After years of sliding ratings, it appears the end is finally near for The Project, with new reporting claiming that Network Ten preparing to pull the plug on the once-flagship current affairs program.

Industry insiders have revealed to TV Blackbox that a brand new current affairs show is in development to replace The Project, with a major format overhaul already in the works.

Unlike its predecessor, the new program will reportedly air only four nights a week  from Monday to Thursday – effectively scrapping the low-performing Friday night edition.

The Sunday edition of The Project, which has aired since 2017, is also expected to be axed, leaving a noticeable gap in Ten’s early evening lineup.

Sources have revealed that the replacement program is being quietly prepared for a launch as early as July or August.

After years of sliding ratings, it appears the end is finally near for The Project, with new reporting claiming that Network Ten preparing to pull the plug on the once-flagship current affairs program. Pictured: Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris

Industry insiders have revealed to TV Blackbox that a brand new current affairs show is in development to replace The Project, with a major format overhaul already in the works. Pictured: Denham Hitchcock, who Ten has poached from Channel Seven

It’s a significant shift not only in tone but also in volume – with the new show to run just 30 minutes per episode, down from The Project’s six-hour-per-week live broadcast format.

That’s a dramatic cut to Ten’s primetime output, with some questioning how the network plans to fill the additional airtime and whether the savings from winding down the show’s production – currently managed by Roving Enterprises – will be reinvested elsewhere.

It comes amid a significant reshuffle at the network.

As previously reported by Daily Mail Australia, Ten has poached several high-profile journalists from Channel Seven – including veteran reporter Denham Hitchcock, 7News Sydney’s Bill Hogan, and award-winning former foreign correspondent Amelia Brace – to front its soon-to-be-launched investigative unit.

Hitchcock confirmed the news on Instagram earlier this week, calling it a full-circle moment.

‘Well here we go. I’ve switched channels. But also in a way – I’ve come full circle,’ Hitchcock began.

‘I grew up watching my father on Channel Ten News every night. I had a bunk bed with Eyewitness News stickers all over it – and can still sing the theme song.’

He added: ‘So I’m delighted to start work here today – joining the network to help with its plans for the future.’

Sources have revealed that the replacement program is being quietly prepared for a launch as early as July or August

Hitchcock, along with 7News Sydney’s Bill Hogan and award-winning former foreign correspondent Amelia Brace, have all resigned from Seven to join Ten. The trio are believed to have signed on to front a new current affairs program on Ten

He also shared a throwback photo of his father, veteran Ten journalist Kevin Hitchcock, sporting a classic 1980s moustache and captioned it with some amusing words: ‘Not sure I could pull one of those off – but there’s still time.’

The move comes just days after The Australian reported that Hitchcock, along with 7News Sydney’s Bill Hogan and award-winning former foreign correspondent Amelia Brace, had all resigned from Seven to join Ten.

The trio are believed to have signed on to front a new current affairs program backed by Ten’s head of news, Martin White.

Brace and Hitchcock left Seven’s Sydney newsroom within hours of quitting and began work at Ten on Monday. Hogan is expected to start in three weeks.

The departures fuel speculation that Ten is preparing to launch a prime-time news magazine show to take on Nine’s 60 Minutes, Seven’s Spotlight, and ABC’s Four Corners.

Industry sources say the new program will focus on long-form investigative stories and is currently assembling what’s been described as a ‘crack team’ of reporters and producers.

A Ten spokesperson confirmed the shake-up to Daily Mail Australia, saying: ‘Following the continued growth and success of our news brand, 10 News, we are investing in an investigative unit that will work on long-form stories.’

For Hitchcock, the move comes just three months after returning to Seven following a break from TV journalism to live on a catamaran with his wife Mari and their young children.

Ten has poached several high-profile journalists from Channel Seven – including veteran reporter Denham Hitchcock, 7News Sydney’s Bill Hogan, and award-winning former foreign correspondent Amelia Brace – to front its soon-to-be-launched investigative unit

He had originally helped launch Spotlight in 2019 and led the network’s coverage of major crime and current affairs stories, including last year’s Who Killed Marea? documentary on Sky News.

Despite his short return to Seven, Hitchcock appears ready to dive back into serious reporting at Ten – and has called on viewers to help feed him stories.

‘To everyone who keeps sending me stories to look into – keep them coming. I read every message,’ he wrote.

Ten’s new current affairs program is expected to launch later this year.

Hitchcock departs only three months after having returned to Seven after a couple of years off living on a catamaran with his young family.

‘I’m back. It’s time to wash some of the salt out – and get back to what I do best,’ he wrote on social media.

Network 10 has been approached for comment.