Video Hits (Australian TV series)
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Video Hits is an Australian music television show that first aired in June 1986. It broadcasts on Network Ten for (around) three hours each Saturday and Sunday morning. From 1986 to 2004, the show featured a non-stop video clip-based format.
Video Hits generally plays Top 40 Australian and overseas titles as well as clips that are being promoted but not in the charts. From the late 80s to 1999, the show highlighted songs featured in the Australian Music Report chart each week. This fluctuated from a Top 40 format to a Top 30, Top 20 and currently just a Top 10 countdown. In the 2000's it switched to the ARIA Report. In the late 90s, an "Interactive Top 10" was introduced with songs supposedly voted in by the public. This was later stopped after claims of vote rigging. One case in particular saw a song by Australian singer Rani (called "Always On My Mind") chart in the Top 5 of the interactive chart for more than six months, having sold poorly in shops and getting very little airplay.
In 2003, the show reached 1.5 million viewers every Sunday in metropolitan markets.
In 2004, the show introduced a new look and format that includes feature interviews each week and clips from different music genres. The new format included two regular hosts Kelly Cavuoto and Axle Whitehead - former contestants on Australian Idol in 2003. After Kelly was sacked in late 2004, Axle took over as a solo host of the show. He has since interviewed many artists including Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Coldplay, and Pete Murray.
Video Hits also hosts various competitions through SMS. In 2005, the show gave away more than $650,000 in prizes.
During late 2005 the show was broadcast live on Sundays with a live audience. Special guests appeared on the show to co-host, such as The Veronicas, The Black Eyed Peas and Melissa Tkautz to name a few.
In 2006, the show is broadcast live without an audience. The chosen artist picks songs they want played along with their own past and present videos in a format similar to Rage.
Video Hits supports Australian music, featuring local artists such as George, Frenzal Rhomb, The John Butler Trio, Little Birdy, Delta Goodrem, The Hampdens, The Cat Empire and The Sleepy Jackson. In 2006 it started to mimic the ABC's rival music TV show rage playing more alternative artists like Korn and The Used.
Video Hits turns 20 years old in 2006 and will be celebrating with a special event featuring a countdown of the Top 100 Video Clips of the past twenty years, compiled from online and SMS votes.
See also
External link
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