Features
Upfronts season: Why 2023 is the year to ‘bounce Seven into the future’; plus a warning shot to social media’s slice: ‘we’re coming after theirs’
The next in line for the Mumbrellacast Upfronts Season stretch, Seven West Media’s Kurt Burnette and Natalie Harvey join host, Calum Jaspan to chat about not just relying on tentpoles to get you through the year, why Kyle ‘creates conversation’, how it is coming after social video’s slice of the pie, the value in retaining Australia’s number one sport and what happens if it goes without one in summer.
Much of the dialogue these past few months has seen the TV Network’s BVOD platforms talked about as the source of soon-to-launch SVOD ad-services incoming ad shares.
The launch of Seven’s new branded channel, 7Bravo, as part of its partnership with NBC Universal is a “game-changer” according to chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette on this week’s Mumbrellacast Upfronts special, as it now sets its sights on flipping the script.
“This is a game changer, because we’re talking about a brand new linear channel, another two and a half million spots of inventory to add to the marketplace, and over 2000 hours driving into 7Plus over multiple years. This is an incredible piece of content news that’s gonna help drive our future for growth.”
Seven’s senior sales leadership team. L-R: Greg Gabel, Natalie Harvey, Nicole Bence, Kurt Burnette, Dave Walker
He adds, “we are not just fishing in the linear TV channel revenue pie anymore. We want to be going after the social medias.”
“I read a lot of the articles in trade, including your own about how everyone’s coming after television money from the social medias and all the rest of it, but guess what, we are coming after theirs because we have a great deal of content, great deal of technology, and some great targeting.”
“We believe Seven is set for that, so yeah, we are aggressively going into the broader revenue pie from a business perspective.”
National sales director Natalie Harvey agrees with some of her industry counterparts that the entry of Netflix, Disney+, and now Binge is no cause for worry.
“I genuinely think that it will grow the overall video pie. I would put the question out there as to whether it will actually move money out of social video, as brands get more conscious around, ESG, around brand safety, which is not going away, and I think that when you can see premium content and you can put your brand there versus some of the other content that floats around the internet and you have no idea where it is, I think that the overall pie will grow and that creates opportunity for those players who are in there for premium local content, it becomes even more valuable.”
Harvey says with tighter wallets and household incomes coming under pressure, she is interested to see the numbers as SVOD services offer lower subscription prices.
“But we offer a free service that millions of Australians engage with every single month and by putting more content in there, all it does is increase our competitiveness within that growing pie,” she adds.
Burnette on stage last night
Last month, following Nine’s Upfront event, chief sales officer Michael Stephenson told the Mumbrellacast: “I think if you’re an advertiser and you were spending money on digital video today, I suspect the smart ones would take their money away from social video like YouTube and Facebook and move that into Netflix and BVOD, as opposed to moving any of their advertising dollars today from 9Now, 7Plus or 10Play into Netflix.”
He also said that a bigger pool of premium content continues to fuel the rise of BVOD, “and as it should”.
Paramount’s Prosser, on the other hand, said: “Look, I think anything that’s grabbing attention and eyeballs will come from somewhere, whether it’s a bit from here and a bit from there.”
Burnette says the premium video market, as it relates to television in Australia is “a strong and vibrant one”, and that stronger competitors across the board will only help uplift the industry.
“Having the technical innovations to drive us forward as an industry is going to be really important as VOZ comes in, as other initiatives that we do as a collective come in to help buying BVOD and television easier and faster.”
“Everyone playing a part in that was definitely going to move us forward, because as I mentioned before, and I think it’s really important from a business perspective, our ambition is not just to be into the $3.5-$4 billion video market. It is the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 billion marketplace, that’s what we want to play.
“And I think we’ve all at various stages got our tools and the kit to be able to get into that, and as a TV medium, we certainly want to get deep into that video revenue pie.”
Listen to the full conversation on this Upfronts special episode of the Mumbrellacast.
Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
Linkedin
topics
BingeBravoBVODKurt BurnetteKyle SandilandsNat HarveyNatalie HarveySevenSeven UpfrontSeven West MediaSVODtelevisionupfront
I feel there is a lot of wishful thinking in this one, especially when you look at the content our TV networks are pushing vs the likes of Netflix etc…we see the same tired formats from the TV networks – Australian Idol, The Voice, AGT…come ON, seriously? Is that what you believe audiences are craving for? This is not 2001, we are well beyond that.
As an agency bod, I see first hand the excitement of clients around advertising on Netflix – the same can not be said for FTA. And there is a glaring hole in Stepho’s view as to where the $ for digital video may come from…Linear TV is likely the answer, not Youtube, not BVOD, not social….Linear.
User ID not verified.
Have your say