On November 28th, RTL 4's infotainment program RTL Boulevard, which drew 884.000 viewers (market share: 18,9%), explained Patty Brard's exclusive contract with Talpa Network (owner of SBS6) might not be renewed. Click here to watch the excerpt from RTL Boulevard. "Patty Brard confirmed that she would not extend her contract with Talpa. The Shownieuws expert says she wants to freelance, and she will meet Talpa executives on December 9th to discuss her future. She thought it was strange to talk about it to us. We also called Talpa. They were surprised and didn't want to react to Patty's comments," RTL Boulevard host Luuk Ikink said. TV expert Rob Goossens added: "Patty once came to 6 Inside to save the program but failed. She thinks that Shownieuws' time slot is too late".
In March 2019, the diva signed an exclusive four-year deal with Talpa. This signature felt like revenge for the ex-Luv' singer after the Dutch media conglomerate got rid of her in 2017, considering her "not fruity and fresh anymore". In 2018, Patty underwent a gastric bypass and lost 40 kilos. This drastic weight loss was combined with a change in her public image. The once turbulent drama queen of Dutch showbiz (who always took advantage of every platform to criticize Luv') tried to change into a friendly and relaxed TV personality.
Patty Brard signing a 4-year contract with TV director of Talpa Network Marco Louwerens on March 22nd, 2019
In 2020, Patty revealed in her best-selling biography that her contract stipulated that if she gained weight, she would be fired.
Since her return on SBS6, the TV shows hosted by Patty have been disappointing in terms of viewing figures:
The infotainment program "6 inside" (2019) was a complete failure.
The repair show "Zo Goed Als Nieuw" (2019) scored mediocre TV ratings (except for the episode featuring the Meiland family, whose presence boosted the program).
The celebrity figure skating competition "Dancing On Ice" (2019) had a promising start: the two first episodes were successful, but the next ones lost the ratings war against the other TV networks.
"Patty en Gordon op zoek naar de eeuwige jeugd" (2020) - a travel show featuring Gordon and Patty (in search of eternal youth), which reached unsatisfactory viewing figures. Shortly afterwards, the duo was supposed to co-host a talk show, but this project was shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Patty's appearances on De 5 Uur Show (2020-2021) didn't improve its bad viewing figures.
De Grote Huisverbouwing (2021-2022), a home renovation show, suffered the same fate as the above-mentioned TV projects.
At the moment, Shownieuws is the only program that keeps Patty active on TV regularly.
The diva's bad TV ratings happened in a particular context in the Dutch media. In June 2021, RTL Nederland and Talpa Network announced a merger plan pending approval by the European Commission and the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets. In the new conglomerate, RTL Nederland is to hold 70% of the shares and Talpa Holding 30%. Talpa Entertainment Productions and Talpa Concepts won't be a part of the merger. Both parties reasoned that a merger was the only solution to an ever-growing presence of foreign media parties, giving space to a single commercial Dutch media company capable of producing specifically for the Dutch market. Critics, however, claimed that the failure of Talpa Network was the reason behind the merger.
In October 2021, Miss Brard said she was not afraid of the merger, which would cause dismissals. "I'm going with the flow. It's fine. Anyway, I enjoy what I do on SBS6. I have many other projects besides television, so I don't depend on this merger. In the past, I was very nervous about my career on TV. But now I am busy with other things," Patty told Party magazine.
In January 2022, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets stated that it could not approve the merger yet and that further investigation into the consequences of price, quality and innovation is necessary.
Patty's bad situation on TV raises several questions: Has La Brard lost the Midas touch on SBS6? If the succession of misadventures goes on, will her presence on TV be compromised?
Patty has other strings to her bow in addition to television. The entertainer has connections with the music world and can release new music. Since February 2020, she has launched successful collections of panther-print household items at Kruidvat (a Dutch chain of drugstores).
So no one has to worry about her future.
Source: RTL Boulevard, SBS6, Talpa, Mediacourant, Welingelichte Kringen, Televizier, Veronica Superguide...