The Seven Network is reporting that it has ended the first quarter of 2023 as the fastest-growing national television network. The broadcaster is also reporting being the only network to increase its national total people share so far this year, closing the first quarter with a 39.3% commercial audience share. Across the 13 weeks of the first quarter, Seven increased its national audience share in total people in eight weeks and its share in people 25 to 54 in nine weeks.
Seven’s strong start to the year has been underpinned by 7News, the AFL, Sunrise, Home and Away, and The Chase Australia.
The network’s audience share growth has also been fuelled by Better Homes and Gardens, Australian Idol, We Interrupt This Broadcast, Highway Patrol and more.
Seven reports that 7two, 7mate, 7Bravo, and 7flix are the #1 suite of multichannels, with newcomer 7Bravo capturing a healthy share in its target market of young women since it arrived on 15 January.
See Also: Why the launch of 7Bravo is the final piece of the puzzle for Seven
7plus grew during the March quarter, with total minutes up 18.9% year-on-year (excluding the Beijing Winter Olympics).
Live viewing on 7plus soared 29.7% thanks to key programs such as Home and Away and Australian Idol, plus the launch of 7Bravo. VOD viewing rose 16.5%, pumped up by Seven’s core content and new content from NBCUniversal (including 7Bravo content).
Seven’s next show, the new season of Farmer Wants A Wife, debuts on Easter Monday, 10 April. The Claremont Murders starts on the same night. Waiting in the wings are family entertainment shows Blow Up and The 1% Club.
The content line-up for the rest of 2023 includes The Voice with new coach Jason Derulo, Million Dollar Island, Dancing With The Stars, SAS Australia, RFDS, Ultimate Escape, Big Brother, My Kitchen Rules, the TV WEEK Logie Awards, more AFL, more Supercars, more horse racing, the ICC World Test Championship Final in June and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 in July and August.
Seven Chief Content Officer, Entertainment Programming, Angus Ross, said: “Our share growth in the first three months of 2023 reflects the popularity of our news, sport and entertainment content across Seven and 7plus and how it is connecting with all Australians.
“Our content ‘spine’ of Sunrise, The Chase Australia, 7NEWS, Home and Away, and Better Homes and Gardens continues to dominate viewing day in, day out. Australian Idol helped lift our total TV audience share year-on-year and gave us a more competitive start to the ratings year, which was always the objective, while the AFL has once again proven it is the #1 sport on TV.
“Our line-up across the rest of 2023 is very strong and will ensure Seven is Australia’s most-watched national total TV business,” he said.
Angus Ross
Seven West Media Chief Revenue Officer, Kurt Burnette, said: “Each year our objective is to build for growth and to connect brands with an engaged audience across the screens of Seven. Growing our audience share in what has been a highly competitive quarter has helped lay the platform to keep building for audience growth in 2023.
“The integration of brands into Australian Idol delivered phenomenal returns for brands and the AFL has returned as the #1 winter sporting code for brands to be a part of. We are now moving into the rest of the year with some of the very best brand-new integratable content and innovation, from the best show makers and creators in the world.”
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Top Image: Kurt Burnette