Paramount delivered a slate of new announcements at its 2023 upfront on Thursday at Sydney’s ICC Convention Centre.
And the network unveiled a raft of new partnerships and expansions to its ecosystem, as well as new content and returning shows.
Mediaweek spoke to five media agency figures, from the holding companies to the independents, who shared their thoughts on announcements, the big selling points and what it means for advertising spend.
The big selling points
Sarah Keith – group managing director, Involved Media and Active International Australia – pointed out that the broadcaster “leaned in hard” on the Paramount branding and concept of “a mountain of content”.
“The use of a Top Gun: Maverick clip to show Paramount’s credentials was clever,” she noted.
Keith added: “They also demonstrated a laser-like focus on what they called ‘curated content’, that is, a strong schedule and the ‘content flywheel’, ensuring there are no gaps in the schedule.”
Sarah Keith
For Justin Arlt – Initiative’s head of partnerships, Melbourne – the broadcaster did an excellent job of showcasing the breadth and scale of their content slate across broadcast and digital platforms in 2023.
“The ability to provide something for everyone will put them in a strong position moving into 2023,” he added.
Rebecca Ho, Publicis Groupe agency Starcom Sydney’s head of investment, noted that Paramount delivered a confident upfront that reinforced the global investment into their entire ecosystem.
“Connecting with future generations (who are our customers tomorrow) is a core audience many advertisers are trying to reach. Paramount’s content strategy and ecosystem will connect with the new generation of content seekers through their returning and new content, exclusive titles on Paramount+ and the launch of Pluto TV.”
Ho also said the investment in ad tech solutions – The Checkout product, dynamic ads and SambaTV – were selling points that open opportunities for media buyers to help clients connect with audiences and drive actions to deliver business results.
Jamie Nelson, Howatson+Company’s national trading director, shared that the most significant selling point from his perspective was the emphasis on programming. In particular, with new drama and revamped reality formats such as The Bachelors and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
“It was also hard not to take away that Paramount+ was the ‘fastest growing streaming service in Australia’ – a message the Paramount team wanted to infiltrate the crowd,” he added.
Alchemy One business manager Yasmin Sherif noted that Paramount’s presentation demonstrated their lead among younger audiences to be re-invigorated by TV with a focus on diversity and change in 2023.
“The network is shaking up some of the classic formats we’ve seen over the years, with The Bachelor becoming The Bachelors and adapting Taskmaster for an Australian audience.
How 2022 sets Paramount up for a successful 2023
Keith honed in on Paramount’s 2023 offering, noting that it felt more singular in its approach, with a focus on youth and comedy-skewed entertainment and the claim that The Project has the youngest news consumers.
Reflecting over the year so far, Arlt noted that Paramount had some great wins. Among them was the breakout hit Hunted, which he said consistently delivered strong numbers against all key demos and had great engagement across socials.
He said the Australian GP delivered terrific numbers from a sporting standpoint and expects that audience to grow in 2023.
Arlt also noted the growing A-League audiences will be essential for the broadcaster in order: “to compete in the live sports arena so they can offer brands a consistent presence like their competitors can with AFL and NRL.”
Justin Arlt
Ho also praised the broadcaster’s recent content success with Hunted. She noted that The Traitors and The Challenge Australia set a good foundation going into 2023.
“Paramount’s commitment to impactful content across the year will help keep their audiences engaged. The launch of The Bachelors in the first week of January is a good alternative to sport for viewers in Summer,” she added.
Nelson said of the broadcaster’s year so far: “I think what’s set themselves inversely to 2022 is their investment into data initiatives.
“The market has long been demanding smarter targeting solutions for brands, and Paramount’s suite of data partners suggests they are ready to take the challenge on,” he noted of what lies ahead.
Hunted
Sherif highlighted Paramount’s announcement as the first broadcaster to partner with Sustainable Screens Australia. The initiative addresses the need to reduce the screen industry’s environmental impact.
“This demonstrates their values alignment to a younger and progressive audience, but this direction could also see sustainable brands investing more into Paramount,” she added.
Spending a pretty dime on primetime
Looking at primetime content, Keith highlighted big-ticket items such as The Challenge Australia, Taskmaster and the Paramount+ drama Last King of The Cross as strong programs for the broadcaster.
Arlt said he felt Paramount had struck the “right balance” between proven performers such as MasterChef, Have You Been Paying Attention, and I’m a Celebrity, along with new programs such as The Traitors and The Bachelors.
“It’s also great to see that despite foreign ownership, locally produced drama is still on the agenda for Paramount+ with content such as Last King of the Cross sure to draw in fans chasing after the next Underbelly,” he added.
The Bachelors
Ho also shared a similar sentiment in striking a balance between existing fan favourites and new content to keep their schedule fresh and attract the future generation of viewers.
“The re-iteration of The Bachelors, launch of Taskmaster and Dessert Masters will help drive momentum and keep viewers engaged throughout the year,” she said.
“As viewership continues to evolve with more content choices, Paramount gives audiences new and fresh options to curate their own primetime,” Ho added.
Rebecca Ho
Nelson said he was impressed with Paramount’s investment in primetime content.
“Major tentpoles are back, with a twist (of improvement, hopefully), and new realities continue to be the flavour of the month. The Traitors feeds into the forever craved Whodunnit format, and The Real Love Boat looks to be a real threat to other network dating formats,” he added.
In addition to the new and returning content in 2023, Sheriff pointed out that the announcement of The Challenge Australia, launching next month, was significant in terms of timing.
“The program will be live for 52 weeks, including the traditional non-ratings period in December and January, meaning they will be utilising this white space in a way the other networks have overlooked,” she said
“This gives brands a chance to advertise in an uncluttered environment over the summer period, especially in categories such as FMCG, which typically take an always-on approach,” Sherif added.
The Challenge cast
Will Paramount’s big news make big bucks?
On whether Paramount’s announcements would make the broadcaster attractive to media buyers, Keith said: “Set against the familiar schedule that delivers, there is nothing too far out of their wheelhouse.”
Arlt said that with such an extensive retail portfolio, the partnership between Paramount and Twitter was a particularly exciting and attractive announcement.
“With four of the top five most tweeted about reality shows coming from Channel 10, we know the audience is highly engaged across Twitter, and the ability to engage directly with these viewers with relevant offers has huge potential,” he said.
“On top of the broad range of data partnerships touted, the massive variety of the content slate provides brands with numerous opportunities to integrate into Paramount properties,” Arlt added.
Ho highlighted that the presentation’s focus on the new generation was a particularly appealing aspect, noting that it “opens up opportunities for this hard-to-reach audience.
“This is made possible by Paramount’s investment into fresh and exclusive content, as well as its new ad solutions,” she added.
Nelson said the major tentpoles – The Bachelors, MasterChef, I’m a Celebrity – will continue to attract partnership investment. But he noted that buyers should take a calculated gamble on the new formats as Paramount attempt to outshout rival networks’ proven and new formats.
“These announcements should make Paramount as a network a lot more enticing for looming annual deals, as buyers will expect a network audience spike and want the benefit of tapping into their new data partners,” he noted.
Jamie Nelson
Sherif noted that Paramount+ followed in the footsteps of giants such as Netflix and Disney+, both of which recently announced ad-supported formats.
“With an ambitious line-up of platforms in their ecosystem, including Pluto TV, Paramount+ will launch an ad-supported version to give advertisers access to premium content only available through the platform,” she said.
Driving advertising spend
Among the dozens of announcements made at Paramount’s presentation, Keith said that the broadcaster’s partnership with SambaTV has the potential to move the needle on ad spending.
“Samba could be a game-changer for 10, as clients become more accepting of multiple data sources for media measurement,” she explained.
Arlt noted that the launch of Pluto TV would positively impact Paramount. He said: “With almost 70 million users globally, it’s a proven model. With cost-of-living pressures continuing to rise, access to a wider range of free content is very attractive for consumers.”
Yasmin Sherif
Nelson, keeping concise, said: “Buying younger demos, yes. Paramount continues to proudly own the pre-50s.”
Sherif said that overall, Paramount presented a strong programming slate.
“However, it will be interesting to see how their new data offerings will be applied to add true value, as they seem to reiterate what networks have been promising for the last few years, including the ability to report on linear TV and digital combined,” she noted.
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Top image: Sarah Keith, Justin Arlt, Rebecca Ho, Jamie Nelson and Yasmin Sherif
