Seven launches new digital channel 7mate – aimed at men
Seven will next month launch a blokey third digital TV channel, the network has announced. 7mate launches on September 25 targeting men aged 16-49.
7mate – which will be in HD – will sit alongside its sister digital channel 7Two.
The new digital channel will kick off with HD coverage of the Australian Football League Grand Final.
Seven’s director of programming and production Tim Worner said: “We’re using the biggest sports event to launch 7mate but this new channel will be so much more than sport. We are after the most elusive demographic in media and we think we’ve got the offering to get them.”
Seven CEO David Leckie said: ““7mate is the next step in building on our leadership in broadcast television. 7mate is going to be great.”
“We’re delighted to be the first commercial network to move to three channels.”
A potential worry for pay TV is documentary content such as Air Crash Investigation which is a staple of the National Geographic Channel.
In a concern for Ten’s sports channel One, the positioning also gives Seven the potential to show more live sport once the long-awaited government review of the rules on free to air sports is completed.
Programming will include:
- Family Guy
- American Dad
- Parks and Recreation
- Last Comic Standing
- 30 Rock
- How I Met Your Mother
- That 70s Show
- Scrubs
- Crank Yankers
- Caprica
- Warehouse 13
- Stargate Atlantis
- Jersey Shore
- Pawn Stars
- Punk’d
- Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels
- Monster Garage
- Fifth Gear
- The Universe
- Life After People
- The Boneyard
- Ax Men
- Jacked: Auto Theft Taskforce
- Mega Movers
- Mega Structures
- Air Crash Investigation
- Shockwave
- The Ringer
- Strangers
- Primeval
Worner claimed: “The channel is not designed to alienate female viewers. On the contrary we will be launching several initiatives that will see the female audience watching 7mate as well.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Nine Network told Mumbrella that the launch of 7mate represented a failing of Seven’s second digital channel which had proved less successful than Go!.
He said: “Go! absolutely flogs 7Two across the board in the three key demographics , and beats it on total people – that’s despite Seven’s claims on launch that 7Two would quickly surpass Go!
“They haven’t gotten within a bull’s roar of that because like their primary channel , 7Two has ended up relying too heavily on the over 55s to bulk up its total people figures , at the clear expense of the target demos. Mate sounds like at attempt to address that big problem they have, but let’s not forget that mate was in fact their Plan A last year but shelved in favour of 7Two, which has lost its way.”
Of Nine’s plans for its next digital channel, he said: “No dates yet but it’s close and likely to be an announcement soon.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin
So am I right in thinking another main broadcaster’s HD channel the dust? That leaves Nine and SBS as the only two left… Surely HD should be a broadcasters main output – losing ABCHD to a 24-hour news channel was a criminal offence!
User ID not verified.
It’s the BBC Dave concept all over again.
User ID not verified.
Adam, that’s exactly the first thing that I thought too…
http://yourtechlife.com/2010/0.....ogramming/
Problem is, they HAVE to use HD for the second channel, so as not to lose viewers from the main channel – people who don’t have HD set top boxes. Which many many early adopters don’t have.
User ID not verified.
Seven Mate!! Are you joking or is the “Mate” a Euphemism for sex! And then this is Seven admitting they have no idea and are just F*&^ed!?
User ID not verified.
Bitching about the format (and why is it a bad thing to have it in HD?) and name aside. Ill be happy to have another channel on air. The more the better. And this will give me something else to what other then Nine on the Two and a Half men channel.
User ID not verified.
watch*
User ID not verified.
Variety is the spice of life no doubt. And adding another Channel would normally bring some more spice. GO! Vamp Diaries and Spartacus type progs note.. I would like to see new spice please instead of the rehashed foxtel Old Spice listed above.
User ID not verified.
From the HD perspective if this is going to be on the only 7 HD signal then in a couple of years Won’t the main channel Migrate to this signal anyway. So why pretend that this is going to be new channel. Two years you’re gone MATE!!
User ID not verified.
Quality line up. If they keep releasing channels, there just might be something good on for a change
User ID not verified.
Clearly only targeted at straight chauvinistic males then
User ID not verified.
As a female I’m very excited about the content. Why the name? It’s fairly offputing for half the population…
User ID not verified.
?
User ID not verified.
So basically Channel 7 is going to dust off some old programming and call it a niche channel? It will be the Coke Zero to Channel Nine’s ‘GO’ – bring on the Family Guy repeats…
User ID not verified.
Thanks for the info Trevor – I thought commercial channels had a few more SD channels up their sleeves? Last time I checked there was a channel 71 and a 73 repeating the standard Ch7 channel, with 72 is being used for “Seven Two”. Am I misinterpreting what that means?
Even if they have spectrum restrictions, I still think broadcasters should be forced to keep their HD channel as their main output as we now have the ridiculous situation where a drama like Packed to the Rafters that pulls in 2 million plus viewers a week wont be available in the very format that has seen new TV sets march out the door of retailers across the country.
Regarding the odd choice of name – having just watched the promo I’m guessing “7ShowUsYourTits” was too long.
User ID not verified.
How does the word mate off putting for women?
User ID not verified.
I’m female and I think its hilarious. Guess some girls are just having a difficult cycle this month.
User ID not verified.
So we have abc 2 and three embracing the littlies, and ten being all about sport. Go! promoting themselves to Gen Xers (and those Gen Y who think 80s are ‘retro’)enjoying the good old days when seinfeld was fresh, and cartoons involved dodgy laugh tracks.
7’s TWO embraces everything baby boomer and above – (lets face it we all know heartbeat is like crack for seniors)
This all seems to be working a treat – why do we have to focus on a particular sex as well as generational biase?
… meanwhile – i thought it was the entire concept of the govt to slowly wean people to complete HD coverage as technology builds, and SD is only a stepping platform for this … please someone tell me if this is complete fallacy!
User ID not verified.
@10.55am. “Targeted at men aged 16-49”. That’s a pretty broad range – do 17 year old males and 45 year old males really like the same shows? Further, the potential programming list appears (and I say ‘appears’) to be targeted at one type of male and a stereotypical one at that. Many of the both straight and gay men that I know would turn off for most of those shows. I appreciate there clearly must be an audience for those shows, but their target is loose and again, the programming quite stereotypical. Happy to be proved wrong via the ratings. @Moarbutz – ladette or trying to get points with the boys re “difficult cycle”
User ID not verified.
Sorry, have I missed what Australian content this new channel will have? Is there any?
User ID not verified.
Who actually watches TV shows on the TV these days anyway?
User ID not verified.
@Luke, good point. more likely it will be on your laptop or games console at a time that is convenient to the viewer
User ID not verified.
Luke (I mean this nicely) believe it or not, outside of your tech savvy community of downloading, pod casting Twitteresque, face booked digitalverse there is a whole mass of consumers who still have a TV set that is the centre of their household.
Yes I know it’s hard to believe, but at any one time tonight there will be millions of Australians watching a TV set. Honestly!! I have clients who are still getting response from their 15 second commercials appearing episodes of Bewitched and Hogans Heroes!!
These people work on the TARP that is an acronym for Tills Are Ringing Perpetually. I think it’s called the Real World.
User ID not verified.
Am I the only one here who isn’t hating on either the concept of this channel or the format it’s in?
I watched the promo and found the shows that it featured to largely be appealing.
That said I don’t watch that much TV anymore and would prefer that this be available a la ABC I-View style where all the programming is available to watch online rather than just a selection as it is on 7Plus at the moment.
User ID not verified.
Wicked, Family Guy, American Dad, Anchor Man, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, AFL Grand Final… *fist pump*.
User ID not verified.
Just another channel pushing the same old american stuff, why havent they even anounced a token Australian show on this channel, the idea of creating more channels was to give the consumer more options AND help the local televison production industry. This Channel seems to do neither, although i will still be watching the Family Guy and American Dad stuff.
User ID not verified.
@ Brendan. Digital channels aren’t supposed to help local production. They were given to the major channels so that they can migrate away from the analogue signals. Which the Govt will then auction off for millions to the Telco’s. So we can get faster wireless speed. So we can then down load content to our laptops quicker!!
See now it makes sense.. (Or should that be Cents).
User ID not verified.
More cheap programming. I guess the plus side is unlike Foxtel we’re not paying for it.
Worrying times for MCN as the FTA stations will leverage their prime inventory to get advertisers to migrate spend from STV to these 2nd and 3rd channels. Doubly worrying when you consider with these 2nd stations it means Foxtel/Foxsports will be having to pay a lot more to get those AFL rights when they expire.
User ID not verified.
Will PRIME get 7mate at the sametime or will there be another delay?
I hope PRIME will get 7mate sooner rather than later.
User ID not verified.
Sounds like a past era where men are stereotype and Media folk think that they can keep dishing out rubbish, and expect people to watch.. No surprise we are mvoing away from TV…. How about a family show where the Dad molests the daughter …oh wait .. 7 have already done that one ..
User ID not verified.
Adam, I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but from memory the FTAs were allowed to multi-channel (i.e. get the additional spectrum) as long as the primary channel stayed analogue until the digital changeover is complete. I think it is clear that come 2014 the HD channel will become the primary channel. The big debate at the time was whether the additional spectrum would be used as SD or HD, with something like 5 x SD possible, but only 1 x HD (could have been two) and the compromise was 1 x SD and 1 x HD.
And Luke, you asked “Who actually watches TV shows on the TV these days anyway?”. Last week it was 91% of the metropolitan market did. It appears as though those millions of households that splashed out on the 50″ screen at Harvey Norman seem to like watching TV shows on it – pretty odd behaviour eh?
User ID not verified.
Thanks John – lets hope we get the HD channels back eventually…
User ID not verified.
It’s high time Australia officially adopted MPEG4 for HD instead of just saying it will happen eventually or only come with 3D. This would allow multiple HD streams. It’ll probably annoy a few people with HD boxes/PVRs that can’t get a firmware update, but thems the breaks and with the price of new units being so low, it’s not a big deal anyway.
User ID not verified.
Mate….cringe….
User ID not verified.
Not so fond of the name and the decision to only target a single gender but its good to see more Stargate Atlantis. Does this mean they will restart from the beginning? Will be really happy if they can get the Stargate Universe license off of Ten and do the show some justice.
User ID not verified.
Footy maaaaaaaaaate!
User ID not verified.
Hey Becks. I’m a gay girl and I think the line-up looks great. Yay family guy, american dad and 30 rock. Guess that makes me a chauvinistic straight male then!?
User ID not verified.
I just wish there was a station with decent dramas rather than all this American comedy and reality rubbish!
User ID not verified.
Sue, one word … three letters …. ABC.
And only 8c a day (+GST and inflation).
User ID not verified.
There is more than enough female-centric programming and advertising ( crap) on FTA tv.
Alpha males don’t buy that shit.
User ID not verified.
whats interesting is that channel 7 doesn’t have the trademark approved for 7mate as yet but they have an approval for channel mate. Much better name.
Also channel 9 own sevenmate.com.au, whats going on??
User ID not verified.
hi. is this another tv channel as to when I get home in the weeee hours of the morning, 1 or 2 or 3 that we have the stupid buy this , buy that, this cream is the best, this steak cooker is the best buy. Hope not. I have find that TV stations of the 2010 still only cater for day workers, 21st century , come on, lets get with it, 24/7 programs to cater for all different shift workers. lets go, show other stations how to put on TV shows 24/7 to cater for all day and night workers, lets go.
User ID not verified.
I am a man who loves to watch TV and in particular sport.
The list of programs on 7mate really has no appeal.
After the GF I won’t watch any of that crap.
User ID not verified.
Hey Charlie Harper, do you know any alpha males who aren’t called charlie harper?
User ID not verified.
hey nonthing wrong with the name and it sounds like it will be a great channel so will baseball and softball be there as well i hope so
and to the lady who said it sounded good except for the name
i have females that are my mates so its not just a bloke thing ok
User ID not verified.
Finally , a station geared (mostly) towards men. i can’t help but be delighted knowing that i won’t have to sit through all that garbage i’ve had to tolerate, soon there will be no need to watch over-the-top biatch sessions, annoying fad diets, oestrogen charged rants from painfully annoying hosts, 70% + of TV atm is geared towards women with morning shows , the circle, the view, oprah etc. ad nauseum , i’m not fussed over the name … although “7mate” is around 10 shades of wrong and is cringe-worthy , but in direct line with the bogan demographic.
User ID not verified.
7 Mate
Men are so ashamed of what they really like. Of their true natures.
It’s so sad.
This channel is like a self help group for them – finally men who like to watch buildings being moved around on big trucks, airplanes crashing and things getting blown up have a ‘safe place’.
A place where then can close the door, sit around in their underwear scratching themselves and drinking beer.
Where they never have to listen to words like ‘homophobia’, ‘misogyny’, a time and place where Poh’s cooking, Jamie Oliver, Grey’s Anatomy and re-runs of Sex in the City don’t exist.
Where men can ‘come out’ as real men.
It’s more than that. It’s a ‘men’s refuge’. When they can escape from personal hygiene, current affairs, politics, food programs and the other oppressive forces of metro sexuality.
Where real men can be real men. Thank you Channel Seven. Sanity has finally prevailed.
Now, late at night, when I’m trawling thoughtfully through ‘profiles’ at Adult Match Maker, I have something new to look for – men who list 7 Mate under ‘hobbies’ in their profiles.
I’ll look for it and when I find it I’ll know for sure that I’ve found a real man, a man that shares my interest in air crash investigation.
God only knows I’m sick of men who pretend to like truffle oil infused gnocchi, the literary works of Susan Faludi and the films of Woody Allen.
I’m so tired of men pretending they care about the latest Polanski film, the state of Aboriginal affairs, the Middle East peace process – at last they can feel free to talk to me about what they really care about – aero planes crashing, sex and monster trucks. And they know that it’s ok – that I’ll be hanging on every word.
All that pretence, all the pretending, it’s going to be over.
Australia is about to take a bold leap forward.
The social agenda of the decade is about to be set.
Thank you 7 Mate, women, transsexuals and effeminate men everywhere are grateful.
What we want in a man, what we need in man is about to become acceptable. Again.
I’m going to buy new lingerie and a bottle of Chartreuse and celebrate in my own private way. For $75 dollars for a 15 minute booking you can watch. You know where to find me. I accept all major credit cards.
X
Lavinia
User ID not verified.
The content is so so, but I’m glad that shows like Stargate will be back, and I can’t wait for Caprica……..
But my issue is that its a PITA that it is an HD channel. My recorder only has an SD tuner in it, as do most, so I can’t record anything :(. If things aren’t on at a reasonable timeslot then I won’t bother watching 7mate much.
I do object to the way the promos are saying MATE, sounds pervy……
User ID not verified.
MATE. I think Dictionary.com says it best:-
World English Dictionary
mate 1 (meɪt)
— n
1. the sexual partner of an animal
User ID not verified.
i recon more stations more better, but as a male who dosent follow sport, a channel that dosent put on any sport would be appreciated. is it just me or have others noted that even the news now is mostly about about sportspeople and the crap that they do… who cares…..
User ID not verified.
#40 has a good point about the trademark rights not being secured. I should know as I am the Australian trademark owner of the word ‘Mate’ and my company Mate Industries is the only company legally allowed to use the word mate on any promo and advertising products..
User ID not verified.
Channel 7 hates women anyway – just look at who they employ -!!, All the commercial channels have mostly rubbish on – so dont bother with free to air tv
User ID not verified.
who cares. they put on what they put on
User ID not verified.
I think it sounds great. Channel 9 are doing their GEM, so when there is nothing on GO! or other normal channel’s GEM & 7mate will be my choice. I’m a 19 year old girl, Family Guy, Punk’d, Monster Garage, and the rest are definitely not just aimed at men. Most of my friends enjoy these shows, probably more than men of our age. I think 7 are targetting the wrong audience.
And the name who cares? It’s just a name, i don’t like the number 10 but i still watch channel 10.
User ID not verified.