Kyle Sandilands, 47, and Rove McManus, 44, have been embroiled in a bitter feud for 15 years.
And after going head-to-head in Network Ten’s pilot week ratings battle, it seems Kyle has well and truly snatched the crown.
According to OzTam, Kyle’s reality show Trial By Kyle was the highest rating pilot among eight competitors, airing last Thursday night to a national audience of 519,000 people.
King Kyle! Kyle Sandilands (left) has had the laugh after his show Trial By Kyle won Network Ten’s pilot week ratings war… as Rove McManus’ (right) program Saturday Night came in last place
Meanwhile, Rove’s program Saturday Night came in last place, earning a national audience of just 297,000 people in it’s Saturday night slot last week.
The result may have come as a surprise to some, given that Sportsbet had Kyle’s show at the longest odds to be commissioned for a series, while Rove’s program had the longest odds.
In true Kyle form, the shock-jock wasn’t shy to gloat about his success during an on-air segment this Monday.
Proving them wrong! The result may have come as a surprise to some, given that Sportsbet had Kyle’s show at the longest odds to be commissioned for a series, while Rove’s program had the longest odds
‘I shouldn’t have doubted myself!’ he declared to his KIIS FM co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson after she read out the result.
‘Did I doubt myself? No, maybe I did a little bit. You never know!’ he went on, adding: ‘I’m very pleased and congratulations to everyone behind the scenes, whatever your names are.’
Jackie also attempted to defend Rove’s rating failure by insisting that the Saturday night time-slot is known to be a black hole when it comes to ratings.
‘He had the toughest slot!’ Jackie ‘O’ Henderson attempted to defend Rove’s (pictured) rating failure by insisting that the Saturday night time-slot is known to be a black hole when it comes to ratings, but Kyle wasn’t having a bar of it
‘To be fair to be Rove, he had the toughest slot,’ she posited.
But Kyle wasn’t having a bar of it, sarcastically hitting back: ‘Oh and that’s what we’re all about here, being fair to Rove!’
Kyle has made no bones about voicing his disdain for Rove in the past, admitting on-air in 2016 that he ‘hated’ the former Channel Ten star
‘I hate Rove McManus… I can’t stand the c***’: The pair’s feud started back in 2003, when Kyle (left) accused Rove of mocking his then-wife Tamara Jaber’s (right) music career (pictured in 2008)
‘I hate Rove McManus… I can’t stand the c***,’ he said during an interview with Rikki-Lee Coulter.
The pair’s feud started back in 2003, when Kyle accused Rove of mocking his then-wife Tamara Jaber’s music career.
According to his autobiography Scandalands, they later patched things up when Rove’s wife Belinda Emmett died in 2006.
But shortly afterwards, Rove was allegedly rude to Kyle on his TV chat show, reigniting the feud.
‘Everyone thinks he’s cookies and cream when he’s a little pr**k. He’s a little a***hole,’ Kyle said on-air in 2017. ‘He’s a little a***hole.’