On January 31st, Network 10 continues its wild summer when it swaps out I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! for the latest season of Australian Survivor which will debut a new format Blood v Water.
I’m a Celebrity has gotten 10 off to a strong start, after regularly being the top entertainment program throughout the summer. Now, Survivor will return to an earlier spot in 10’s content slate as it had in 2020 before the Covid pandemic forced a change last year.
Australia Survivor will feature a list of sponsors that includes KFC, Isuzu, Set For Life, and TK Maxx, while it will also be partnering with TEQ.
Mediaweek caught up with 10’s national sales director, Lisa Squillace about the commercial value of starting the year with these two programs.
Q: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Australian Survivor makes quite the summer pairing. How do they work in tandem from a commercial point of view to benefit 10 and its advertisers?
A: “Having I’m A Celebrity and Australian Survivor in market together gives our advertisers a very solid audience base for Q1. Both shows are driven by superfans who are highly engaged across all screens, and our studies have shown they are more likely to engage and interact with commercial brands associated with their favourite shows.”
Q: How was the commercial performance of I’m A Celeb? What were some of the stand out campaigns from your point of view?
A: “We are thrilled with the commercial take up of I’m A Celebrity. The majority of our major sponsors have returned to continue their association with the show and build on their strong sales results from last year. All of our integrated partners are a stand out in their own right.”
Q: How valuable is it to 10 moving a major brand like Survivor back to this early spot in the schedule?
A: “Having Australian Survivor back at this time of year is extremely valuable from an audience and commercial standpoint. The Survivor superfan is one of the most engaged and committed viewers. Survivor superfans will consume and follow the series across multiple platforms, including tearing their way through international and historical seasons as we’ve seen in the success of the franchise on 10 Play. We’ve already seen an uplift in our digital numbers for the franchise before the season has aired, and we expect the broadcast timeslot will benefit year-on-year as well.”
Q: With Survivor, what was the pitch to advertisers and what types of brands do you see as a good fit for the show?
A: “The Australian Survivor pitch to advertisers focuses on the show’s high reach, large scale and super-engaged fans. Survivor is a watch and act format. The fans consume across all platforms and are so obsessed with the show that any brand that has the right fit, sees the positive halo. The right fit is a brand that shares similar values of the show, can integrate into the format and become part of the gameplay in a meaningful way.”
Q: What type of integrations of advertising will see in Survivor this year? What was the goal of how you deployed these commercial aspects?
A: “The integration has been cleverly crafted to not only impact the contestant’s experience within the show but to also add significant jeopardy and entertainment for our viewers and Survivor fans at home.”
Q: So far in 2022 what have been 10’s early wins from a commercial point of view?
A: “We have a strong product. With our digital assets continuing to grow, demand for total television is increasing. Our Effect and Imagine teams bring the brightest and most creative ideas to campaigns, and execute them with excellence. Our commercial creative pipeline is extremely strong with big campaign wins and forward bookings, which has set us up for success moving further into 2022.”