2023 was a year dominated by sweeping changes in TV; as linear ad spends declined and advertisers followed audiences onto new platforms, the battles for content, sports rights, and even metrics became fiercer than ever.
Mediaweek is ending the year by catching up with the free-to-air networks for their thoughts on the year.
In the wake of last week’s succession announcement Mediaweek spoke with Seven’s chief content officer, entertainment programming, Angus Ross, and chief revenue officer, Kurt Burnette about the year’s highlights – such as finishing the year as the number one network for the third year in a row, both nationally and in metro.
Burnette said in 2023 it’s impossible to go past the biggest trend in TV – “the rise and rise of premium video.”
Burnette: “The coming together of the total video proposition is absolutely a trend, and it’s going to be hockey sticking through the next five to 10 years. It’s real and it’s happening, it’s a big trend, and it’s an exciting one. It just shows the power of premium video – not just in this country, but around the world.”
Burnette said with the rise of video – and the focus on Total TV – there has been an increased desire from brands for “more certainty than ever around an effective, brand-safe environment.”
Burnette: “Brands want to be seen and heard, and they want to do that in the most effective and efficient way that creates a return on investment. Now, whilst that is what everyone has always wanted to do, it’s becoming more and more focused on those specific outcomes.
“As things are fragmenting it’s becoming more difficult to have multiple players in your media mix. I think the media mix will get smaller, to create more effectiveness and return on investment.”
SAS Australia DS
When it comes to content, Ross said weighing up where to highlight content between linear and BVOD can be “a balancing act.”
On 7Plus, he points to Big Brother and the success of its online-only companion, Big Brother Uncut as an example of walking that tightrope well.
Ross: “Uncut has been doing fantastic streaming numbers for us, as is the series as a whole. This series was commissioned for 7plus initially, and we then were looking as to how much exposure we give the show on the main channel. I said to give it some exposure at 7:30, and that lasted a week.
“These younger-skewing shows, having them on the main channel can be a bit of a balancing act, but you want to give shows a profile to also drive people to 7plus. You can’t have them existing in a vacuum and expect people to find them.”
“You get the best results when you when you stay in your lane,” which Ross said for Seven is speaking to middle Australia – “when we put on shows that play to that strength, they resonate very well.”
Ross said the biggest trend in consumption wasn’t so much what people were watching, but what they weren’t.
Ross: “A lot of shows in the adventure reality genre have struggled. Many are not returning, but I think all of them delivered subpar numbers. We’ve still got SAS, but I view that show more as an ob-doc its purest form.
“It’s safe to say we’re not plunging into a lot of adventure reality programming next year, because all of it across all the networks underperformed this year.”
Ross: “It’s been a tough year for new show launches, but we had the biggest new show of the year in The 1% Club – that is a favourite of mine, because it’s a show that has managed to play in a number of different slots in the schedule. It’s been put up against some of the biggest events of the year like The Block finale and the World Cup final, and it’s rated the same number every single time.
“It’s got a lot of versatility in terms of where it can work. It’s good to have show like that, and now I’ve got something else to attack MAFS with in Q1 next year.”
Seven in 2024
Wrapping up 2023 as the top television network, Burnette said “to be chosen as the number one network again is hard-earned. We’ve got a very clear plan on how we continue to maintain that leadership.”
Burnette: “What does number one mean? For us, it means that we are the most viewed, and by default, the most trusted premium video company in this country. When you have more people watching, you provide more opportunities. So what we can do is create scale in a very big way, and then inside that, we can also get very targeted. When you have more people, you may have more opportunities to target.”
Burnette also points out that “we don’t just want them to find us, we want to reach out to them and bring them to us in a more personalised way.”
Burnette: “We’re working very closely with Databricks in using AI to help ensure that we can continue to grow and bring through audience. We’ve also got a few new shows coming in next year to hit the younger end of the demographics, with some very specifically designed shows to attract that digital volume.”
Next year, Ross predicts that the biggest challenge for Seven outside of the Olympics will be going up against Married At First Sight – however, he is optimistic that won’t pose too much of a challenge for the year as a whole.
Ross: “Outside of that MAFS quarter – which is a tough quarter for us, but I think we’re going to grow share in that quarter – I think we’re going to have a very strong next year. We’ve got a different AFL schedule, more episodes of Australian Idol, we’ve got The 1% Club that delivers wherever you put it. I think when you take the Olympics out, we’re still going to be number one for the year next year.”
The other major goal Seven will kick next year will be the introduction of streaming rights for the AFL and Cricket, bringing major sport to 7Plus.
Ross: “In terms of VOD, outside of that MAFS quarter, we win VOD for the rest of the year. That base of shows is driven by drama and tentpoles – but we’ve had two hands tied behind our backs because we don’t have any sports streaming rights of significance, which drives live streaming. When that kicks in in September next year, commencing with the Brownlow through to the AFL Grand Final and the cricket season, I believe our platform will be unbeatable.”
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Top Image: Seven’s Angus Ross and Kurt Burnette