What’s Next for Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris After The Project’s Cancellation?

A media analyst has weighed in on Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Hamish Macdonald’s futures after the The Project was axed on Monday. 

Steve Allen, who is the director of strategy and research at Pearman Media, exclusively revealed to Daily Mail Australia what he thought was next for the stars of the beloved Channel Ten show.

And according to the leading analyst, it’s not much.   

‘There are recent reports on the major stars in Seven and Nine, their contracts being reassessed and offered at much lower prices,’ he said. 

Despite television revenue being the best its been in years, Steve noted that those numbers may not extend into the second half of the year. 

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‘There is not an appetite at the top of Nine or Seven or Ten to say: “There is buckets of money coming in, let’s go wild”,’ he shared.

He added that executives are ‘trying to re-engineer their cost base from the point of view that they can’t bank on future revenue…’

Steve predicted that it is unlikely that top TV faces will land the level of salaries they once enjoyed, and that it would be crucial for them to ‘adapt’ in the future. 

‘If they’re prepared to adapt and their managers are prepared to adapt to the market then we might see them doing something else.

However, Steve left his analysis on a dim note, reminding Aussie fans that the media scape is currently not all sunshine and rainbows.   

‘It’s a pretty cold, chilly time in that area of the television business right now.’

It was revealed on Monday that The Project had been officially axed after 16 years, with its final episode airing on June 27.

Network 10 shared the news in a Facebook post, thanking viewers for their support before announcing the show’s replacement.

Hosts Waleed, Sarah and Hamish will also reportedly exit the network, while comedian Sam Taunton will continue his guest appearances on other Ten shows.

The news show, which has been in a ratings free-fall since Carrie Bickmore left her seat as host at the end of 2022, has aired ‘nearly 4,500 episodes’ to date and will wrap up in three weeks.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed The Project was under review and set to be axed on March 16.

Harris recently spoke about the cancellation and her subsequent exit from the network.

‘There aren’t many jobs where you get to tell very human stories, and interview politicians and celebrities all while having a laugh – or ugly crying – in front of a live studio audience every night,’ Harris told The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘I’ve had a blast, [but] it’s time for me to take a breath and spend some time with my boys. Keep an eye out for my OnlyFans page!’ she then joked.

Aly also released a statement, saying: ‘The Project kicked down the door of how news could be done.

‘In some ways it looks more conventional now than it used to because it led the way.

‘It showed you could bring dry stories to life for an audience that might otherwise have ignored them.’

Viewers flocked to the comments to share their dismay.

‘Thanks for all your support and honest opinions on topics!’ one person wrote.

‘Sad to see you guys going!’ another said, as someone else commented: ‘That’s so sad, I always watched it!’

‘Where will I watch my news now!? Only place that delivers news with humanity and care. Will miss you guys!! I wish you all the best for the future,’ added a fourth.