Australia’s TV broadcasters have now wrapped their upfronts for another year. The events held around the country laid out programming slates for the year to come as well as the ways the networks are innovating their offering.
Speaking to Mediaweek, ThinkTV CEO Kim Portrate summarised the upfronts saying: “We see continued investment in content allowing brands to connect with Australian communities through telling Australian stories.
“There’s drama, comedy, reality, factual series, and more premium sporting experiences. Probably the best slate of programming in a long time. There are returning hits you would expect to see again, but there is also a whole raft of new series.”
Beyond the new programs and much-loved favourites, there are also upgrades to the customer experience as well as opportunities and supporting technologies for advertisers.
Portrate added: “There was also much innovation offering advertisers new ways to reach viewers while not encroaching on the viewing experience.”
With a packed calendar of events in the past couple of months, you might have missed some of the action.
With that in mind, ThinkTV has collated a handy upfronts summary of what’s in store for TV in 2023.
Nine’s Mike Sneesby at Nine Upfront
Upfronts: Nine in 2023
Innovation
In 2023, Nine will put users deeper in control of their viewing experience, combining the simplicity of broadcast television with the convenience and interactivity of digital.
To cater to the 63% increase in minutes viewed on BVOD, 9Now will undergo a transformation that the broadcaster said will reshape how television is consumed.
The viewer-focused upgrade will include an innovative new homepage that allows users to dive straight into the live content stream; a game-changing ‘start over’ option that takes them back to the start of any live program; personalised household profiles and a new discover page; the introduction of new 24/7 Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels with exclusive additional content; and interactive advertising experience on connected TVs (CTV) – all offered live in Full HD.
Programming
Nine presented advertisers with what it called a phenomenal new line-up with the biggest stars and returning shows.
Coming to Nine in 2023, the action-adventure series The Summit – hosted by Australian actor and Hollywood star Jai Courtney – will see a group of strangers embark on an epic quest in the rugged alps of New Zealand’s South Island. With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million, the group must reach the peak of a distant mountain to win the cash they’re carrying. It promises to be one of the viewing highlights on the channel next year.
Over two big nights, Nine explained its must-see drama event of 2023, Warnie, will be a fitting tribute to Shane Warne, one of the greatest Australians of all time, the Aussie larrikin who lived and loved large.
Nine also previewed the new format My Mum Your Dad which is screening now. Host Kate Langbroek presents the heartfelt series about single parents looking for love for the second time around. What they don’t know is their adult children are secretly guiding them through the perils of modern dating.
Audience favourites returning for 2023 include Married at First Sight, The Block, The Hundred with Andy Lee, Lego Masters, Travel Guides and Parental Guidance.
Paramount’s Beverley McGarvey
Upfronts: Paramount in 2023
Innovation
Paramount’s quest for peak advertising engagement will continue into 2023 with a series of innovative partnerships revealed at the upfronts. These include a Paramount partnership with independent advertising platform Innovid to launch AdSelector which targets ads based on audience-identified interests.
Samba TV will allow Paramount to better serve ads through the deduplication of audiences across devices and platforms. Additionally, KERV Interactive will help advertisers simultaneously showcase ads based on customisable inputs and make real-time adjustments to creative images and messaging.
Finally, a unique collaboration was announced with Twitter to create a premium advertising product called The Checkout that makes it possible for viewers to purchase items and outfits they see during Paramount programs enabling them to watch, Tweet, like and shop.
Programming
Bringing to life its historic company logo, Paramount talked about its mountain of entertainment coming in 2023 to 10. A schedule that will allow audiences to have prime time scheduled for them or have the power to curate it themselves.
The Challenge Australia has already launched in Q4 and sees some of the biggest names in Australian TV battling it out in exhausting physical challenges, while on the new season of The Bachelors scheduled for early January, three young men look for their match.
Based on a UK format, the premiere of Taskmaster Australia will pit Tom Gleeson and Tom Cashman against five comedians with a range of ridiculous tasks.
MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises will deliver a shorter series and a MasterChef Australia spinoff, MasterChef: Dessert Masters, will make its premiere.
The First Inventors will transport viewers back in time to a community developing sophisticated stone tools, art, agriculture, irrigation and more.
On the drama front, crime thriller North Shore will arrive starring Joanne Froggatt. And fictional series Paper Dolls will track the meteoric rise of a girl band spawned by a reality television show.
Returning favourites include Gogglebox Australia, Would I Lie To You?, The Dog House Australia and Australian Survivor. Australia’s #1 new show of 2022, Hunted, will return with more fugitives desperate to avoid capture. And, after two years Down Under, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia returns to Africa next Easter.
Seven’s James Warburton in the Upfront movie
Upfronts: Seven in 2023
Programming
The network is promising an unbeatable content line-up across all screens with the best news, sport, drama, entertainment and special events coming to Seven and 7plus.
Seven has secured the free-to-air rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, with the opening match, quarterfinals, semi-finals, final and every Matildas match broadcast live and free on Seven and 7plus
Key new content will include Australian Idol, 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 and Con Girl.
The new shows for 2023 will join returning content including 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 more.
Innovation
In 2023, Seven will launch the new channel 7Bravo. A multi-year content agreement with global entertainment powerhouse NBCUniversal will bring the best of its reality and true crime content to all Australians, live and free. 7Bravo will be targeted to reach women 16-to-54 – a perfect addition to Seven’s suite of multi-channels, 7two, 7mate and 7flix.
The first phase of the Seven Network’s new state-of-the-art digital and broadcast converged trading platform, CODE 7+, will take flight in 2023 providing Australian advertisers and agencies with faster, more effective and easier buying.
Additionally, Seven will supercharge its FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) strategy with the launch of more exclusive themed channels on 7plus, currently home to more than 40 FAST channels.
Also new in 2023 is a strategic investment with Australian media gaming and technology business Aura that will allow 7plus viewers to switch between different interactive options including alternate camera angles, e-commerce, free-to-play games, live statistics and more.
Foxtel Media’s Mark Frain at the 2023 Upfront
Upfronts: Foxtel in 2023
Innovation
In 2023, the Foxtel mantra is watchability, connectivity and useability.
Foxtel has committed to meeting the evolving needs of brand partners, with intelligent video and audience-first ad loads. To support this, the business will continue to evolve its ad-tech capabilities supported by a $23 million investment.
Foxtel Media will also increase investment in its FoxTest ad experimentation initiative following positive results since its roll-out last year. Foxtel has tested eight areas with 25 clients across 10 projects, from the power of women in sport with Gemba, to trading to high-value audiences with Initiative and new ad formats with GroupM.
The Foxtel Group streaming service BINGE will welcome an ad-supported tier in 2023. Modelled on the success of Kayo Sports and Foxtel Go, the new tier will deliver minimum disruption to the viewer experience and maximum impact for brands.
Programming
The new year brings new commissions from Foxtel including the Australian original Strife from Bruna Papandrea’s production company Made Up Stories, starring Asher Keddie.
Also new in 2023 is Fboy Island, based on the popular US format. Three modern women must uncover which suitor is there for love and who is just a player.
Meanwhile, docu-series Icons Unearthed will explore the television and film franchises that have shaped the industry, and comedy series Colin From Accounts features No Activity star Patrick Brammall. Also coming in the new year, a reboot of Australia’s long-running music trivia show RocKwiz.
New in 2023, a post-apocalyptic video game series The Last Of Us, starring Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay and Anna Torv, and the much-anticipated series set against the backdrop of the music industry, The Idol.
Other Foxtel exclusives include period drama Marie Antoinette, British comedy-drama now screening Chivalry and Love And Death.
Returning local Foxtel favourites include Gogglebox Australia, and second seasons of award-winning comedy-drama Upright, and acclaimed drama Love Me. Selling Houses Australia returns for season 15, The Great Australian Bake Off is also back, Aussie Gold Hunters returns and Grand Designs Australia will premiere its final season.
The list of returning international favourites include Alone, 60 Days In, Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and American Pickers along with The White Lotus, Succession, And Just Like That as well as new seasons of Young Rock, Devils, Outlander and the addictive Below Deck, Real Housewives, and Bake Off franchises.