Channel 9 has axed The AFL Footy Show after more than two decades on Australian TV.

The network confirmed the decision in a statement last night as the iconic program battled the worst ratings in its history.

It comes as former Footy Show host Eddie McGuire on Friday morning shared an emotional reaction to the show’s death sentence.

The announcement was made just an hour after the show went to air.

“It is with regret that The Footy Show will no longer be produced,” Nine’s Melbourne managing director Matt Scriven said.

“It has been a tough decision to end the program that has been such a trailblazer, but sadly the new show has not captured audiences in the way we had hoped.

“I want to thank the current hosts, Anthony Lehmann, Neroli Meadows, Dylan Alcott, Brendan Fevola and Shane Crawford, the former hosts of The Footy Show, and the hard working crew for their great contribution.”

The Footy Show first aired in 1994 and was Australia’s longest-running sports entertainment program during prime time as it produced 735 shows. However, it lasted only eight episodes in 2019 before Nine pulled the plug.

This year it underwent a drastic shake-up to reverse its alarming ratings slide but fewer viewers tuned in than ever before. New hosts Neroli Meadows and Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann, along with Aussie wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott, were inserted as longtime Footy Show staples Eddie McGuire and Sam Newman left the program. But the fresh faces have been unable to save the show from its death.

This season’s bold revamp was designed to re-energise a tired format and give it a much-needed boost in the face of stiff competition from Channel 7 rival The Front Bar, but the change-up hasn’t paid off.

Last week The Footy Show attracted just 53,000 viewers in Melbourne — the lowest number in the show’s history. In comparison, The Front Bar had 278,000 viewers in the Victorian capital on the same night.

However, it was revealed on Friday morning the show actually enjoyed a huge ratings spike in its final rendition.

The show experienced a 47 per cent increase from the previous week’s ratings in Melbourne for an average viewership of 78,000.

The show attracted a national audience of 173,000, but was still smashed nationally by The Front Bar’s 606,000.

The show’s demise comes after former Footy Show host Craig Hutchison urged Channel 9 to ignore the ratings and focus on the quality of the program, knowing it would be nearly impossible to beat The Front Bar and Channel 7 in the first year with a new-look team.

“If I were Channel 9, and I think the same applies to The Today Show, it’s just impractical to think they can win in their first year. It’s not possible, behaviour is built over time,” Hutchison said on The Sounding Board podcast.

“I would be spending all my time thinking about the quality of the show, as opposed to its impact. Whether it loses by 200 or 180 or 170 (thousand) it’s not really going to matter at the moment versus do we think it can get to a point where it can win?”

‘THAT IS AN EXECUTION’

Former Footy Show host Garry Lyon has slammed Channel 9 for its abrupt, unceremonious decision to axe one of Australian television’s genuine icons.

Lyon, who was moved on from the network previously, has criticised the network’s failure to give the 26-year show a proper send-off.

It follows a first report in The Herald Sun that she show’s stars and crew were given no prior warning before the show went to air for the final time on Thursday night.

The show famously finished with co-host Neroli Meadows signing off with the phrase “see you next week”.

According to reports they found out just minutes later that the show had been terminated.

“That is an execution,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast on Friday.

“The Footy Show went to air last night, Neroli (Meadows) farewelled and said, ‘thanks for watching, see you next week’.

“Then an hour later, out comes the press release, bang, The Footy Show’s gone.”

He said the show has such a significant place in Australian television that Nine should persist with one final farewell special where all the former hosts and popular characters from the show’s long history are welcomed back for one final blockbuster.

Lyon even said he would be prepared to return to Nine for the one-off show.

“Now there needs to be a celebration. There should have been a celebration,” Lyon said.

“They should have said, ‘Listen, we’re no longer, but next we’ll farewell The Footy Show.

“’Eddie, Sam (Newman) and Trevor (Marmalade) will do the first half hour.

“Celebrate that and send it on its way. That’s what should happen. This is an iconic show.”

EDDIE’S EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO FOOTY SHOW AXING

Former Footy Show host Eddie McGuire has given a lengthy, emotional response to his former program being given an instant chop.

McGuire on Friday morning spoke for several minutes on Triple M about his sadness in seeing the iconic show come to a less than glamorous end.

Here is his full speech to Triple M’s Hot Breakfast on Friday morning.

“I’m sad because it’s the end of a run for a great show,” McGuire said.

“It’s gone for 26 years, when we first started the show we were told we had six weeks to make it rate and here we are 26 years later and we got 729 more episodes out of it than anybody thought.

“It’s been a huge success. It’s transformed football, certainly the entertainment and the commercialisation of the game. So we’re hugely proud of that.

“I watched the show last night with critical eyes and I thought it was a really good show. So to (Anthony Lehmann) Lehmo and Neroli (Meadows) and (Shane Crawford) Crawf, Dylan Alcott and all the team, they should be very proud of the last show that went to air. I’m certainly very proud of what went to air last night.

“I watched both shows last night, I watched the Footy Show and the Front Bar, both very good shows, both completely different.

“Unfortunately, on this one the network wanted to go with a younger feel, decided to try something. Probably the show should have finished up at the end of last year on the last grand final show, which rated really well and could have finished on a high note. But to Nine’s credit, they decided to have another go with a new look in a very crowded market in a year where there have been so many Thursday night football shows so it’s always been bouncing around a bit, so it didn’t really get much of a chance, but I’m very proud of what the guys put to air in the six months they’ve been on.

“My heart goes out firstly to all the crew, to the many people who today wake up today. Melbourne production is very important, it’s something I fight hard for. We’re losing a lot of it, it was one of the last big shows done in Melbourne.

“There’s a lot of people, maybe in the media, who will death ride the show and maybe enjoy giving it the last kick. I hope they don’t do that because it’s put a lot of kids through school and put meals on tables.

“The other thing people forget is that every week that I hosted the show and long after I did, every one of those was a great show and millions and millions of dollars went back into the footy community because of the success of the Footy Show.

“All things must pass, 26 years it’s been the longest running show in the history of sports entertainment. It was the first sports entertainment show that went on prime time.

“I’m not going to look back and be a nark about anything other than to say it’s been the biggest influence on my life. It gave me everything I’ve ever had in my life. It gave me everything I’d ever dreamt of. I love the show. I love what it did in television and I really, really have a great affinity and great and feeling for everyone who has ever been on the show. “I’m sad and gratified at the same time.”

AUSTRALIA REACTS TO FOOTY SHOW

Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann has given a public statement following reports the crew of the Footy Show were given no prior warning that the show would stop operating after Thursday’s episode.

Lehmann, brought on to pull the show out of its ratings death spiral, and his team were given just seven episodes into the 23-round footy season before their chord was pulled by Nine.

He said he was “bloody disappointed” Nine decided to cancel the iconic program.

I’m bloody disappointed The Footy Show has been cancelled but I’m grateful for the opportunity to host it with Nez, Fev, Dylan and Crawf and am really proud of the shows we made. Our team were brilliant and spare a thought for the crew, some of whom had been there for 25 years! — lehmo (@lehmo23) May 9, 2019

Fellow panellist Brendan Fevola also said it was “very sad” the show had been cancelled when talking about the decision on his Hit Network radio program Fifi, Fev and Byron.

The new-look production’s key, late signing Neroli Meadows, a popular presenter on Fox Footy, also took to social media after the show was cancelled on Thursday night to thank all her colleagues and crew.

Meadows was the last addition to the new-look panel after being head-hunted to be the show’s key female voice.

Other commentators have not been as kind.

Footy figures and TV commentators were happy to celebrate the end of the long-running show after it exceeded its used-by date in the eyes of some.

Surprised to learn The Footy Show was actually still on. — Titus O'Reily (@TitusOReily) May 9, 2019

Nine finally puts The Footy Show out of its, and our, misery. What a sad end to what was once a leviathan of Australian TV sport. pic.twitter.com/JS9Ahpv4Rt — Dean Felton (@DeanFelton7) May 9, 2019

A very sad day with “The Footy Show” no more. So many great memories growing up... watching it live in the studio and attending the brilliant Grand Final shows at Rod Laver Arena - what an innings! @AFLFootyShow #AFLFootyShow — Brent Costelloe (@brentcostelloe) May 9, 2019

Everyone will talk about the plummeting ratings and the cancellation, but we should also toast what The Footy Show did for the game across 25 years & 735 episodes. It was such a huge part of the game. Sad end, but what a remarkable innings from a show created from nothing. https://t.co/1AVuBgTnwP — Glenn McFarlane (@MaccaHeraldSun) May 9, 2019