The Seven Upfront was loaded with programming announcements, a full reveal of the new shows and when they would be on, plus an address from Warburton that was bold and brave, with a frank admission about the past few months.

Seven’s Upfront seemed to borrow a little from Apple events. Slick production (which Andy Kay and his team have always delivered), a word from the CEO that summarises success and challenges, and then hands it over to people in the engine room to explain what is happening.

Warburton early on explained the recent asset sales and acquisition has been done with one objective and one focus: “To invest in content which will improve our performance and create a go-to media network for the largest and engaged audience in the country.

“Five days ago we changed the game. The proposed merger with Prime will make us the biggest broadcast premium video and news network in Australia.”

To reinforce the image of the graphic on the screen behind the TV chief, Warburton stressed: “That’s right, we reach 90% of Australians all in one place. Right here on Seven – one phone call to the Seven sales team.

“To clients and media buyers it is simple. We will halve your workload. We have the most superior and unmistakable offer in the market. The biggest platform to deliver true business results for your organisation.

“If you harness the combined Seven your reach is now 21% more than Nine and 47% more than 10. With our evolving digital strategy and our Western Australia newspaper assets our intention is to target more than just the broadcast market.

“As a merged entity we are larger than Facebook and YouTube on reported Nielsen DCRs. [We are] the number one offering – premium, brand safe and all in one place.

“It is bordering on ludicrous that we remain one of the few countries in the world where national audiences are split because of where you live – but no more. One place, one audience, one brand new, fresh go-to-market offering.”

Warburton acknowledged Prime Media chairman John Hartigan and CEO Ian Audsley who were both at the Upfront.

The most revealing part of Warburton’s address to past, present and future commercial partners was his examination of the network’s recent performance.

“As a content company in recent times we have lost our way in our entertainment strategy and tentpole strategy. We haven’t invested in these tentpoles, we haven’t developed them and accordingly Sunday to Tuesday at 7.30pm has been a real problem.

“We have been weak, inward focused, tired and stagnant. Recently we have had a string of poor programs and failures by our own high standards. We have let others take a share of what we have been so good at in the past. We haven’t thrown a punch over the last quarter and, to be frank, it’s been disappointing.

“It is important to be totally transparent and to ensure everyone in this room knows what our plans are to address that.

“We probably won’t get it 100% right from here, but we can guarantee we are the best network to deliver for you.

“My job is to give the team the tools and the financial power they need to make the changes. Our competitors have had it easy. We have not been ourselves and we have not had a clear strategy or focus.

“From here on in we will be fierce. We will invest 30% more in content on our tentpole programs at 7.30pm. We will program Seven 52 weeks of the year. We will target people 25-54 and we will invest in programming Sunday to Thursday. Sports and Better Homes and Gardens will continue to dominate Friday and Saturday nights.”

Warburton also remarked on the recent appointment of Charlotte Valente, Seven West Media’s first chief marketing officer. He said Valente would “completely freshen our go-to-market proposition with a renewed look and feel and an increased laser-like focus on the audiences we serve.

“We will refresh and reinvigorate our tentpole programming, but not throw out the formats that have been very successful for us.”

Warburton then reminded My Kitchen Rules and House Rules both delivered pretty handy audiences earlier this year. “But these shows haven’t evolved, and to be honest, they have looked tired.”

He also addressed Seven’s preoccupation with producing internally. “We have had our doors closed to the outside production world. But no longer. We have opened those doors and the best production companies have come straight in, and they are welcome. Tonight, in a first, you will hear from some of them.”

Later in the evening guests heard from Rikki Proost (former Seven production now at Eureka – making Farmer Wants A Wife) and Peter Newman (Endemol Shine Australia – making Big Brother Evolution).

Warburton then reminded the audience how dominant the network was in 2018, before turning to 2019: “Currently we are less than a point behind winning another year. If you take out The Ashes, a one-off event, we are actually leading the year.”

Warburton then reviewed the current ratings performance: “From sunrise to sundown we dominate. From 5am until midnight we lead the year. Sunrise has won 294 days in a row and counting. The Chase is unbeaten and at 6pm Seven News has won 272 and 294 nights this year.”

Recently appointed Seven West Media managing director and CEO James Warburton said: “I’ve been clear from day one that we’re executing a content led growth strategy. To that end we’re investing 30% more in our tentpole programs and franchises.”

Titles new to Seven in 2020

Plate of Origin with Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel
Mega Mini Golf
SAS: Who Dares Wins
Pooch Perfect with Rebel Wilson
Between Two Worlds (drama)
RFDS (drama)

Familar franchises

Big Brother
Farmer Wants A Wife
Australia’s Got Talent: The Champions
All New Monty: Guys and Gals
My Kitchen Rules & House Rules reimagined

Seven’s Upfront commentary highlights

Seven’s renewed Sunday-Thursday 7.30pm strategy will build on the Network’s consistent leadership in news, sport, lifestyle and drama.

7NEWS is Australia’s most watched news service for the 16th consecutive year and continues to go from strength to strength, increasing viewers in 2019. 7NEWS.com.au is one of the top five news brands in the country.

Sunrise leads breakfast TV for its 14th consecutive year, while The Morning Show is No. 1 for its 12th consecutive year.

The Chase Australia has won every day this year and has grown audience share year- on-year.

Friday night favourite Better Homes and Gardens is Australia’s No. 1 lifestyle program.

7plus is the fastest growing commercial free-to-air BVOD platform in the country, up 54% year-on-year.

Seven is this country’s home of drama, with the No. 1 Australian drama Home and Away; No. 1 drama and US drama The Good Doctor; and No. 1 UK drama Manhunt.

New drama for Seven

In 2020, the network launches Between Two Worlds, a bold, seductive and glamorous new thriller from master creator Bevan Lee (A Place to Call Home, Packed to the Rafters). Justine Clarke (Tangle, Rake, The Time Of Our Lives), Rob Collins (The Wrong Girl, Glitch, Cleverman) and Stephen Peacocke (Home and Away, Wanted) will lead the cast of RFDS, a new action-drama based in Australia’s red heart, where the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent as the heart-stopping emergencies they attend.

New overseas dramas include psychological thriller Reckoning, filmed in Australia and headlined by Aden Young (Rectify, The Disappearance) and Sam Trammell (True Blood); and relationship drama Gold Digger, with Emmy Award-winner Julia Ormond (Mad Men, Legends of the Fall) as an older woman falling in love with a much younger man, Ben Barnes (Westworld).

Sport

Seven is the home of sport in 2020, with the biggest events only on Seven. Starting on the 24th of July, TOKYO 2020 will redefine how Australians watch sport. The 30 days of the Olympic and Paralympic Games are forecast to reach over 21 million Australians, even more than Sydney 2000.

Seven’s broadcast coverage on Seven and 7TWO – led by the one and only Bruce McAvaney – will be simulcast in HD on 7plus. On top of this, six bonus curated 24/7 channels and 35 live streams on 7plus will allow Australians to experience the Olympics like never before. 7plus will also offer captioning in multiple languages – an Australian first. For the first time ever, all of the Olympics and Paralympics will be free, an offering never seen before in Australia.

Coming off one of the most competitive seasons seen in 2019, 7AFL’s coverage of the 2020 AFL Premiership Season promises to be captivating viewing from the first bounce in March right through to the final siren of the 2020 AFL Grand Final on the last Saturday in September.

7CRICKET returns for its second summer of cricket in 2019-20. The condensed Big Bash League season will deliver a better experience for viewers, with more primetime BBL finals and for the first time, a strategic time-out. More day/night test matches and games into November will deliver the best summer of cricket yet, live, free and in HD on Seven.

Seven’s sport coverage in 2020 goes beyond the end of play. After establishing itself as the undisputed No. 1 footy show in 2019, The Front Bar, featuring Sam Pang, Mick Molloy and Andy Maher, returns bigger and better than ever before to cover the 2020 AFL season. Armchair Experts, Seven’s innovative social sports show, continues to grow in 2020, expanding to cover the NFL along with AFL.

Between the first ball of the Women’s BBL and the 2020 AFL Grand Final, Seven will broadcast over 265 days of live and free sport. With TOKYO 2020, 7AFL, 7CRICKET, Horse Racing and much more, Seven’s sport is unmatched in 2020.

Multichannels

Australia’s No. 1 multichannel 7mate will go HD in 2020.

7mate dominates multichannels for the hard-to- reach M16-54 demographic and in 2020, Seven will relaunch 7flix with a new brand to target younger female demographics.

PLATE OF ORIGIN

In 2020, food superstars Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan join Manu Feildel for PLATE OF ORIGIN. Launching with the power of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, this international cooking competition will be on a scale that Australia has never seen before; reaching not just every corner of this country but also overseas. Showcasing teams of diverse cultural backgrounds who are passionate about their unique cuisine, this worldwide food fight will pit cuisine against cuisine, plate against plate, cook against cook. Which cuisine will reign supreme? This is the Olympics of cooking with a truly global flavour. Let the flames begin.

PLATE OF ORIGIN is a Seven Studios production.

BIG BROTHER

Twenty years ago, nine people entered a purpose-built house to be watched 24/7 by Big Brother and it changed TV forever! Life inside the house was fascinating, unpredictable, uplifting, confronting, shocking, surprising, hilarious and above all else, entertaining. In 2020, the world’s greatest reality show returns to shake things up. But if you think you know BIG BROTHER, then think again. This time, everything has changed. The thrilling new era of BIG BROTHER begins with a dynamic new house full of incredible surprises, new rules designed to create show stopping twists and a new generation of unique and ambitious housemates determined to outstay each other no matter what Big Brother throws at them. The only question is, when BIG BROTHER returns… are you ready to play?

BIG BROTHER is an Endemol Shine Australia production for Channel Seven.

MY KITCHEN RULES: THE RIVALS

Chef vs Chef, Fans vs Faves, House vs House – this is MY KITCHEN RULES: THE RIVALS. In an MKR first, five former favourite teams go head-to-head with five new teams in the fiercest competition yet. Each group of teams will be living together in separate houses and they’ve all got something to prove – especially their group mentors, Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge. Through a series of cooking challenges in House Manu or House Colin, the two chefs try to bring the best out of their teams while Pete Evans serves as the impartial judge. As the competition progresses, the rivalry heats up in and out of the kitchen, while friendships are formed and a hint of romance adds some extra spice. Ultimately, one team will be crowned MKR champion – will it be a fan or fave? You’ve never seen an MKR like this!

MY KITCHEN RULES: THE RIVALS is a Seven Studios production.

HOUSE RULES: HIGH STAKES

On HOUSE RULES in 2020, the stakes have never been higher with new judges, new hosts and “next level” surprises which push the teams harder than ever – and it all comes together 33 stories high. Eight new teams will have to prove their worth in the toughest challenge in the show’s history – the transformation of a high-rise penthouse on the Gold Coast. With more to gain but even more to lose, teams will be desperate to succeed as they attempt to please two brand new judges who have their own sky-high expectations. Joining superstar judge Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be interior design entrepreneur Kyly Clarke and prolific Aussie home builder Saul Myers. Meanwhile, new host and former HOUSE RULES judge Jamie Durie will be joined by acclaimed presenter and sports journalist Abbey Gelmi who’ll make sure contestants maintain a winning edge. HOUSE RULES: HIGH STAKES is a game changer, but teams will still have to entrust the keys to their biggest asset, their own homes, to their competitors for mind- boggling transformations.

HOUSE RULES: HIGH STAKES is a Seven Studios production.

MEGA MINI GOLF

Based on the hole-in-one hit format on America’s ABC Network, MEGA MINI GOLF is an extreme miniature golf competition set on a larger-than-life obstacle golf course. Aussie mini-golf lovers of all ages and backgrounds will have the chance to tee off on the most epic course ever devised in this country, competing head-to-head on supersized holes. They’ll face out-of-this-world challenges as their putting and physical skills are put to the test while they attempt to complete the course and reach the daunting final hole.

MEGA MINI GOLF is a Eureka Production for Channel Seven based on a Eureka/Disney/Unanimous format.

SAS: WHO DARES WINS

Fourteen brave Aussie celebrities are about to embark on the toughest test of their lives – attempting to overcome the intensive SAS selection process. Over two weeks, an elite group of ex-Special Forces soldiers, led by Chief Instructor Ant Middleton, will put these stars through an extraordinary series of physical and psychological tests, each from the real SAS selection process.

Cut off from the outside world at a secret base in a foreign country, they will eat, sleep and train together in spectacular and punishing terrain with no allowances made for their celebrity status. As they progress through the gruelling course, they’ll be forced to confront surprising truths about themselves to discover their real character. Some will reach breaking point and withdraw. Which recruits will tough it out to the end?

SAS: WHO DARES WINS is produced by Screentime, a Banijay Group company, based on a Minnow Films format, for Channel Seven.

FARMER WANTS A WIFE

It’s created more happily-ever-afters than any other dating show, with nine marriages and 19 babies in Australia (with another on the way) and 147 marriages and 280 babies worldwide. Now, Australia’s most successful love show is back with a new crop of single farmers who are ready to find their soulmate.

FARMER WANTS A WIFE is a Fremantle and Eureka co-production for Channel Seven.

POOCH PERFECT

“Edward Scissorhands meets Dance Moms meets Survivor” – that’s how host Rebel Wilson describes her new competition dog styling series POOCH PERFECT. Aussie dog lovers and fur-parents will go mutts over the epic transformations as 10 professional dog stylists take their clippers to beloved pooches of every shape, size and breed in this pawsome competition. A panel of the industry’s top judges will critique their work to determine the ultimate winner of the $100,000 grand prize.

POOCH PERFECT is a Seven Studios production.

AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT: THE CHAMPIONS

The battle to be crowned ultimate champion is here as the best of Aussie talent take on the world in an incredible, showstopping showdown.

AGT and AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT: THE CHAMPIONS will bring together the most talented, memorable, wackiest and all-round fan favourite acts from past seasons of  some of the most popular acts from the Got Talent franchises around the world on the one stage. This super-charged celebration of creativity and talent will deliver the most spectacular competition ever seen in Australia.

AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT: THE CHAMPIONS is a Fremantle production for Channel Seven.

THE ALL NEW MONTY: GUYS AND GALS

The Real Full Monty and The All New Monty: Ladies Night are the No. 1 and No. 2 new shows of the past two years. Now, these feelgood formats come together for one monster special event series. Shane Jacobson, Todd McKenney and Georgie Parker will bring together male and female celebrities for THE ALL NEW MONTY: GUYS AND GALS with Home and Away actress Sam Frost and Better Homes and Gardens presenter Adam Dovile the first two stars confirmed to take part. Who else will dare to bare all for a good cause?

THE ALL NEW MONTY: GUYS AND GALS is a Seven Studios production.

MATES ON A MISSION

Mates Shane Jacobson, Todd McKenney, Kris Smith and Brian “BT” Taylor travel the world to take on insane challenges in this inspirational travel comedy series. This fearless, funny and unique band of brothers are no strangers to each other or to getting out of their comfort zones after taking it all off for THE REAL FULL MONTY. Now, they’ll go to any length, on any land, to shine a light on mental health issues and encourage blokes out there not to bottle up, but to open up.

MATES ON A MISSION is a Seven Studios production.

RFDS

Acclaimed actress and award-winning singer Justine Clarke (Tangle, Rake, The Time Of Our Lives), Logie Award-winning star of stage and screen, Rob Collins (The Wrong Girl, Glitch, Cleverman) and Logie Award-winning actor Stephen Peacocke (Home and Away, Wanted) lead the cast of RFDS (working title), a gripping new action-drama on a grand scale, based in Australia’s red heart, where the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart stopping emergencies they attend. Based on remarkable real-life stories and filmed on location in and around Broken Hill, this series will capture the beauty and brutality of Australia’s vast centre where the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the RFDS negotiate the unique challenges of emergency retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country. It’s also a story about community and people coming together to laugh, to cry and to triumph, in spite of the huge obstacles they face.

Rob Collins

RFDS is an Endemol Shine Australia production for the Seven Network. Major production investment from Seven Network in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from Screen NSW through the Made In NSW Fun and the Regional Filming Fund.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

From master creator Bevan Lee (A Place to Call Home, Packed to the Rafters, All Saints, Winners & Losers) comes this bold, seductive, glamorous new thriller featuring a world class ensemble cast led by British actress Hermione Norris (Cold Feet, Spooks, Luther). Norris stars as Cate Walford, whose harsh, vicious, business tycoon husband, Phillip (Philip Quast, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Hacksaw Ridge) fights to dominate his family as he faces his mortality. Through a shocking twist of fate, their dark and murky world collides with the seemingly disparate and disconnected, warm and loving world of widow Sophia Grey (Sara Wiseman, A Place to Call Home) and her footy star son and musical daughter. Destructive secrets are soon unearthed proving nothing is quite as it first might appear. Aaron Jeffery (Wentworth), Dominic Allburn (A Place to Call Home), Blazey Best (A Place to Call Home), Marny Kennedy (Janet King) and up-and-coming actors Tom Dalzell, Melanie Jarnson, Megan Smart, Alex Cubis and Elijah Williams also star.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS is a Seven Studios production.

FALCONIO: AN OUTBACK MURDER

From the heart of the Australian outback comes the inside story of a terrifying murder that shocked the world. FALCONIO: AN OUTBACK MURDER (working title) is a blockbuster True Crime series that investigates the 2001 disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in outback Australia. In one of the most detailed re-investigations of the Falconio case ever mounted, this four-part series dives into the details and the dramas that have surrounded this extraordinary case from day one. It will deliver the powerful first-hand accounts of many people impacted by this event and will use new and exclusive access to the original defence case documents to re-examine the evidence put forward at the trial of the man convicted of Falconio’s murder – Bradley John Murdoch.

FALCONIO: AN OUTBACK MURDER is produced by CJZ for Channel Seven.

WIFE SWAP

In this dramatic and emotional series, two wives with opposing parenting styles swap lives in a bold, new social experiment. Morals and social behaviours are tested as the wives and their families are thrown into each other’s world. In one episode, a cashed-up mum of privately schooled children, swaps lives with a dole-receiving, hippy mum of eight un-schooled kids who live a nomadic lifestyle on a bus. In another, a clinical, vlogging mum who lives her entire life online and in front of the camera, swaps lives with a rural farmhand mum who lives off the land, completely off the grid.

WIFE SWAP is a Screentime, a Banijay Group company, production for Channel Seven.

GOLD DIGGER

Starring Emmy winner Julia Ormond (Mad Men, Legends of the Fall, Temple Grandin, Sabrina) and Ben Barnes (Westworld, Chronicles of Narnia, The Punisher), GOLD DIGGER is a contemporary, relationship thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns. The story focuses on a wealthy woman who falls in love with a much younger man and the impact this has on her already damaged family. Mother first, wife second, woman last – 60-year-old Julia (Ormond) has spent her whole life putting the needs of others before her own. Then she meets Benjamin (Barnes), a 30-something copywriter with a shrouded history. As the drama unfolds, the consequences of their relationship are explored, as devastating secrets from the past tear the family’s fragile bonds further apart. Has Julia finally found the happiness she’s always deserved? Or is the complex and enigmatic Benjamin really the gold digger her family think he is?

GOLD DIGGER is produced by Mainstreet Pictures for BBC One.

RECKONING

Filmed in Sydney and set in California, this psychological thriller explores the darkest corners of the male psyche through the eyes of two fathers, one of whom is a serial-killer. Homicide Detective Mike Serrato (Aden Young, Rectify, The Disappearance) and high school Guidance Counsellor Leo Doyle (Sam Trammell, True Blood, This Is Us), try to do what’s best for the people they love and the families they protect. But as both struggle to suppress their inner demons, the murder of a local teenager sets them on a course of mutual destruction that will emanate through every facet of their quiet, suburban community. Australia’s Simone Kessell (The Crossing, Terra Nova) and Laura Gordon (Winners & Losers, Hunters) also star.

RECKONING is produced by Playmaker Media, in association with Sony Pictures Television.

ONE LANE BRIDGE

ONE LANE BRIDGE is a character-focused crime drama with a dark, supernatural edge. The series stars Dominic Ona-Ariki (Jonah, Shortland Street) as Ariki Davis, an ambitious young Cook Island Māori Detective who, during a murder investigation at Queenstown’s infamous One Lane Bridge, inadvertently reawakens a spiritual gift that endangers the case, his career and his life. The cast also includes Sara Wiseman (A Place to Call Home, Between Two Worlds), Joel Tobeck (Tangle), Peter McCauley (The Brokenwood Mysteries), Ryan O’Kane (Shortland Street), Dean O’Gorman (The Bad Seed), Jared Turner (The Secret Daughter), Michelle Langstone (800 words) and Alison Bruce (Ablaze).

ONE LANE BRIDGE is produced by Great Southern Television.

FILTHY RICH

Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) stars in this southern Gothic family drama in which wealth, power and religion collide – with outrageously soapy results. When the patriarch of a mega-rich Southern family, famed for creating a wildly successful Christian television network, dies in a plane crash, his wife and family are stunned to learn that he fathered three illegitimate children, all of whom are written into his will, threatening their family name and fortune. With monumental twists and turns, FILTHY RICH presents a world in which everyone has an ulterior motive – and no one is going down without a fight.

FILTHY RICH is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television.

9-1-1: LONE STAR

High-octane drama 9-1-1 expands its reach to the city of Austin, Texas with its first-ever spin-off. From 9-1- 1 co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear comes 9-1-1: LONE STAR, featuring Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation, The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters) as a sophisticated New York cop who, along with his son, relocates to Austin where he must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving problems in his own life. Liv Tyler (The Leftovers, Harlots) also stars.

9-1-1: LONE STAR is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE

Set in the same 1880s London society that gave rise to Jack the Ripper, this British detective drama features a fearless, independent heroine played by Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders, The Crown). With her inquisitive mind, Miss Scarlet has always been more interested in running her late father’s detective agency than behaving like a proper lady. But nothing has prepared her for the dangers she is about to face as a woman in the murder investigation trade.

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE is produced by Element 8 Entertainment.

BILLY CONNOLLY’S GREAT AMERICAN TRAIL

From prolific British writer Rachael New comes this fresh crime drama

 about the first ever female detective in 19th century London.

BILLY CONNOLLY’S GREAT AMERICAN TRAIL sees legendary comedian Billy Connolly telling the incredible story of the Scottish people in America. Starting in New York and finishing in Nashville, Tennessee, Billy heads far off the beaten track into the places you’ve heard of but have rarely seen. As he follows the migratory trail of the Scots, he discovers the extraordinary places and people that make today’s America, with its diverse heritage of immigration. This is a series bursting at the seams with music, football, gangsters, whales, real life moonshiners – all tied up together in this incredible story of the land of the free, as seen through the eyes of one of the world’s most loved comedians.

BILLY CONNOLLY’S GREAT AMERICAN TRAIL is produced by Wonder, a Banijay Group Company.

REGULAR OLD BOGAN (7mate)

Australia’s answer to South Park, REGULAR OLD BOGAN is an adult animated comedy series with a big heart and even bigger balls. This love letter to Australia revolves around the adventures of the Stubbs family – dad Gavin Stubbs, a stubborn and misinformed tradesman; overbearing mum Wendy, a primary school teacher; Toby, their often bullied, hypersensitive teenage son; and Mary Sue, their foul-mouthed, six-year-old daughter. The Stubbs are a typical family from the suburbs, but this isn’t a family drama – it’s an adventure show. In each episode, they encounter outrageous situations like fighting terrorists, facing Death Row in a Balinese prison or getting lost in the outback when they’d much rather be at home firing up the barbie and talking about the latest specials at Aldi.

REGULAR OLD BOGAN is produced by Stepmates Studios for 7mate.

DESERT COLLECTORS S2 (exclusive to 7mate)

Join the Desert Collectors Nigel and Norm as they travel Australia’s spectacular outback, steeped in history and heritage, in search of unique treasures and meeting the people who spend their lives collecting them.

DESERT COLLECTORS is a Desert Collectors Australia production, in association with Blizzard Road Productions, for 7mate.

CODE 7 delivers seamless buying and real-time reporting nationally across broadcast and digital, while 7CAP enables Australia-first contextual ad placement optimised and automated in broadcast.

CODE 7 to deliver seamless buying and real time reporting for partners

Along with Seven’s 2020 content slate, CODE 7 was announced as Seven’s easy, one place to buy solution. Using a combination of technology, process and people, CODE 7 is fast, guaranteed audience delivery for broadcast (metro and regional*) and digital. With no makegoods and guaranteed audience, CODE 7 will deliver increased effectiveness for Seven’s partners and make Seven the easiest network to partner with.

Importantly, CODE 7 will be seamlessly integrated into the future industry platform for cross screen trading and VOZ. 

Natalie Harvey, Seven’s Network Sales Director said: “CODE 7 changes the game for our partners. For the first time, one seamless solution will allow them to buy exactly what they want, where they want, when they want. Across broadcast and BVOD on 7plus, it couldn’t be easier to reach the largest and most influential audience in Australia.

“Of course, CODE 7 is built for the future. It will smoothly integrate with VOZ and the future industry platform for cross screen trading. We can’t wait for our partners to start taking advantage of the power of CODE 7.”

7CAP enables Australia-first Contextual Ad Placement optimised and automated in broadcast

Cementing Seven’s status as a market leader in technological innovation, 7CAP is Australia’s first Contextual Ad Placement service for broadcast television. By partnering with Amazon Web Services, artificial intelligence and machine learning is used to analyse and code all Seven programming – identifying objects, environments and mood states within the content which brands can choose to align with.

7CAP’s data driven approach to contextual ad placement within broadcast ensures brands can be aligned to moments of greatest relevance that maximise impact, cut through and ROI.

Using 7CAP, ad recall is doubled and brand awareness is significantly boosted. With 7CAP the effectiveness of digital targeting arrives to broadcast.

Kurt Burnette, SWM Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We will continue to challenge ourselves and our focus on innovation is going to be key in how we extract the greatest value from our larger audience across Australia to then delight our partners. 7CAP not only provides a better viewing experience through contextual relevancy, it also provides our partners with a new way of targeting our audience to connect with their relevant customers based on the latest technology.

“Our early trials indicate doubling of brand awareness, higher engagement rates and brand recall for our advertisers, however, more importantly – we have seen our viewers lean in more to the ads we are serving.”

By James Manning

Content v Commercial: Which comes first?

Photo [L-R]: Jay Walkerden, Mark Lollback, session chair Jaime Chaux, Gtnt Tothill and Corey Layton

GroupM’s Mark Lollback started admitting that when it comes investing into spoken audio, most of their clients are struggling with budgets. “Podcasting for brands though is very attractive. But media has never been more complicated and many see podcasting [spend] as experimental. Clients still don’t know what is the best creative to insert in a podcast.”

PodcastOne’s Grant Tothill said in the past the platform has been working hard to educate agencies and clients. “Our model is now starting to pay dividends,” he said without giving too much away. “We offer a complete slate of entertainment and education.” About their content that appeals to SMEs, Tothill said: “That has been a big opportunity for us.”

Nova’s Jay Walkerden spoke about their recent partnership with News Corp Australia. “There are some big titles coming,” he added without much detail. Regarding client integration, he said it was something uppermost in their minds from the very start of any project.

“Brands are still wanting to know how to get involved in podcasting,” said ARN’s Corey Layton. Regarding podcast projects, he echoed the company mantra: “If there’s not a commercial gain you ask yourself why you are doing it. The exception might be a podcast that will bring audience into your ecosystem.”

Next time: Podcasting essentials with ABC and PodcastOne.

Pru Chapman’s Wild Ride

If just half of these descriptions are accurate – mentor, strategist, speaker, head hustler, game changer, disruptor and entrepreneur, keen meditation student, wellbeing enthusiast – the second season launch of the Pru Chapman’s One Wild Ride podcast will be worth a listen.

The idea behind the podcast is to dig into innovative people and inspire others to chase their dreams, whatever they might be.

After working with executives in the media and finance sector, host Chapman took the leap from clinical psychology to navigating early-stage businesses. She then dropped out and bought a one-way ticket to London.

Chapman said: “As good as this picture looked from the outside, I actually found myself feeling deeply unfulfilled. I didn’t know what to do next, but I knew something had to change, so I quit my job. From there my wild ride began. What I discovered within those years was not my calling, but the firm realisation that I wasn’t going to find it working for someone else.”

Listen to One Wild Ride here.

ESPN latest large publisher to go daily

ESPN just this week launched it own daily podcast. Monday through Friday, host Mina Kimes brings listeners an inside look at the big stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and insiders, from the breaking news of SportsCenter to the deep dive storytelling of 30 for 30.

Four new titles from Audible Original released

The growing catalogue of Australian podcasts from Audible just got bigger this week with four new titles coming in the next few weeks:

No Gangsters in Paradise by Mahmood Fazal (October 15)

In Western Sydney, a wave of gun violence tests the limits of Sydney justice and questions Australia’s treatment of Muslim communities. This Audible Original Podcast highlights the tension between the law and the ideals of young migrants.

Life After Truth by Ceridwen Dovey (November 21)

Life After Truth is a novel by Aussie novelist Ceridwen Dovey that follows five friends over a Harvard college reunion weekend. They wonder if they’ve wasted their youth but the soul-searching begins in earnest when the most infamous member of their class turns up dead

Riot Act by Mark Humphries (December 2)

Campbell Parkes is an idiot with his own radio show. Until he’s tricked into fronting an event dedicated to a notorious Australian historical event. This satirical Audible Original Podcast is Mark Humphries’ black comedy at its best and features an Australian cast including Dan Ilic, Gretel Killeen, Rosie Waterland and Sandra Sully.

Fail State by John Birmingham (December 3)

When a city runs out of food, how long before people start killing each other to survive? Book 2 of the End of Days Series asks these questions of the intriguing group of characters we met in Book 1; the Audible Original, Zero Day Code.

Listen to Audible Originals here.

ARN to rep iHeartPodcast Network

ARN has secured exclusive sales representation for all Australian downloads of the iHeartPodcast Network podcast catalogue.

The catalogue has over 3.5 million downloads in Australia each month and features leading iHeartRadio Original podcasts such as:

Stuff You Should Know
Disgraceland
Stuff You Missed In History Class
The Breakfast Club
Committed
Bobbycast
Noble Blood

These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio Australia app, which additionally distributes more than 280,000 shows including ARN’s existing locally produced podcast offering.

ARN chief commercial officer Peter Whitehead said: “With our ongoing investment in iHeartRadio Australia, ARN is the only audio company that is able to bring together radio, music and podcasts all in one place, delivering Australian audiences the most comprehensive broadcast and on-demand audio offering in the country.

“The addition of the iHeartPodcast Network catalogue further cements our commercial leadership in the Audio category and creates an unrivalled opportunity for advertisers to amplify their campaigns using ‘broadcast to podcast’ strategies, powered by enhanced data and targeting capabilities.”

The Media i Awards, scheduled to be held in Sydney on November 13th, is the culmination of a record 4,175 voters (2,147 media agency professionals) voting for the individuals and teams they believe achieved excellence in media sales.

Each agency respondent voted for their best media sales teams and representative in the respective channels they engaged in during 2019.

This year’s Media i Awards finalists will compete in the following categories:

• National Sales Team of the Year
• Sales Team of the Year by Market (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia & South Australia); and
• Sales Person of the Year – by Market, by Category (Television, Digital, Outdoor, Magazines, Newspaper, Radio)

The full list of this year’s nominees can be viewed at:

Winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney, for further information on the awards night, go to www.mediaiawards.com.au

Charles Parry–Okeden, CEO Media i, commented “The Media i Awards not only recognise the professionalism and excellence of sales teams and individuals, but the success they achieved for clients in collaboration with media agencies.”

“The popularity and importance of the Media i Awards has been proven once again with this year’s voting up on last year [2018] and reflecting a record number, representing over 80% of the media owner facing agency fraternity. Finalists should feel immensely proud of their nomination”, said Chris Winterburn, managing director, Media i.

This year’s Media i Awards have once again been well supported by the media industry including the Media Federation of Australia and all of our returning category sponsors; Carat, IPG Mediabrands, OMD, PHD, Posterscope, Starcom, The Media Store, UM, Vizeum & Wavemaker along with new sponsors, Kaimera & Zenith.

NATIONAL SALES TEAM AWARD NOMINATIONS

ARN
Bauer
Nine
Nine Publishing [Digital]
oOh! Media
Verizon Media

STATE SALES TEAM AWARDS NOMINATIONS
NSW Sales Team of the Year

ARN
Bauer
Nine
Nine Publishing [Digital]
Quantcast
Verizon Media

VIC Sales Team of the Year

Bauer
Nine
Nine Publishing [Digital]
oOh! Media
realestate.com.au
SBS [Digital]

QLD Sales Team of the Year

Bauer
JCDecaux
News Corp Australia
Nine
Southern Cross Austereo [Television]
Verizon Media

SA Sales Team of the Year

JCDecaux
Network Ten
News Corp Australia
Nine
Nova Entertainment
SBS

WA Sales Team of the Year

JCDecaux
Nine
Nine Publishing [Digital]
Nova Entertainment
SBS
The West Australian

Also on November 7 Foxtel launches a new movie channel, Foxtel Movies Kids (Ch 403), and refreshes its movies offering with 11 exclusive dedicated Movies channels including the new Ultra HD Movies Channel.

Foxtel Movies Ultra HD plans to offer blockbusters, family favourites and all time classics in Ultra HD. Movies premiering at launch include this year’s latest hits Aquaman and Bumblebee, as well as popular titles Deadpool 2, The Predator, Star Trek, movie franchises including Batman plus The Dark Knight, Die Hard, Mission Impossible, all eight Harry Potter movies as well as the two Fantastic Beasts movies, and many more.

In 2019, Foxtel televised over 250 live sporting events in Ultra HD including: every day of the Domain Test series, every match of the Gillette ODI and T20INTL series and selected KFC BBL games; every race of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship; every match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup; selected games of the 2019 Telstra NRL, 2019 Toyota AFL premiership and 2019 Vodafone Super Rugby, 2018/19 Hyundai A-league; plus a whole lot more.

All this content will now be on Fox Sports Ultra HD channel, starting with the summer of cricket and Australia v Chile women’s Football match on November 9. 

Foxtel Director of Television Brian Walsh said, “After introducing Australia’s first Ultra HD channel in 2018, Foxtel has continued its commitment to delivering the best in television and entertainment with the launch of two new dedicated Ultra HD channels in 4K for Sports and Movies.

“These new channels follow the success of our Ultra HD sports broadcasts starting with the 2018 Supercars at Bathurst, followed by a complete summer of Cricket, and the exclusive coverage of every match of every nation of the Rugby World Cup in 2019. We’re now excited to expand our Ultra HD channels into Movies and be the first broadcaster to offer a dedicated 4K home cinema experience.

“Foxtel’s plans for November 7 are an overall revitalisation of Foxtel’s Entertainment and Movies offering with the launch of four new and exclusive FOX Entertainment channels and a refreshed Foxtel Movies service including a new family movie channel, Foxtel Movies Kids.”

Foxtel Movies aims to have a movie for every mood from Hollywood classics, action, comedy, romance, thriller, and family movies to the biggest blockbusters across 10 genre based Movie Channels including current channels Foxtel Movies Premiere, Family, Action, Comedy, Romance, Greats and Thriller, new channel Foxtel Movies Kids, and the refreshed channels Foxtel Movies Drama, Hits and Ultra HD from November 7. 

Foxtel Movies Kids promises to be a world of fun all in one safe place. Key content at launch will include kids’ favourites Shaun the Sheep, Storks, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, Duck Duck Goose, Adventures of Elmo in Grouch Land, Early Man and many more. More titles will continue to be added weekly once the channel launches on November 7 including Happy Feet, the Air Bud franchise, and Chicken Run.

Foxtel Movies Ultra HD is now included as part of the Movies HD subscription; and Fox Sports Ultra HD is now included as part of the Sports HD subscription. Access to Foxtel’s Ultra HD channels requires an iQ4 set-top-box and a compatible 4K TV.

Foxtel’s new channels commencing on November 7 include replacements for Foxtel 4K UHD, 111 Funny, TV Hits, Disney Movies, Movies Masterpiece and Movies More.

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany said: “FOX is a breakthrough global entertainment brand known for surprising and shaking things up. These new FOX-branded TV channels allow us to take control of our entertainment programming based on bold channel personalities that keep things fresh and aligned to what our customers want from us. They will also deliver great outcomes for our advertisers.

“The channels are unapologetically and unmistakably Foxtel. They are exclusive to us and make it even easier for our customers to access our huge range of television, from the latest international and local drama series to the most popular crime and comedies.

“They add to our existing flagship FOX-branded channels and will be home to thousands of hours of the best live and on demand TV. There is no other collection of channel brands like it on Australian television or streaming platforms.”

Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s Executive Director of Television, said: “These new channels are part of an exciting revitalisation of Foxtel’s entertainment offering, bringing an exclusive powerhouse of FOX entertainment brands to our subscribers. The four new channels, alongside the existing FOX-branded channels, are an unbeatable destination for the best range of premium TV. 

“We know our customers enjoy a wide range of television from favourite dramas to classics, and the latest from around the world, as well as a mix of great comedies. The new FOX-branded channels will bring a diverse range of content that is aimed to ensure the best entertainment experience for our customers.

“These additional channels join a refreshed Foxtel Movies offering including a new family movie channel, Foxtel Movies Kids, and Australia’s first dedicated 4K Ultra HD movie channel.”

Foxtel has provided descriptions for the new channels below:

FOX ONE 

The channel will be home to the world’s most addictive and entertaining dramas, and will launch on November 7 with the explosive mini-series War of the Worlds.  Airing over two epic nights (Nov 7 & 8) and available to stream On Demand, this latest adaptation of H.G. Wells’ seminal tale is set in Edwardian England and follows George (Rafe Spall) and his partner Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson) as they attempt to defy society and start a life together, while swerving the ongoing chaos of an alien invasion.

Also premiering on FOX ONE in November are two of the hottest new series from the US – All Rise and The Prodigal Son.  All Rise (Nov 12) is a CBS courtroom drama that looks inside the chaotic, hopeful and sometimes absurd lives of judges, prosecutors and public defenders as they work with bailiffs, clerks and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process.

Prodigal Son (Nov 13) is a FOX crime drama starring Tom Payne as Malcolm Bright, a gifted criminal psychologist who uses his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, a serial killer father (Martin Sheen) still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses.

Returning favourites coming to FOX ONE include Magnum, P.I. S2 (Nov 10), Chicago Fire S8 (Nov 14) and S.W.A.T. S3 (Nov 17), as well as Strike Back S8, Burden of Truth S2, Blue Bloods, Sex & The City, The Mentalist, Hawaii Five-O and House.   

FOX ONE will also be home to the long-running and hugely popular TV soaps Days of Our Lives, The Young & The Restless and Shortland Street, previously housed on Arena.

FOX FUNNY

This channel is the place to go for comedies and sitcoms that can be watched time and time again.  The channel will celebrate world class comedies of the noughties and now, including The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Office, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and My Name Is Earl.

FOX CRIME 

This channel is the ultimate destination for thrills, mystery and murder.  It’s arresting TV for lovers of crime and suspense enjoyed from the safety of their own homes.  Key programs appearing on FOX CRIME include CSI, CSI Miami, CSI NY, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, NCIS New Orleans, Bones, Cold Case, Criminal Minds and Without a Trace.

FOX H!TS 

This channel will feature iconic comedies from the 80s and 90s such as Friends, Will and Grace, Frasier, The Nanny, Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld.

These four new channels will complement Foxtel’s existing FOX-branded channels:

FOX SHOWCASE 

Will continue to deliver the world’s most ground-breaking stories, from cutting edge international and original dramas to must-see special events.  A huge upcoming line-up includes Catherine the Great (Nov 3), His Dark Materials (Nov 5), Britannia S3 (Nov 12), Ray Donovan S7 (Nov 24), Upright (Dec 1) and Mrs Fletcher (Dec 8).

FOX8

Foxtel’s flagship entertainment destination, features all the hugely popular DC Universe series including Batwoman, Supergirl, The Flash and Doom Patrol, alongside animation favourites The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad and reality series American Idol and America’s Got Talent.

FOX CLASSICS 

This channel will continue to elebrate the greatest film and television of all time, with Saturday Night at the Movies with Graeme Blundell as well as classic American television and British comedy including M*A*S*H, Keeping Up Appearances, Jeopardy! and Hogan’s Heroes.

“We are proudly the home of FOX in Australia,” said Brian Walsh “and this exceptional channel collection will boast some of the best television of all time.”

Wednesday Week 43 2019

• Seven News 916,000/890,000
• Nine News 770,000/797,000
• A Current Affair 697,000
• ABC News 620,000
• 7.30 517,000
• The Project 246,000/473,000
• 10 News First 330,000
• The Drum 143,000
• SBS World News 132,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 293,000
• Today 197,000

Seven

Home and Away hovered just under 600,000 for the third successive night.

The ob doc double saw Highway Patrol on 469,000 and then Motorbike Cops on 521,000.

The Good Doctor returned to the schedule with 495,000, enough to claim a top 10 spot.

Nine

After two nights close to 750,000, A Current Affair was down to just under 700,000.

The Block ended a frantic week with 800,000 after 870,000 a week ago.

Love Island Australia then did 301,000.

10

The Project was on 473,000 after 7pm.

The Bachelorette Australia had 628,000 watching after 668,000 a week ago.

Playing For Keeps then did 221,000 after launching with 288,000 a week ago. 10 calculated that launch audience grew to 625,000 via BVOD, catch-up and encore screenings.

ABC

Gruen was again the channel’s best, but the numbers dipped from 729,000 last week to 645,000 last night.

Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery was on 394,000 and Frayed did 374,000.

SBS

Britain’s Ancient Tracks was on 214,000 at 7.30pm.

After 8.30pm Struggle Street lifted the audience to 253,000.