News

Seven unveils new formats as boss vows to be number one until at least 2020

Seven's management team at today's upfronts.

Seven’s management team at today’s upfronts.

Network Seven’s CEO Tim Worner has vowed that the TV network will remain number one until at least 2020, at a 2015 Seven Upfronts event held for media buyers today.

Mumbrella understands Worner made the promise to a select group of top media buyers and marketers at a star-studded event, being held over two days at Fox Studios which saw the TV network roll out its major TV stars and spend millions of dollars on what buyers described as “a slick extravaganza” that included a helicopter with the Seven News team and Cathy Freeman re-running her famous 2000 Olympic race, with Bruce McAvaney calling her gold medal win.

Among the major programming announcements which will be made to media tomorrow are a new Rules franchise called Restaurant Revolution, in a similar vein to its 2004 franchise My Restaurant Rules, a Gallipoli special believed to focus on Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross, called The Power of Ten Gallipoli, an ‘Underbelly style’ drama on serial killer Ivan Milat, called Catching Milat, and a new drama series starring former Packed to the Rafters star Erik Thomson, called 800 Words.

The new drama will feature Thomson’s character as a widowed father who moves his family overseas following the death of his wife and then agrees to write an 800 word column for a newspaper.

It is also understood that Seven had confirmed that it has the rights to Aquarius, an upcoming American drama television series starring David Duchovny, and How to Get Away with Murder.

Many media buyers Mumbrella spoke to were reluctant to be quoted on the record, ahead of tomorrow’s official press launch, but all said the TV Network had spent a substantial sum of money on the event.

Seven is also understood to have emphasised its rights holdings in sports creating a fake locker room replete with the smell of decorub to take buyers through, and highlighting how it had the tennis rights, upcoming Winter and Summer Olympics as cross promotional tools for its content.

Media agency Atomic212 chairman Barry O’Brien praised the network for the integrated approach it presented. “It was absolutely outstanding,” said O’Brien. “The focus that they are bring all their assets together and show how they want to use technology across all of their assets.

“They clearly invested in the presentation to make it look the way it did. It looked extraordinary and that is an absolute credit to them.”

Carat’s Simon Ryan told Mumbrella: “Amazing presentation, good content, very strong schedule.

“There was a strong rollout of strong properties leading from tennis. The senior Seven guys presented a strong line up of things. I was impressed and the clients I was there with were impressed.

“It’s now about assessing what the others are doing and making some conscious decisions about the properties we want to investigate for clients.”

Nic Christensen

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.