Seven’s 2023 content slate: Farmer Wants a Wife, SAS Australia, FIFA Women’s World Cup, Million Dollar Island
2023 will see Seven’s key tentpole primetime formats such as Farmer Wants a Wife, The Voice, My Kitchen Rules, Kitchen Nightmares Australia, and SAS Australia return to screens, and while some formats are back after a break, others are getting a shakeup.
The content slate, announced at Seven’s 2023 Upfronts today, was headlined by Australian Idol’s return. After a long absence and some COVID-related delays, the original international star-making phenomenon is back, coming to Seven and 7plus in 2023. The all-new Australian Idol will travel the country searching for wannabe stars, with massive live episodes and results showing as the competition heats up. There was also no mention of the Dancing with the Stars franchise returning next year.
Seven West Media’s 2023 Upfront – 25.10.22
Helping unearth the next idol will be American Idol judge and multiple Grammy award-winner Harry Connick Jr; Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor; unfiltered and unapologetic broadcaster Kyle Sandilands; and eight-time ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark – plus original Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines in a special guest role. The new series will be hosted by Ricki-Lee and Scott Tweedie, and produced by Eureka Productions for Seven.
Joining Australian Idol as key new content across the screens of Seven in 2023 will also include Million Dollar Island, Blow Up, The Claremont Murders, The 1% Club, We Interrupt This Broadcast, the TV WEEK Logie Awards, Animals Aboard With Dr Harry, Con Girl and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
Before 2022 is over, Seven will celebrate the return of Australia’s Kath & Kim to will mark their 20th anniversary across two nights.
The new shows for 2023 will join an unmatchable content schedule that already stars Australia’s #1 sport: the AFL, 7NEWS, Sunrise, 7NEWS Spotlight, Home and Away, The Chase Australia, The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife, RFDS, SAS Australia, My Kitchen Rules, Big Brother, horse racing, cricket, Supercars and much, much more.
Seven West Media managing director and chief executive officer, James Warburton, said the stellar content line-up for 2023 would ensure Seven remains Australia’s #1 across all screens.
“Our national network reaches all Australians, across the capital cities and regional areas, and we are #1 this year in more weeks nationally and in metro markets than any of our competitors. We have a superior offering in total TV and no one can match the reach of Seven,” he said.
Australia Idol 2023
“We are very proud and honoured to be Australia’s most-watched television network. As our 2023 content clearly shows, we are working very hard to give our viewers and clients what they want.
“In a similar vein, our new, long-term partnership with the AFL from 2025 will take Australia’s best and most popular sport to a new level. Seven and 7plus will be the new home of the AFL for fans and advertisers alike. For the first time, all Australians will be able to access the best AFL games and video content – live and free – how, when and where they want it,” he said.
“These two partnerships, plus all the great new and returning content we’re announcing today, clearly demonstrate our commitment to keeping Australia entertained, informed and engaged.”
Seven’s chief content officer, of entertainment programming, Angus Ross, said: “Our aim in 2023 is simple: to be #1 for the moments that stop the nation, unite us and inspire us. From the heartland to the beating heart of cities across the country, Seven is – and will remain – Australia’s #1 for the moments that matter.
“No other network can match our extraordinary line-up of news, sport, entertainment and special events.
“Next year we will add more 7.30pm tentpole programs as we find new and engaging ways to connect with audiences, including younger viewers.
“The Claremont Murders will be a major television event in 2023 and we know Australians are very excited about the return of RFDS. We’re also delighted to be the new home of the TV WEEK Logie Awards, along with other special events including the much-loved Carols In The Domain,” Ross said.
AFL Grand Final 2022
“Sport is a critically important part of our content schedule and no one has a stronger wall of sport than Seven, including the AFL, AFLW, cricket, horse racing, Supercars, the NFL, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 and much more,” he added.
As for new content from overseas, and new from NBCUniversal’s Universal Television is Quantum Leap, the sequel of the series starring Raymond Lee, Ernie Hudson, Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee; and Lopez vs. Lopez, a working-class family comedy about dysfunction, reconnection and all the pain and joy in between, starring George Lopez and Mayan Lopez.
From ITV comes Litvinenko, the story of the determined Scotland Yard Officers who worked to prove who was responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko, in one of the most complex and dangerous investigations in the history of the Metropolitan Police; and the remarkable natural history series A Year On Planet Earth, from the multi-award-winning blue-chip natural history team of Tom Hugh-Jones (Tiny World, Planet Earth II) and Dr Martha Holmes (Blue Planet, Hostile Planet), narrated by Stephen Fry.
Three new series from Sony will be on Seven next year: Accused, which chronicles ordinary people getting caught up in extraordinary situations, where one wrong turn leads to another until it is too late to turn back; Alert, a gripping drama set in the Los Angeles Police Department’s missing person’s unit; and Without Sin, the story of a grieving mother who confronts the man imprisoned for murdering her only daughter.
From Endemol Shine UK (a Banijay company) comes Starstruck, a reimagined and refreshed version of the classic British series Stars In Their Eyes, hosted by pop star Olly Murs.
The #1 new Australian drama of 2021 with a national total TV audience of 1.09 million, RFDS will take flight for a second season next year, starring Emma Hamilton, Stephen Peacocke, Rob Collins, Justine Clarke, Ash Ricardo, Jack Scott, Sofia Nolan, Rodney Afif, Ash Hodgkinson and Thomas Weatherall. Based on remarkable real-life stories and filmed on location in and around Broken Hill, RFDS tells the stories of doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff in the Royal Flying Doctor Service as they navigate emergency retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country. RFDS is produced by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay company) for the Seven Network, with Banijay Rights managing international distribution.
RFDS
Next year will also bring Melbourne’s Good Friday Appeal, which this year raised $22 million for the Royal Children’s Hospital; the 95th Annual Academy Awards; and the Channel 7 Telethon in Western Australia. This year’s Telethon took place last weekend and raised $71.4 million for 97 amazing organisations and children’s charities.
With 65 newsrooms and 55 news bulletins totalling 23 hours a day over 50 weeks of the year, or more than 5,500 hours of news, no one knows news like Seven.
7NEWS is the #1 news program nationally and across the capital cities year-round.
Every weeknight 7NEWS has a national audience of 1.44 million, with 1.42 million on Sunday evenings and 1.14 million on Saturday evenings.
Sunrise has dominated breakfast TV for 19 years, while The Morning Show has been #1 in the mornings for 15 years.
7NEWS Spotlight has drawn in audiences on Sunday nights and The Latest from 7NEWS dominates late-night TV news viewing. 7NEWS.com.au has seen its audience jump 14% over the past year, with 1.2 million people visiting the site each day.
Seven director of news and public affairs, Craig McPherson, said: “7NEWS has been the most-watched news nationally and in the capital cities for seven consecutive years, a title that we do not take for granted.
“From the passing of the Queen to the invasion of Ukraine and floods, bushfires and federal and state elections, Australians choose to watch 7NEWS and engage with it online.
“Australians trust 7NEWS to tell them the truth and keep them informed. It’s a big responsibility, but one we gladly accept,” he said.
“This year, 7NEWS has seen exceptional growth in Melbourne, as well as Brisbane and Adelaide, with Perth news dominating its market and Sydney holding its commercial share.
“This year we also integrated all the Prime newsrooms throughout regional Australia into the 7NEWS family, adding to our growing reach and national strength,” McPherson said.
“For the 19th year in a row, Sunrise, hosted by David Koch and Natalie Barr, is #1 in its timeslot and has an unmatchable audience lead. Australia’s #1 breakfast show has won every week this year, nationally and in the capital cities.
“Each weekday, Sunrise reaches about one million Australians and it has grown its BVOD audience via 7plus 20% year-on-year. Millions more watch Sunrise on social media and 7NEWS.com.au every day.”
Moving onto sports coverage, from the AFL and cricket to thoroughbred racing and Supercars, some of the biggest sports in Australia will all be on Seven in 2023, live and free, all year round.
WBBL
The network’s wall of sport has kicked off with Seven’s WBBL coverage, before embarking on the 2022-23 Summer of Cricket, and continues strong throughout next year, with iconic sporting moments including the AFL Grand Final, FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, the Repco Bathurst 1000, NFL Super Bowl, The Everest, the Golden Slipper, the Golden Eagle, the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Managing director Seven Melbourne and head of network sport, Lewis Martin, said: “This year was a massive year for sports fans and for Seven, with the Olympic Winter Games Beijing, the Paralympic Winter Games, the XXII Commonwealth Games, AFL, AFLW, cricket, thoroughbred racing, Supercars and a lot more.
“Sport has the magic that brings us all together, creating moments that inspire the nation. It is the ultimate storyteller and no one tells that story better than Seven.
“Next year is going to be another huge year and we can’t wait to bring all the drama, emotion and heart-stopping moments to all Australians, live and free, across the entire year. Australia loves sport and Seven has the best sport on television, year in, year out.”
The AFL and the AFLW will be back on Seven in 2023, and for the following eight years, along with the Brownlow Medal (exclusive to Seven) and the most-awarded football commentary team in Australia.
Moreover, The Front Bar will also be back, with Sam Pang, Mick Molloy and Andy Maher delivering another season of insights and fun. In great news for their fans, The Front Bar crew will also present a series of All Sports episodes ahead of the start of the AFL season.
In July and August, Seven and 7plus will present the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
The biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup in history will take place in nine host cities and 10 stadia across Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time it has been played in two nations. Thirty-two teams will compete in 64 matches in the world’s largest women’s single-sport event, with the action and excitement live and free across the screens of Seven.
Across the competition, 15 key matches – including the opening match, Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals and Final – will be broadcast on Seven and 7plus, with Seven’s matches also available to stream on-demand via 7plus. (For more about the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, please see separate media release.)
Seven’s 2022-23 Summer of Cricket will have the nation enthralled from 30 November when Australia’s men’s cricket team meet the West Indies for the opening day of the first test, live and free from Optus Stadium in Perth.
In a year like no other, Seven’s BBL and WBBL coverage will host a star-studded lineup of current-day players, alongside cricket’s #1 commentary team, providing the best analysis of the game’s key moments and highlights. With more international players than we have ever seen, this year’s BBL and WBBL seasons will be bigger and better.
The Supercars Championship will storm back onto Seven in 2023, in a year like no other, starting with the Newcastle 500 and including the Repco Bathurst 1000 in October. Next year will also mark the beginning of a new era in motorsport, with the introduction of Supercars Gen 3, headlined by Mustang and Camaro.
Seven is again Australia’s home of thoroughbred racing in 2023, live and free every Saturday across the year on Seven and 7plus.
Seven is also set to broadcast The Big Dance, live, free and exclusive from Royal Randwick on Tuesday, 1 November 2022. Led by the incomparable Bruce McAvaney, racing’s #1 commentary team will be in full force for the monumental occasion, including former Sunrise co-host and Farmer Wants A Wife special guest, Samantha Armytage.
In 2023, Seven’s long-term partnership with Racing Victoria, Racing NSW, Racing Queensland and Racing SA will bring viewers 52 weeks of the best racing, including Magic Millions, The Everest, the Golden Slipper, the Golden Eagle, the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate, the Queensland Oaks, the Queensland Derby, the South Australian Derby and the South Australian Oaks and Goodwood Handicap.
A massive year of sport on Seven also features the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the rest of the 2022-23 NFL season – including the Super Bowl LVII on 12 February 2023 – NFL Armchair Experts, AFL Armchair Experts and The Sunday Session.
7MATE, 7TWO, 7FLIX
There is a reason 7mate, 7WO and 7flix are the most-watched multi-channels in Australia: they consistently give viewers different, engaging and fresh content.
The brand-new Australian content on 7mate in 2023 includes Local Council: The latest comedy from Pauly Fenech of Housos, Fat Pizza and Bogan Hunters fame is set in Australia’s most corrupt, lazy and inept council. Starring Pauly Fenech, George Kapinaris, Melissa Tkautz, Vince Sorrenti and John Bernard Kairouz (Antichocko Productions).
Gem Hunters Down Under: Take a wild ride into the remarkable world of the sapphire hunters of Central Queensland, home to one of the richest sapphire deposits on earth. The blind pursuit of this incredible gem pushes a hardy band of miners to their limits (WildBear Entertainment).
Outback Farm: From outback truckers to outback farmers, the gypsy-style water-drilling family, Danyelle and Anthony Haigh and children Theo and Heath, are about to embark on their greatest outback adventure yet (Prospero Productions).
Close Encounters Down Under: Forget Roswell and forget Area 51; the most visited place on earth by UFOs is Australia, with 1,200 sightings a year and counting. The stories of eyewitness encounters, with expert commentary, must be seen to be believed (EQ Media).
Watch Dogs: A “fly on the wall”, partially unscripted comedy that looks at incompetent, dysfunctional night-time security guards as they cause more harm than good, dealing with prostitutes, turf wars with private school boys and everything in between (Oldboy Productions).
Heavy Tow Truckers Down Under: Five Australian and New Zealand heavy-duty trucking companies take on the toughest and most extreme towing contracts in the Southern Hemisphere, led by teams of charismatic truckers (Fredbird Entertainment).
Aussie Truck Rehab: Big-rig restorer Jon Kelly and his live-wire team of restoration experts are on an all-or-nothing mission to build the world’s greatest truck rehab firm, determined to find, fix and flip their way to trucking glory (Ronde Media).
Adventure Gold Diggers: Follow the adventures of five adrenaline-fuelled prospecting teams as they search for hard-won gold in some of the most remote and inhospitable areas of Australia (Fredbird Entertainment).
The 7mate line-up also includes Pawn Stars, Motor Mythbusters, American Pickers, Storage Wars, Extreme Ice Railroad and Ultimate Rides, plus blockbuster Hollywood movies.
New on 7WO next year is Gold Coast Ocean Rescue, set in the Sea World Research & Rescue Foundation, where an expert team of vets and marine scientists rescues animals, rehabilitates them and releases them back into the wild.
The 7TWO content slate also includes Murdoch Mysteries, Miss Scarlet and The Duke, Doc Martin, A Touch Of Frost, Call The Midwife, Rosemary & Thyme, Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Air Crash Investigations, Greatest Escapes To The Country and The Yorkshire Vet.
In 2023, 7flix will bring the very best in animation with The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy and more, plus Gordon Ramsay’s hit shows and family, kids and action movies across the week.
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