Nine’s automotive brand Drive has launched an all-new TV series. The show simply titled Drive is a half-hour show which commenced in January with the aim to bring fans entertaining and informative car content.
Mediaweek spoke with Drive CEO Drive Simon Halfhide about the new TV series and what this means for the future of the brand.
Halfhide said that Drive has a 25-year history of producing respected editorial automotive content of which the quality and scale of which is unmatched – an approach which it will now bring to TV screens across the country.
“We have successfully leveraged our 25-year credibility to redefine Drive as a cross-platform powerhouse, across online, radio, print, and now TV. What we really want to do is to bring Australians exciting new cars and exceptional locations to their screens, and the time couldn’t be better to do that. Given all the work we’ve done in the last bit of time in terms of repositioning ourselves with a new brand, and a new platform.”
The series will be hosted by Drive’s industry experts and journalists including James Ward, Trent Nikolic, Susannah Guthrie, and Emma Notarfrancesco.
Halfhide said that the new program has been created to appeal to all types of drivers.
“We really wanted to make it a lifestyle automotive show. We were trying to appeal to not just somebody who wants to see another review on TV, but really provide a visually stunning, interesting storytelling, automotive piece of content. We are really trying to appeal to all Australians to provide them with some interesting, light-hearted but informative automotive lifestyle content.”
Halfhide said that this program will give the brand a chance to be on a high-value mainstream channel.
“Being on the Nine Network on TV is a tremendous accomplishment on our part. We get a chance to showcase who we are to Australians across another channel in a really visually stunning and appealing way. From a client’s perspective, it’s another extension from their side.”
When asked about the relationship between Drive and its parent company Nine Entertainment Co, Halfhide said that he couldn’t be happier.
“Everyone has been so helpful and so inviting. Alex Parsons (former Drive CEO) moving to be the chief digital officer of Nine is obviously hugely valuable to us as we are front and centre across the Nine group. Having our very first TV show is another evidence point of how that’s going.”
In October of 2020, Nine announced the relaunch of the Drive brand as part of a major strategic product rollout, with the aim of positioning Drive as the dominant consumer brand for its digital automotive offering. The announcement also included the news that fellow automotive brand CarAdvice would be folded into Drive.
When asked about the future of Drive following this combination of brands and the expansion into TV, Halfhide said that it was now about increasing its audience size and brand reach.
“It’s really about how we can widen our audience, across more Australians every day, to provide good lifestyle, automotive content for all purposes of life. Whether you be male or female, young or old, we’ve got something for you and Nine are really helpful in doing that. We’re gonna further amplify that over time. The Drive TV show is the first step of that and no doubt there is more to come in the not too distant future.”