The three commercial TV networks have different Upfront strategies to draw a crowd this year.
For the various Upfront 2023 showcases, Nine went late afternoon last month, Seven will also be after work later this month, while Paramount took viewers on a lunchtime adventure this week.
Hungry Upfront guest gets lunch served
Paramount is the rebranded name of Network 10’s parent company. It is also the home of Australia’s fastest-growing streaming platform Paramount+.
“A mountain of entertainment” was a tagline for what the company showed off this week. To remind people of the new name and the power of the global brand, staff wore Paramount pins and guests could only enter the Upfront through the Paramount mountain.
Entering the 10 Upfront
The advertised starting time was 12 noon with the welcome to country kicking off at 12.30pm. In the half hour between Paramount guests mingled in the lobby of Sydney’s ICC, dried off from the downpour outside, and collected generous lunch boxes to feed on during the presentation.
The Welcome to Country was delivered by the wonderful artist, musician and member of the Sydney Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, Daniel McDonald.
10 likes to kick off its annual Upfront event with a production, and this year it was a special episode of Hunted featuring stars from various 10 shows.
First fugitives captured by the elite team of hunters were The Project’s Peter Helliar and Waleed Aly.
Paramount’s Beverley McGarvey onstage
MasterChef Australia’s Andy Allen and Melissa Leong took out time for a feed at KFC, both giving the chicken a good review. Soon after they were both captured outside the Seven Melbourne HQ. “Isn’t this where all MasterChef judges try to hide?” asked the hunters.
Chrissie Swan was teamed with Abbie Chatfield and dropped a joke at the expense of another channel. “Where can we hide where no one will see us? How about SBS!”
Paramount sales chief Rod Prosser always looks smart
One tip of the hat for the dear departed Neighbours came when Chrissie and Abbie commandeered a cab to take them from Melbourne to Sydney to get to the Upfront. Their driver? Ramsay Street’s Ryan Moloney, revealing he really needed the money for this big taxi fare.
The end of the celebrity version of Hunted ended live on stage as Chrissie and Abbie were lowered into the ICC from the rafters to host the event.
The Upfront proper then got underway with Paramount’s COO and EVP Jarrod Villani who spoke about bringing all the Paramount brands into the business, “our mountain”. He was also the first of three executives who reminded guests Paramount+ is the fastest-growing streaming service in Australia.
Next on stage was Paramount’s sales chief Rod Prosser who reinforced the company branding. “We are no longer just 10”. He also noted the company reaches 15m Australians monthly. The sales chief also referenced the new Twitter partnership mentioned others with Kerv, Samba TV and Innovid.
Peter Helliar helping explain data partnerships!
Prosser then introduced Peter Helliar who helped explain the finer points of data partnerships. The Project regular was sipping champagne in a bubble bath!
Paramount’s chief content officer and EVP Beverley McGarvey then led most of the rest of the Upfront, steering a journey through the new content starting with The Real Love Boat, Hunted and The Traitors. She was joined onstage by the host of the later, Rodger Corser as he makes the transition from Nine to 10.
Another promo for Hunted was shown, this time for the real thing.
Another new series promoted was The Challenge Australia. McGarvey said its place in the schedule in December confirmed 10’s promise to deliver 52 weeks of programming. She then introduced the show’s host Brihony Dawson.
One of the major schedule changes was revealed with The Bachelors moving into the January slot vacated by I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! moving to Easter. McGarvey explained the addition of an “s” to the formats name was because of three men now looking for love which enhances the core elements of the format.
Osher and 10’s new Bachelors
The Bachelors host Osher Günsberg slowly made his way onstage on crutches, promising the Upfront audience the new series was an “absolute banger” and that there would be a proposal.
McGarvey finished this segment with a reference to 10’s seven hours of news and current affairs daily, noting the heavy lifting done by the 5pm news and The Project.
Paramount’s content and programming SVP Daniel Monaghan arrived onstage and referred to how 10 was allowing viewers to program their own primetime. He added though that many viewers still wanted their TV curated.
There was a brief reference to Charlie Pickering to 10. The former Project regular will be featured in the next season of Would I Lie to You?
10 isn’t yet overselling securing Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson coming to host Taskmaster Australia. But standby, that will happen.
Monaghan also referred to Celebrity returning to Africa and that the new season of MasterChef Australia would be shorter. He then showed off slides featuring 10’s schedule across the whole of 2023.
Daniel Monaghan has moved Celebrity to Easter in 2023
He noted that 10’s version of Location, Location, Location would be the first time the format has been on FTA TV and that 10 is proceeding with a short run MasterChef spin-off, Dessert Masters.
When talk turned to Paramount+, Beverley McGarvey was back onstage noting that the platform offered global tentpole programming and live sport. Not quite as much sport as Paramount+ would have liked, missing out on AFL rights recently.
An impressive reel promoted the forthcoming Last King of the Cross. Star Lincoln Younes was channelling the infamous character he portrays in the lobby after the Upfront.
McGarvey signed off with, “Our focus is on tomorrow. We have financial strength and determination.”
Sheldon Riley closes the show
Chrissie Swan and Abbie Chatfield then returned to wrap up the event with one more reference to the mountain. Australia’s Eurovision Song Contest representative Sheldon Riley closed the Upfront with his version of Ashford & Simpson’s Marvin Gaye hit Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
The full list of Paramount announcements can be found here:
• Paramount Upfront 2023: Every Announcement
• Paramount Upfront 2023: New and Returning Content
• Pluto TV Fast Channels coming to 10Play in 2023
• Paramount and Twitter expand partnership with The Checkout
• Paramount launches AdSelector feature with Innovid Digital
• Taskmaster coming to 10 in 2023 with Tom Gleeson
• Location, Location, Location returns to Australia after over a decade
• MasterChef Spin-off Dessert Masters coming to 10
• Channel 10 announces Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly for 2023
10’s new shows: Who got the commissions
The Traitors (Endemol Shine Australia)
Taskmaster Australia (Kevin & Co who also make Taskmaster NZ)
North Shore (David Taylor and David Maher as Beach Road. Crime thriller will star Joanne Froggatt.)
Paper Dolls and Last King of the Cross (Mark Fennessy’s Helium. 10 EP is Rick Maier))
The First Inventors (Ronde Media)
Dogs Behaving Very Badly (10 in-house with Sarah Thornton EP)