7mate

7mate starts broadcasting on September 25 with HD coverage of the AFL Grand Final.

After the AFL, 7mate launches into its own programming.

The full TV guide for 7mate will be available soon, but  Seven have released highlights indicating that Gene Simmons Family Jewels will premiere at 6.30pm that night, and Punk’d will air at 8.30pm with a new series.

Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Shannon Tweed hates surprises.  Gene Simmons loves them. On his way out of town to attend the Grand Opening of the Hooter’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, he asks Nick and Tracy Tweed (Shannon’s sister) to plan a surprise birthday party for Shannon on his behalf.  While in Vegas, he gets roped into attending the wedding of a male fan and his fiancé, and even gives the bride away.  When Shannon inadvertently finds out that Gene was not only planning a surprise party for her AND that he attended someone else’s wedding, she decides to turn the tables on him, and give him a little surprise of his own – an ambush wedding!  When “Mr. Happily Unmarried” for 23 years shows up to what he thinks is Shannon’s surprise birthday party, he gets the biggest surprise of his life.

6.30pm, Saturday Sept 25 on 7mate.

Punk’d

Ashton Kutcher hosts an elaborate practical joke show that makes today’s biggest stars suffer for your viewing pleasure

Punk’d is a breakout hit and has set the new standard by which other hidden-camera shows are judged. It is a reality format with a twist, where the reality gets really funny when pranks are played on unwitting celebrities and friends. The series’ creator and executive producer, Ashton Kutcher, who actually coined the word “punk’d,” masterminds and directs the devilish pranks. Kutcher sets out to prove that no one in Hollywood is safe from his devious and hilarious antics. From behind the scenes, he has a host of henchmen performing his dirty deeds. The celebrity victims don’t suspect a thing — until it’s too late, and they’ve been punk’d.

The pranks typically take place in and around Hollywood, in restaurants and hotels, film and music-video sets. There is also a regular “red carpet” feature in which celebrities at premieres and parties are “hit” with nonsensical and off-putting questions from seemingly “innocent” reporters such as a teenage boy and an overseas journalist.

Targeting a long list of unwitting celebrities from film, music, sports, and television, the vast list of Punk’d victims includes Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, Katie Holmes, Zac Efron, Jewel, and John Cena.

8.30pm, Saturday Sept 25 on 7mate.

Where is that news of Nine’s third channel we have all been waiting for?

Right Here: http://www.throng.com.au/nine/nines-third-digital-channel-gem

Two weeks after Seven announced 7mate and one week after Ten announced Eleven, there is still no news out of Nine in relation to their third channel despite there being rumours flying around that Nine’s channel will launch days before 7mate commences on September 25.

Seems things are leaky at Nine compared to any other network, as there is plenty of news around pointing to the channel being called GEM, mostly targeting females over the age of 40, and the content being mostly crime and lifestyle based.

Until 7mate was announced on August 19, nobody knew anything about the channel, or even if Seven were going to launch a third channel in 2010. In fact, I personally believed they would be last off the block like they were with 7TWO.

A week later, on August 26, when Ten launched Eleven, all we knew beforehand was the fact there would be a third channel in 2011, and it would be its own stand alone brand, not just a dumping ground for Ten’s shows that do not do so well on the main channel.

As for Nine, whether all the rumours are about their third channel are true or not will be confirmed once they release the details. If it is to launch before 7mate, they really should have the information out now so there is enough time to promote it and get TV guides in place.

Then again, the rumoured dates could all be wrong, and the channel will not arrive until a later date – perhaps after the NRL Grand Final – which Nine will now be broadcasting in 3D.

So just where can you find those GO! Jeeps giving away some freebies?

At a launch for a rival networks’ new channel – that’s where!

Wonder if GO! were invited to attend and parked out front? Not likely!

Nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry.

At least Seven have their third channel coming. No news from Nine still even though rumours still persist that their third channel will be on the air days before 7mate is.

If you do want to know where the GO! Jeeps are normally, visit the GO Facebook page. Note, however, the GO! Jeeps only do Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Source: mUmBrella

Tasmania will be left behind the mainland capital cities and many regional areas with confirmation from Southern Cross Media Tasmania that they have no agreement in place with Seven and Ten to bring those two networks third digital channels – 7mate and Eleven to Tasmania in the near future.

Currently, Southern Cross Media broadcast the Seven and Ten network programming to Tasmania, including 7TWO and ONE HD, but not 7HD or ONE standard definition.

In mainland capitals, 7HD will be phased out with 7mate becoming the HD service for the Seven network. ONE’s standard definition simulcast will be turned off to make way for Eleven.

With Tasmania not getting 7mate on September 25, it means they will not be able to see the AFL Grand Final in HD – without a 7HD signal, it would not have been in HD in any case. At least there is significant time to prepare for Eleven prior to its early 2011 launch.

General Manager of Southern Cross Media Tasmania Craig Davies said ““We are not sure of the timeframe because we haven’t got an agreement from Seven or Ten to bring these channels into Tasmania and we also do not have the capacity to broadcast these channels into Tasmania.”

“It is within our best interests to get them on air as soon as we possibly can,” he said.

He also says he is likely to be in a better position to make an announcement in a few weeks. The network’s broadcasting centre in Canberra required an extensive and expensive upgrade to boost its capacity.

Meanwhile, when Nine announces its third channel shortly, and assuming WIN take on the new channel at the same time Nine does, WIN in Tasmania would get the service at the same time as the mainland, seeing that they currently already receive the WIN HD broadcast.

Source: TSR

Expect to be blitzed by ads for TV channels in coming weeks as Nine prepare to push their first major advertising blitz for GO in the weeks leading up to both Seven’s launch of 7mate and The Commonwealth Games on Ten.

The radio, outdoor, newspaper and online campaign for GO! will continue for six weeks at an estimated cost of $1.5m.

The digital station, which targets the same demographics as Ten, will promote 12 new or returning shows coming to Australia in coming weeks, including Hellcats, The Vampire Diaries and Nikita.

Unlike Seven and Ten, Nine does not promote its digital station on its main channels.

“We want to ensure Nine and GO! are completely separate brands,” Nine’s director of sales and marketing Peter Wiltshire told The Australian Financial Review.

“GO! hasn’t cannibalised Nine. It has drawn a younger audience than Nine, which means we’ve been able to go to advertisers with a broad two-channel offer.”

The median age for GO! is 36, compared with 49 for Nine, 51 for Seven and 7TWO, 38 for Ten and 37 for ONE HD.

The marketing push for GO! also corresponds with the Seven Network’s third-channel launch 7mate, which will target males between 16-49. 7mate launches with the AFL Grand Final in HD on September 25th. Nine’s new channel, expected to be called GEM, is set to launch a few days earlier.

Ten’s new digital channel, ELEVEN, will launch in early 2011.

Mr. Wiltshire said the ad campaign for GO! is designed to promote the new programs on offer and lift its audience share. Media buyers expect the channel to squeeze Ten in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games in October.

“Nine clearly thinks there is an opportunity to pick up some of Ten’s viewers, get them to sample GO! and hook them before the Games which will be of little interest to a chunk of Ten’s audience,” one executive claimed.

Source: TSR

Now that both Seven and Ten have announced their third channels, what is going on at Nine?

Within hours of the 7mate announcement by Seven, rumours of Nine getting their third channel to air beforehand flourished with possible genres for the channel including classic TV, crime and a female skewed channel. But even after Ten’s announcement of Eleven for 2011, no word from Nine.

Suddenly – Nine then announce they will broadcast the NRL Grand Final in 3D, bit did so without ACMA approving another trial 3D broadcast. ACMA were quick to point out that Nine had not submitted a report on the previous trial in time, and therefore could not be granted another 3D broadcast trial. Therefore no NRL Grand Final in 3D.

Nine could perhaps use the existing HD service to transmit side by side 3D, but that would mean no HD coverage of the NRL Grand Final for those who do not have a 3D TV. However, if a new channel is launched before the Grand Final, regardless of whether the new channel becomes the HD channel or if GO is upgraded to HD to make way for a new SD channel (each commercial network can only have 2 SD and 1 HD channels – the main has to be SD – so, in order to have 3 channels, one of the secondaries has to be HD), then would HD coverage of the Grand Final (and for that matter, the entire NRL finals series) be seen in HD in any case?

If GO went HD, then GO would have to break programming for NRL. Same as a new channel would should that be in HD. 7mate for Seven – which will be in HD – have already included sport as part of the channel’s programming – so they have prepared for this sort of scenario. Needless to say, the launch with the AFL Grand Final in HD confirms that fact. As for Nine, without any firm plans yet, we can only speculate on what we know so far.

All of these issues raise a number of questions.

1. If Nine are launching a third channel at about the same time as 7mate late September, will that mean that NRL broadcasts will not be seen in HD?

2. Whether it be GO or the new channel that ends up in HD, will programming break to provide HD coverage of major sporting events like the Grand Final.

3. If they are unable to obtain another 3D trial license, what is stopping them from using their existing HD channel to provide side by side 3D coverage of the Grand Final? If we were about to completely lose 9-high Def to a new channel, then couldn’t they break from it during this event and thereby still be able to lead the way as such in 3D free to air TV? It may annoy some people, but is a reasonable option, I would have thought.

4. Let’s think outside the square – SBS and Nine shared the use of the trial 3D channel from May to July. Why not do a deal with SBS and use their HD channel SBS HD – currently a simulcast of SBS ONE – for a 3D broadcast. That way, Nine’s three channels (assuming the 3^rd is launched) could remain untouched, and the NRL Grand Final could be seen in 3D as well as HD on Nine subject to what I have already said about how they handle HD broadcasts of sporting events when they have three channels. Afterall – SBS does need the funds.

5. Put it onto Foxtel. The great thing about the World Cup Soccer from SBS a few months ago, was it could also be seen on Foxtel and Austar. This meant that many more viewers who could not receive the free to air signals on digital channel 40 (and there were a lot of them) were able to see the 3D coverage for free through their Pay TV service.

If Nine were serious in pursuing 3D TV, then this would surely be a better option, and could reach out to a lot more people than just the trial free to air 3D broadcast alone. Doing something with SBS or Foxtel, however, would probably require some special or temporary license conditions to make it possible.

Here’s my prediction as to what ends up happening:

1. Nine fight ACMA to get the 3D go ahead at the last minute, so we end up having another 3D trial for the NRL Grand Final. Harvey Norman blitzes us with ads for 3D TV sets.

2. GO is completely rebranded, focussing more on contemporary shows, re-affirming position to target the 14-39 year old demographic. As part of the move, it is upgraded to HD, and its programming objectives are modified to allow HD coverage of sport, like 7mate will. GO’s classic programming moves to the third channel, while having GO in HD suit’s the channel airing more movies, especially those that are more recent. Movies will also compete with what 7mate will be doing.

3. The third channel is launched as essentially a classic TV channel, a cross between TV1 and 111 Hits, but focussing more towards female skewing programming. The move towards classics allows a wide variety of shows and keeps it competitive with Eleven, while female skewing is an attempt to take some of the audience left behind by 7mate which will be male skewing.

These are just my thoughts on what Nine might do, based only on some rumours, and consideration for the programming they currently air on GO, Nine and may have up their sleeve.

As you can see, the equation for Nine is actually quite tricky, and probably one the network would be better off putting more time into as opposed to rushing in, just to get a third channel on air before Seven does.

While I am a great advocate for choice through extra channels, I disagree with the fact that it should be at the expense of HD main channel programming – sport in particular which is one of the main driving forces of HD take up – and I think the HD channels like 7mate and whatever Nine end up doing should still show major sporting events in HD as well as key main channel programming. In the case of Ten and ONE HD, they already have sport covered in HD, but at the expense of regular Ten programming in HD.

Hot off the heals of the announcement of Seven of their third channel 7mate and the rumoured Nine channel launch at the same time comes the likelihood of the announcement today of Ten’s third channel to be called Eleven as Ten network Holdings enter into briefings with investors, analysts and media in relation to Ten’s 2011 strategy and line up.

The new channel to be called Eleven will be a general entertainment station, aimed squarely at the 13-29 demographic while Ten’s main channel will concentrate on 25-54.

As long as one year ago, Ten’s CEO Grant Blackley confirmed the network would launch a third channel with chief programmer David Mott confirming it would be a general entertainment channel complementing Ten’s line up. In a possible dig at GO and 7TWO, he has further indicated in past discussions that the channel will not simply be a dumping ground for Ten content and will take on its own identity even to the point of being given equal significance to Ten itself.

Ten’s US output deals with CBS Paramount and Fox Television combined with Ten’s success with tripped reality like Masterchef and the Biggest Loser has given Ten the opportunity to contemplate a complete programming rethink, targeting a spread of content over two channels.

Older skewing CBS programs like The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-O, the NCIS franchise and upcoming dramas like Bluebloods and Defenders will remain on Ten. Younger skewing FOX shows like Glee, The Cleveland Show and upcoming sitcoms Hope and Mixed Signals are likely to appear on Eleven, while other Fox shows like Lie to Me, the Simpsons and Modern Family would remain on Ten.

The new channel will allow Ten to revamp its early evening schedule with a re-entry to the 6pm news market as well as a possible 6.30pm current affairs program already under consideration. Neighbours may move to Eleven as a result.

The launch date for the channel is yet to be announced, but will be early 2011. Ten will have the opportunity to promote future programming and Eleven during the AFL finals series and the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Eleven will replace the standard definition simulcast of ONE HD, and, as the name suggests, would end up on digital channel 11. ONE HD will remain as digital channel 1, as well 12. In regional areas, Eleven would end up on channel 55 (although they may change the LCN to something like 51 perhaps), replacing the simulcast of SC10 currently on channel 55.

One Eleven launches, and with 7mate and Nine’s channel being launched in September, the total number of free to air channels will then be 15, even 16 in some areas that can get community TV on digital. SBS will then be the only free to air broadcaster without a third channel – a proposition that has already been thought of, but not likely to happen in the near future without additional funding for the public broadcaster.

Source: The Australian

The imminent launch of Seven’s third channel 7mate is likely to put increased pressure on the market for programs. Seven CEO David Leckie has been quietly buying up programs for the new channel.

“I think it’s going to become more expensive to buy more content,” Leckie said, “But on the other hand, these channels are not going to rate as well as the primary channels so we are not paying as much”.

Nine also is expected to launch a third channel shortly – which is most likely going launch around the same time as 7mate even though the network had indicated they were waiting until 2011 for it’s launch.

The explosion of free to air digital multi channels in the last 18 months have been blamed for the stalling of the growth of Pay TV in Australia. 7mate will be the 13^th free to air digital channel (excluding community TV) and Nine’s 3^rd channel the 14^th.

As content is spread between all of these channels, the choices for the viewer increases, while free to air networks hold onto the rights for more shows than ever before to back up the channels with adequate content. Previously, shows that the free to air networks chose not to air would end up on Pay TV sooner. Now they can use their digital channels for that content.

In a recent interview with on the Media Week TV show (seen on the Sky Business channel), Foxtel CEO Kim Williams said that the implementation of free to air multi channels has had virtually no effect on shares that Foxtel achieve, quoting a difference in the order of 0.2%. While at the same time, the digital channels cannibalise free to air’s main channels.

This in effect means, that the net amount of people watching free to air TV is hardly changing – it is merely spreading over more channels for the same amount of people thereby driving down net audiences on primary channels – while Pay TV’s net amount of people is also hardly changing.

Pay TV has the advantage over free to air TV in being able to constantly offer new and increased services which helps them draw in more revenue. While the growth of the number of Pay TV subscribers has slowed down, more subscribers are taking up additional services such as IQ2’s and multi room set ups thereby resulting in growth of turnover and profits for the business.

Sources: The Australian, Media Week

A rather positive sign for those who live in regional NSW and Victoria, with digital channel 63’s title changing over to “7mate on Prime” already. The channel itself is still showing the same content as Prime with an EPG reflecting that same programming.

In Sydney, digital channel 73’s EPG shows “7mate is coming…” while the channel itself show’s the same content as Seven.

When 7TWO launched in the cities last November, it was months before Prime took the channel on leaving many viewers frustrated at being left behind on many shows airing for the first time on 7TWO. Technical and infrastructure reasons were given as teh reason.

The fact that Prime is already acknowledging the arrival of 7mate is indicative of a simultaneous launch date across Seven and Prime for the new channel.

The next step before 7mate launches will be for the HD channel 70 to close down, allowing for 73 to become HD. In the case of Prime, it is the HD channel 60 that will be closed down to make way for 7mate on Prime on channel 63.

7mate is the Seven network’s third channel, and launches with HD coverage of the AFL Grand Final on September 25, 2010. Following the Footy, 7mate will break into its own programming. Programming details should be available early September.

Norte – you will most likely need to rescan your digital tuner in order for the changes to be updated.

When Ten launched ONE HD in March 2009, it spelt the end of Ten’s main channel content being seen in HD. In July 2010, when ABC News 24 was launched, the same was the case for ABC1 shows being seen on ABC HD. Now it is about to happen with Seven and Nine and their respective high definition channels as Seven launches 7mate late September and Nine rush to launch their third channel at about the same time. SBS will then remain as the only free to air broadcaster with an HD channel simulcasting main channel content.

This all poses the question of the short term future of HD in Australia. With HD TVs becoming cheaper and more readily available, it seems the free to air networks are going backwards in delivering HD content as it is lesser watched secondary channels ending up in HD as opposed to the main channels which are still watched by the most people.

Each network only have to show 20 hours a week of true HD content – which equates to just 3 hours a day. Easily met by any of the broadcasters just with the amount of regular shows already in HD.

Unfortunately, it is the rules that free to air TV is stuck with during the transition from digital to analogue that are holding back the networks. The main content of any free to air network must be presented on both their analogue channel as well as one of the standard definition digital channels. That means – if they want to have their main channel content on their HD channel as well, that the HD and one standard definition channel will end up with the same content. Given the commercial networks are only allowed to have two standard definition channels and one high definition channel, any network that chose to keep the high definition channel the same as the standard can really only have two channels.

Launching a third channel ultimately breaks the standard / high definition simulcasts. When Ten launch their third channel in 2011, they will no longer offer a standard definition simulcast of ONE HD. As Seven and Nine launch their third channels, their HD channels will no longer be simulcasts of their main channel.

This could mean that shows made in HD – such as Underbelly on Nine – could be shown on their HD channel at a different time to their main channel but also opens up the possibility of some shows actually made in HD not being seen in HD on free to air at all. FOX8 make a big deal of this fact in promoting Glee – already seen on Ten – as being shown first in HD on FOX8HD.

One possible solution to the problem is to temporarily allow the commercial networks a 4^th channel – which would mean all three of their channels could be presented in standard definition leaving the HD channel able to simulcast the main channel – or at least be showing what is available in HD on the main channel at the same time as it is on the main channel while perhaps being allowed only to break away when there is not a program on the main channel made in HD.

The possibility of fourth digital channels has been raised as part of sports anti-siphoning discussions giving the networks greater ability to cover sport over their digital channels without interfering with the channels‘ theme or programming. ABC already carry four distinct channels, but they do so at the expense of the resolution of the HD channel and by lowering bit rates on others.

The problem with themed or niche channels is it limits their ability to remain flexible in terms of being able to provide extra coverage for major news events or sport. 7TWO – as a channel without any real theme as such – has been used to provide extended or special news services for Seven as well as encores of main channel shows, while 7mate from the outset is said to contain some sport.

Nine with GO do not have the same flexibility as Seven do, and if the new channel is themed as classics or crime, there will be even less flexibility. Sure – these channels can break theme from time to time if required, but they risk alienating the very audience they will build. For example – if you turn onto ONE HD, you expect to always see sports. On a classics channel, you expect to always see classics. On GO – you’d expect to see regular GO programming and so on.

It is still over three years until analogue is completely switched off everywhere. Not until then will we see any free to air network – commercial or not – make full use of their digital channels knowing that those channels will be available to everyone., including possibly reverting their HD channels back to showing the main channel content – after all it is the main channels people still mostly watch.

Possibly, once analogue is gone completely, all free to air channels might end up in HD. Let’s hope so – otherwise other sources will quickly take over as being the main providers of HD content in Australia – especially as the National Broadband Network rolls out, and as Foxtel keep adding to their collection of HD channels - while free to air TV will be left behind with only a few niche or themed HD channels not carrying their networks’ best content.