As Australian television networks navigate an increasingly volatile advertising market, the future of network talent is changing from a focus on star power, to how existing stars can make beloved shows shine.
Nowhere is this strategy more visible than at Seven West Media, where industry chatter suggests a major shake-up with one of its most beloved stars – Johanna Griggs.
With questions about her future at Better Homes and Gardens, rumours are swirling that she could be primed to lead the network’s ratings juggernaut, Farmer Wants a Wife.
Given the show has a devout following with millions of fans across Australia, and Better Homes and Gardens is Australia’s most popular lifestyle show, it could be the slam dunk the network needs to secure further longevity for the reality show.
At the time of publication, Seven has not made any confirmations of any changes on Farmer Wants a Wife, and the fate of the show’s current host, Natalie Gruzlewski.
However, recent cost-cutting measures and programming changes are reportedly reshaping priorities at Seven, with the insider adding that networks are “three steps ahead”.
“Joh is television gold,” one source explains. “If she decides she’s ready for a change, there aren’t many doors at Seven that wouldn’t open for her.”
Last year’s Australian Talent Index’s Top Talent Report from Talent Corp, which measures the popularity of stars across Australia’s media landscape, highlighted that there’s a hunger for personalities that can achieve the “broadest possible audience appeal”.
The Better Homes and Gardens host was ranked 13th among Australia’s most popular TV personalities by thousands of Australians, which reinforces her established fanbase.
What also adds to Johanna’s case is that she also runs a farm in the Hunter Valley with her husband, Todd Huggins.
“Joh loves storytelling and connecting with everyday Australians,” another insider adds. “People around the network have been joking for years that she’d be perfect helping farmers find love.”
Johanna has also been candid about the realities of the TV industry, and how she thinks she’ll be aged out of her current role.
“I’m sure it will happen in the next couple of years”, she previously said on the How Motherhood Changed Me podcast.
“First, I’m a middle-aged woman. Two, it’s just the way the industry works…I’ll definitely get the tap on the shoulder, and my time will move on…”
