Seven Sharp

Seven Sharp
Presented by
Country of origin New Zealand
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 495 (as of 25 March 2015)
Production
Executive producer(s) Pete Cronshaw
Producer(s) Jonathan Williams
Editor(s)
  • Shane Murray
  • Nick Mayow
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 minutes (with commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel TV One
Picture format PAL
Original run 4 February 2013 – present
Chronology
Preceded by Close Up
External links
Website

Seven Sharp is a half hour long New Zealand current affairs programme produced by Television New Zealand. The programme was created after the discontinuation of Close Up. It is broadcast live from the TVNZ studio it shares with One News in Auckland, at 7 pm (straight after One News) every weekday on TV One. Seven Sharp presents up to 8 stories within a 30 minute timeslot every weeknight.[1] Seven Sharp is more integrated with social media and real time opinions than its predecessor.

Seven Sharp competes mostly with and consistently draws more viewers than TV3 current affairs show Campbell Live, but also shares its time slot with TV2 drama Shortland Street, Four animated sitcom The Simpsons, and Prime sports program The Crowd Goes Wild.

The show is presented by ex-Breakfast presenter Toni Street, who is currently on maternity leave, and radio presenter Mike Hosking. Fill-in presenters include Stacey Morrison, Heather du Plessis-Allan, Te Radar, Clarke Gayford, Tamati Coffey, Matt Gibb, Chris Cairns, Brendon Pongia and Rose Matafeo. On one occasion, American actor Rob Schneider appeared as co-host.

The show's primary sponsor is RaboDirect, an online savings bank.[2]

Panelists

Presenter Role Tenure
Toni Street Presenter (on maternity leave) 2014– [3]
Mike Hosking Presenter 2014–[3]
Pippa Wetzell Presenter 2015–[4]
Alison Mau Presenter 2013[3]
Greg Boyed Presenter 2013[5]

History

Season 1 (2013)

Season 1
No. of episodes 230
Broadcast
Original run February 4, 2013 – December 20, 2013

Seven Sharp premiered on 4 February 2013 with Alison Mau, Jesse Mulligan and Greg Boyed at the desk. The episode featured an interview with Josh Groban and a tour of Prime Minister John Key's office. It had the highest ratings of the season—just under 497,000 viewers. This is similar to the ratings achieved by Close Up at the same time in 2012, and came second in its timeslot, beating fellow current affairs program Campbell Live (which had 243,000 viewers) but falling short of Shortland Street (which had 661,000 viewers).[6]

Ratings fell to just under 401,000 viewers for the second episode on 5 February,[7] and hovered between 300,000 and 400,000 for the next week. On 12 February 2013, Campbell Live beat Seven Sharp in the ratings with Campbell Live gaining 346,850 viewers compared to Seven Sharp only gaining 290,710 viewers. This was the first time Campbell Live had ever gained a higher audience than TV One for the 7 pm–7:30 pm timeslot.[8][9]

Greg Boyed left the show on 6 September, and returned to hosting Tonight.[10]

Alison Mau left on the final episode of the season, on 20 December, and now hosts Radio Live with Willie Jackson from noon to 3 pm on weekdays.

Season 2 (2014)

Season 2
No. of episodes 228
Broadcast
Original run January 27, 2014 – December 19, 2014

The first regularly scheduled episode missed was on 7 February 2014, due to the IRB Sevens being played.

On 8 April 2014, the show gained just over 500,000 viewers - the first time the audience number has gone above that of the debut episode.[11]

Jesse Mulligan left the Seven Sharp panel on 17 April, and TVNZ announced that it wouldn't hire another host. This changed the show from the three-presenter format it had held since its inception to a two-presenter format.

The second regularly scheduled episode missed was on 18 April for Good Friday, despite an episode being aired on Good Friday in 2013.

The third, fourth, and fifth regularly scheduled episode missed were on 28 August, 5 September, and 17 September for One News leaders debates regarding the upcoming 2014 New Zealand general election, moderated by Mike Hosking. The first debate was between current Prime Minister John Key and Leader of the Opposition David Cunliffe,[12] the second between multiple parties,[13] and the third between Key and Cunliffe.[14]

As of 1 December 2014, Seven Sharp had an average audience of 414,674 viewers per night, significantly more than Campbell Live.[15]

Season 3 (2015)

Season 3
No. of episodes 37 (as of 25 March 2015)
Broadcast
Original run February 1, 2015 – present

The third season of Seven Sharp premiered on 1 February 2015.

The first regularly scheduled episode missed was on 5 February 2015, due to the IRB Sevens being played.


Criticism

Seven Sharp was criticized around its inception for its new format, with some media commentators describing it as an exchange of current affairs for a 'mess of pottage'.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Seven Sharp - out to redefine cutting edge". The New Zealand Herald. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Seven Sharp reveals "last minute" sponsor". Throng.co.nz. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Alison Mau to leave Seven Sharp".
  4. ↑ "PIPPA WETZELL TO CO-HOST SEVEN SHARP".
  5. ↑ "Greg Boyed announces he is leaving Seven Sharp". (video)
  6. ↑ http://www.throng.co.nz/2013/02/tv-ratings-4-february-2013/
  7. ↑ http://www.throng.co.nz/2013/02/big-ratings-drop-for-second-outing-of-seven-sharp/
  8. ↑ http://www.throng.co.nz/2013/02/tv-ratings-12-february-2013/
  9. ↑ "Campbell Live beats TV One - first time ever - Business - NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. 13 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Host leaving Seven Sharp
  11. ↑ Throng - Seven Sharp sets new record, breaks half a million mark
  12. ↑ "Hi guys, don't forget we're off air tonight because of the first ONE News leaders debate between John Key and David Cunliffe with Mike moderating.". Facebook.com. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014. Hi guys, don't forget we're off air tonight because of the first ONE News leaders debate between John Key and David Cunliffe with Mike moderating. We'll be back as usual tomorrow at 7pm. In the meantime we're keen for your feedback on the debate while it's happening, and when it's all done you can hop onto Vote Compass on tvnz.co.nz/votecompass and assess who performed better.
  13. ↑ "As it happened: ONE News Multi-Party Leaders Debate". TVNZ. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "As it happened: Final Leaders Debate - John Key vs David Cunliffe". TVNZ. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Ratings: Campbell Live vs Seven Sharp - Week 44". Throng. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "More details about Seven Sharp revealed".