Vooravond was thrown in front of the bus, then M and Khalid & Sophie got the chance to prove themselves, but I don’t know how much you have spent the past year watched those two shows, but every time I watched I thought, what the hell are we watching?”
blemish
Bridget Maasland: “Isn’t there just a terrible stain on that whole eve really?”
Rob: “De Wereld Draait Door is very difficult to follow. The Eve actually did quite well, also towards the million. The viewer was getting used to that. (…) You cannot put that back.”
Bridget does not understand that De Vooravond has been cancelled. “It feels a bit like, as we would say in politics, voter fraud. You know, it actually went well, didn’t it? The viewer was actually quite pleased with that.”