Channel Nine axes the NRL Footy Show after 23 years on air

Channel Nine have axed the NRL Footy Show after 23 years on air – the latest controversial move by the free-to-air network.

The network informed Australian TV’s longest serving host, Paul Vautin, the show would not see 2018 while he was on holiday overseas, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Nine are looking to revamp their rugby league lineup to reflect the dwindling ratings of the program, which has seen viewers decline from a weekly audience of nearly 400,000 in the mid 2000s to an average of barely 80,000 this year. 

The new scheduling is set to revolve around rising star Erin Molan, who is set to get her own one-hour program. 

The cancellation comes in the wake of Lisa Wilkinson being let go from the Today show after hosting the popular morning show for 10 years.

Channel Nine have axed the NRL Footy Show after 23 years on air 

The network informed Australian TV's longest serving host, Paul Vautin (left), the show would not see 2018 while he was on holiday overseas, with Erin Molan (right) set to get her own show

The network informed Australian TV’s longest serving host, Paul Vautin (left), the show would not see 2018 while he was on holiday overseas, with Erin Molan (right) set to get her own show

The popular sports show, which launched the careers of Vautin, Beau Ryan and Matthew Johns, has won a record 11 Logie Awards for Best Sports Program.

It is making way for a new lineup of NRL shows led by Molan, directly opposing Fox Sports’ Sunday-Monday-Thursday schedule fronted by former-Nine employee Yvonne Sampson.

The Monday night program is expected to reflect the more analytical approaches of similar programs on their News Corp rivals like NRL 360.

The popular sports show, which launched the careers of Vautin, Beau Ryan and Matthew Johns, has won a record 11 Logie Awards for Best Sports Program

The popular sports show, which launched the careers of Vautin, Beau Ryan and Matthew Johns, has won a record 11 Logie Awards for Best Sports Program

Nine will be showing 23 Thursday night games from next season, which helped executives make the decision to cut the Footy Show.

The costs of producing a live sporting event as well as a two hour sports variety program on the same night was reportedly the driving force behind the decision.

Molan and Vautin’s contracts run out at the end of next year, with the latter expected to feature more prominently in the commentators box.

Ryan’s deal ends in 2018, and his involvement in the new lineup is yet to be confirmed.   

The show has seen a steady decline in viewership over the past decade as the show lost popular co-hosts Peter Sterling (left) and Matthew Johns (center right)

The show has seen a steady decline in viewership over the past decade as the show lost popular co-hosts Peter Sterling (left) and Matthew Johns (center right)

The show has seen a steady decline in viewership over the past decade as the show lost popular co-hosts Peter Sterling and Matthew Johns.

Popular segments including Anti-Ads, the Daredevil Duds and Reg Reagan drove huge numbers for Nine and saw it win four-consecutive Logie Awards from 2004 to 2007. 

Johns was sacked by the network in shame after a group-sex scandal that threatened his media career. 

He began a short-lived sports show directly opposite the Footy Show on Channel Seven, before finding a permanent home on Fox Sports, where his Monday show will now face direct competition from his former employer.

Sterling also hosts his own show on the pay TV network, but still works for Nine as a commentator. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk