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NEED TO KNOW
- HGTV has experienced a significant decline in viewership over the last eight years, according to a new report from Deadline
- Over the last two months, the network has canceled at least seven of its shows, many of which centered around home renovations
- The network has been introducing other shows that break away from this format, including Zillow Gone Wild and the Property Brothers’ Chasing the West
Following a rash of unexpected show cancellations this summer, HGTV fans are questioning where the network is headed.
While HGTV still has yet to publicly address the sudden programming purge, it could be due in part to the decline in viewership they’ve experienced over the last eight years, according to a new report from Deadline on Monday, July 28.
The outlet, citing Nielsen, reports that HGTV had an average of 1.5 million viewers in 2017, and since then, it’s lost almost half of its total audience, with its average viewership coming to 773,000 last year.
According to U.S. Television Database (US TVDB), HGTV is the eighth most popular television channel and averages 582,000 viewers during primetime as of July 24.
Deadline also notes that the network is failing to hold the attention of its younger viewers, as the key 18-49 demographic was down 26 percent last year. A reported average of 425,000 viewers in this age bracket were watching the network in 2017, whereas only 101,000 tuned in last year.
PEOPLE has reached out to HGTV for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
HGTV
The outlet, which spoke to several sources that produce the network’s shows, notes a number of factors that could have contributed to the decline in viewership. This includes the sizable budgets it takes to make home renovation shows happen.
These types of shows — including many of the recently-canceled series like Christina on the Coast and The Flipping El Moussas — can cost up to $500,000 per episode and take place over the course of many weeks, per the outlet.
Meanwhile, other shows that focus more on real estate, they claim, range from $200,000-$300,000 and don’t take as long to film.
Another issue the network may be facing, per Deadline, is the rise in popularity of DIY renovators on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Viewers can easily get their design fix by turning to these shorter-form videos on their phones any time they want.
Courtesy of HGTV
The recent cancellations could be the network’s effort to make room for new shows that follow a less costly format.
The Property Brothers’ latest show for the network is Chasing the West, which follows twins Drew and Jonathan Scott as they help potential homeowners shop for their dream house in the country, but don’t renovate them.
Another show the network introduced in May 2024 is Zillow Gone Wild, which follows host Jack McBrayer as he tours some of the most creative and unconventional homes in the U.S.
HGTV
Despite HGTV seemingly breaking away from its usual format, the network has seen recent success with its new house flipping competition show, The Flip Off, starring Tarek El Moussa, Heather Rae El Moussa and Christina Haack.
According to a press release in March, the series, which first premiered in January, “delivered HGTV’s highest-rated freshman series among adults 25-54 since 2022” and racked up nearly 14 million viewers at the time the release was published.
While the show did focus on the three stars renovating properties in a fast-paced, competition-style format, it also incorporated more of an inside look at their personal lives, including Haack’s divorce from third husband Josh Hall and her reconciliation with her second husband Ant Anstead.
Earlier in July, a source told PEOPLE that the series has been renewed for a second season, however filming has not yet started.
Courtesy HGTV
Along with Christina on the Coast and The Flipping El Moussas, the network has canceled Battle on the Beach, Farmhouse Fixer, Married To Real Estate, Bargain Block and Izzy Does It.
Despite the network not yet addressing these cancellations, many of its stars have already spoken out.
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Jessica McGowan/Getty
The hosts of Married to Real Estate, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, took to social media to express their shock and disappointment over learning their show was canceled while they were on vacation.
Farmhouse Fixer host and New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight announced the cancellation news for his show on Instagram while he was in the middle of the group’s Las Vegas residency.
Meanwhile, Haack recently appeared to address the cancellation of Christina on the Coast, writing “canceled looks good on me” in the caption of a July 20 Instagram post following the news.
