House Rules fails to nail its launch

House Rules: Michelle and Steve (NSW) Jemma and Ben (WA) Jane and Plinio (TAS) Amy and Sean (QLD), Nick and Chris (VIC) Carly and Leighton (SA) Picture: Channel 7 Source: Supplied

NEW renovation series House Rules bombed on debut when it had worst launch figures than last year's shockers Being Lara Bingle, The Shire and Excess Baggage.

The first episode of the Seven Network reality show on Tuesday night could only muster 803,000 viewers, according to OzTAM ratings.

In comparison to 2012's flops, Network Ten's The Shire pulled 941,835 on debut while Being Lara Bingle attracted 924,950, and the Nine Network's first episode of Excess Baggage was watched by 885,482.

Seven gave itself a tough task by launching House Rules against a live elimination round of The Voice and at the same time the federal budget was being handed down.

Nine claimed the first two places in the ratings on Tuesday with The Voice (1.597 million) and The Block Sky High (1.308 million).

It is the second night in a row The Voice has not topped 1.6 million, after regularly pulling audiences around the two million mark.

As for House Rules, the real test will come on Wednesday when it goes head-to-head with Nine's The Block Sky High and The Big Bang Theory.

The failure of House Rules did not affect Seven's family drama Packed To The Rafters.

The popular Aussie series, which followed House Rules, pulled more than a million viewers for fifth spot in the ratings.

House Rules will also air on Thursday night as the lead-in program to the grand final of Celebrity Splash.

The final two episodes of Celebrity Splash have been crunched into one, suggesting this will be the first and last series of the diving show.

Did you tune in to House Rules? What did you think?

Nick and Chris from Channel 7's new reno show House Rules. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

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Banks launch technology war

Managing money is getting a boost from technology. Source: National Features

TECHNOLOGY advances that make it easier to manage our money have become a new battleground for banks and other financial institutions.

Only 20 per cent of Australians receive full financial advice, and an explosion of online tools and apps is under way that will help fill the void.

The Commonwealth Bank this month launched MyWealth, which targets Australia's three million self-directed investors with an online platform that lets them do banking and invest in shares and funds with one login.

CBA expects competition and chief innovation officer for equities and margin lending Lisa Frazier says the way people manage their wealth is changing.

"The technology is the core enabler," she says. "This is just the beginning and we are now working on property and superannuation.

"Customers tell us: 'We are in control and make the decisions'."

A sticking point in managing money online has been the fact many people use multiple providers for their banking, shares and super, and the providers don't share data.

However, this is likely to change and Frazier says sharing is already happening in the US.

New apps are being rolled out regularly with a growing list of features. National Australia Bank's new Money Tracker app "learns" from its experiences with its users, remembers transactions for use in the future, and suggests budget targets for them.

NAB executive general manager direct banking Sam Plowman says people want helpful and intuitive automation.

"A customer can forecast what their financial position will be in 10 years based on current income and expenses," he says. "They can then input 'what if' scenarios, such as 'what if I got a pay rise of $5000 in year three and then purchased a house in year seven'."

New research by State Custodians Mortgage Company found 83 per cent of Australians prefer managing their money online, and 73 per cent are using apps to manage their finances.

"People want to be able to use their mobile phones to access their financial information and fast," says State Custodians chief executive Heidi Armstrong. "Australians are technology-savvy and expect financial advice or information within a matter of minutes."

View the original article here

Banks launch technology war

Managing money is getting a boost from technology. Source: National Features

TECHNOLOGY advances that make it easier to manage our money have become a new battleground for banks and other financial institutions.

Only 20 per cent of Australians receive full financial advice, and an explosion of online tools and apps is under way that will help fill the void.

The Commonwealth Bank this month launched MyWealth, which targets Australia's three million self-directed investors with an online platform that lets them do banking and invest in shares and funds with one login.

CBA expects competition and chief innovation officer for equities and margin lending Lisa Frazier says the way people manage their wealth is changing.

"The technology is the core enabler," she says.

"This is just the beginning and we are now working on property and superannuation.

"Customers tell us: 'We are in control and make the decisions'."

A sticking point in managing money online has been the fact many people use multiple providers for their banking, shares and super, and the providers don't share data.

However, this is likely to change and Frazier says sharing is already happening in the US.

New apps are being rolled out regularly with a growing list of features. National Australia Bank's new Money Tracker app "learns" from its experiences with its users, remembers transactions for use in the future, and suggests budget targets for them.

NAB executive general manager direct banking Sam Plowman says people want helpful and intuitive automation.

"A customer can forecast what their financial position will be in 10 years based on current income and expenses," he says.

"They can then input 'what if' scenarios, such as 'what if I got a pay rise of $5000 in year three and then purchased a house in year seven'."

New research by State Custodians Mortgage Company found 83 per cent of Australians prefer managing their money online, and 73 per cent are using apps to manage their finances.

"People want to be able to use their mobile phones to access their financial information and fast," says State Custodians chief executive Heidi Armstrong.

"Australians are technology-savvy and expect financial advice or information within a matter of minutes," she says.

View the original article here

Banks launch technology war

Managing money is getting a boost from technology. Source: National Features

TECHNOLOGY advances that make it easier to manage our money have become a new battleground for banks and other financial institutions.

Only 20 per cent of Australians receive full financial advice, and an explosion of online tools and apps is under way that will help fill the void.

The Commonwealth Bank this month launched MyWealth, which targets Australia's three million self-directed investors with an online platform that lets them do banking and invest in shares and funds with one login.

CBA expects competition and chief innovation officer for equities and margin lending Lisa Frazier says the way people manage their wealth is changing.

"The technology is the core enabler," she says.

"This is just the beginning and we are now working on property and superannuation.

"Customers tell us: 'We are in control and make the decisions'."

A sticking point in managing money online has been the fact many people use multiple providers for their banking, shares and super, and the providers don't share data.

However, this is likely to change and Frazier says sharing is already happening in the US.

New apps are being rolled out regularly with a growing list of features. National Australia Bank's new Money Tracker app "learns" from its experiences with its users, remembers transactions for use in the future, and suggests budget targets for them.

NAB executive general manager direct banking Sam Plowman says people want helpful and intuitive automation.

"A customer can forecast what their financial position will be in 10 years based on current income and expenses," he says.

"They can then input 'what if' scenarios, such as 'what if I got a pay rise of $5000 in year three and then purchased a house in year seven'."

New research by State Custodians Mortgage Company found 83 per cent of Australians prefer managing their money online, and 73 per cent are using apps to manage their finances.

"People want to be able to use their mobile phones to access their financial information and fast," says State Custodians chief executive Heidi Armstrong.

"Australians are technology-savvy and expect financial advice or information within a matter of minutes," she says.

View the original article here