Nine in 2021: Beauty and the Geek, Celebrity Apprentice Australia, MAFS, Lego Masters and a new superbrand
2021 will see Nine bring back its tentpole reality formats – The Block, Married At First Sight, Australian Ninja Warrior and Lego Masters – alongside some new formats including Beauty and the Geek and Celebrity Apprentice Australia.
The content slate announced at Nine’s 2021 upfronts event also saw the media company announce its latest ‘superbrand’ – Money. The Money cross-platform superbrand will live across television, radio, newspapers and digital, fronted by financial journalist Brooke Corte.
It was announced earlier this year that Seven had swiped The Voice from Nine after CEO Hugh Marks said the format was too expensive for its commercial value. To replace it in the slate, Nine is revamping Beauty and the Geek, fronted by Love Island Australia host Sophie Monk, with the producers of MAFS at the helm.
The show, which ran for six seasons on Seven until 2014, has been revamped for 2021, promises Nine, to ‘deliver laughs, tears and everything in between as two groups of people from completely different worlds are set to collide’.
Nine also announced it was bringing back Celebrity Apprentice Australia, which it aired for four seasons to 2015 with Yellow Brick Road founder Mark Bouris at the helm. In 2021 the UK’s Sir Alan Sugar will be in the CEO seat, with the first three celebrities announced as fitness guru and former The Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges, radio jock Michael “Wippa” Wipfli and Olympic gymnast and Australian Ninja Warrior competitor Olivia Vivian named as the first three celebrities.
Also coming in 2021 is The Parent Jury, which was announced in 2019 but was unable to film with COVID-19 restrictions, Travel Guides, The Beach House Escape and Celebrity IOU Australia.
Plus, says Michael Stephenson, Nine’s CSO, there’s still more to come in 2020.
“Nine continues to deliver more people in the demographics that matter to advertisers than anyone else and there is still so much more to come. The combination of The Block together with the NRL final series, the Grand Final and three State of Origin Games will deliver huge audiences as we head towards Christmas,” said Stephenson.
“For marketers there has never been a better or bigger marketing platform for their end of year and Christmas campaigns.”
On the drama front, Doctor Doctor will return alongside new maternity ward drama Amazing Grace.
Nine also announced its latest superbrand, Money, which will be hosted by Money News’ Brooke Corte across Nine’s broadcast assets. It will also involve bespoke solutions on television and within Nine’s publishing assets.
Richard Hunwick, Nine’s director of sales for television and radio, said Corte was the kind of talent that inspired superbrands.
“This year Brooke has been a brilliant addition to the Nine Radio family,” he said.
“On week nights Brooke has been presenting, fast-paced, in-depth and up-to-the-minute coverage of the day’s events with everything our listeners need to know about their finances and investments.
“We will now be extending that brand across all platforms. For marketers this will mean the opportunity to extend their involvement with Money right across our full radio footprint, across our digital and print platforms and on to television via bespoke updates in programs like A Current Affair. Additionally, there will be bespoke sponsored extensions offered through Good Weekend or the Money section of our mastheads.”
Corte said there had never been a more important time for finance coverage.
“This year has seen our whole world change and our attitude to money has too. Our finances have been snapped firmly into focus in 2020,” said Corte.
“Personal finance has never been more important. I’m passionate about how we can cut through the noise to talk in-depth about the economy, our household finances and our small businesses.
“Australians are working harder for every single dollar, which means we are more focused than ever on getting a better deal on our mortgage, a lower rate on a business loan, and finding smarter ways to invest and grow our money.”
