Escape To The Country

As they did last year, 7TWO will again air the complete documentary series called ANZAC non-stop on ANZAC day, Monday April 25, from 3.30am until 6pm – an outstanding documentary series following the fortunes of Australian and New Zealand forces though World War 2.

New to 7TWO at 9.40pm, Monday April 25, is the Gil Mayo Mysteries. This, the first episode sees Mayo investigating the murder of Simon Johnston, a young “trustafarian” being treated for cocaine addiction at the exclusive Rossi Rehabilitation Clinic.

7TWO Thursday movies for April 28 are The Prince & Me at 7.30pm, and The Wedding Dress at 9.45pm.

Royal Wedding Day – April 29 is mostly regular programming for 7TWO in Sydney and Brisbane. 6pm is slated as a Royal Wedding related news special. Bargain Hunt at 6.30, then The World Around Us at 7.30. Escape To The Country at 8.30 and 60 Minute Makeover at 9.30pm.

In Perth, they have Bargain Hunt at 6pm, On The Buses from 7pm, TBA (probably will be The World Around us) at 8pm and Escape To The Country at 9pm and 60 Minute Makeover at 10pm.

In Melbourne and Adelaide, the Royal Wedding airs live on 7TWO from 6pm, finishing at 11pm in Melbourne and 10.30pm in Adelaide.

The split market programming will mean Melbourne and Adelaide will be an episode behind Sydney, Brisbane and Perth for Escape To The Country and 60 Minute Makeover.

In all markets, the 7TWO Late Movie for the night is the same – Return of the Seven – starting at 10.30pm except for Melbourne & Perth, where is starts at 11pm.

Regional 7TWO’s will follow the market from which the feed is taken from. For example – NSW will follow Sydney programming, Victoria Melbourne, WA Perth, etc. Tasmania and Darwin check closer to the date.

8:30pm – Sunday, March 13 on 7TWO

NEW EPISODE

In tonight’s episode: Presenter Jules Hudson visits Oxfordshire, where she helps mother and daughter Vanessa and Katie Novak from Sutton Coldfield search for their perfect rural retreat.

Looking at the ratings figures for Sunday night, there is little that stands out above the million mark – in fact, only seven shows made it above a million, with Seven News on 1.3 million the highest.

Long gone, it appears, are the days when Sunday night, as one of the big viewing nights on free to air TV, where shows would easily push the 1.5 million mark or higher. The night now with the highest rating shows seems to be Tuesday with Packed to the Rafters and NCIS drawing the big numbers.

Using 8.30 Sunday Feb 13 as an example, Bones only just past 1 million, ABC1 was second in the timeslot with 883,000 watching Poirot, then Ten’s Hawaii Five-O at 827,000 and Nine’s The Mentalist fourth in the timeslot at just 809,000.

Perhaps the problem with 8.30 is there are too many crime procedurals at the same time which have to share the numbers. Hawaii Five-O debuted two weeks ago, Bones returned last week, and The Mentalist last night. Many may have skipped passed the Mentalist in particular, either assuming it was a repeat or not noticing it was on a new night. The Mentalist was not exactly a stand out episode either – afterall, it was the fourth in the season, and not meant to be a season opener (QLD and WA saw that episode last week).

If you look at the digital channels, there are many more viewers to be found. On GO!, the 8.30pm episode of the Big Bang Theory drew 270,000, The Middle at 9pm 152,000. Escape to the Country on 7WO 240,000, the movie Gone in 60 Seconds on 7mate 249,000. On GEM, the encore of Tell Them Lucifer was Here was watched by 107,000. Not a digital multi-channel, but always rating the same as one, SBS ONE’s Dateline drew 149,000 viewers.

With those channels alone, 1,015,000 viewers can be found. And that is before you add ELEVEN (Smallville was below 100,000), ONE HD (movie – Year of the Dogs), ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24 and SBS TWO – all these channels combined would represent around 180,000 viewers (estimated using shares).

If you then look at how many were watching each network at 8.30, a different picture emerges. Seven is way out in front, with a combined audience of 1,498,000. Nine second with 1,186,000 (8.30-9.00), then Ten around the 950,000 mark, while ABC combined may have been more like 910,000.

The total network numbers are more like what you used to see shows pull on Sunday nights.

Yes, figures are down for the most watched shows on just about any given night now, but the people are still there. It is just that they are now spread over more channels.

This, in effect, redefines what should be considered successful in the multi channel environment. It used to be 1,000,000 as the bench mark, now, with around 25% of viewers watching digital channels, 750,000 looks like it should be the new 1,000,000.

8:30pm – Friday, January 28 on 7TWO

NEW EPISODE

In tonight’s episode: Alistair Appleton is helping Felicity and Philip Wright from Derbyshire to find the perfect house in North Cornwall. Felicity and Phil are keen to start a diving business in Bude and Alistair’s challenge is to find them four suitable properties with enough space and storage for their new venture, as well as Felicity’s mother.

Escape to the Country offers expert advice on buying, selling and moving to help people achieve the dream of escaping the rat-race by finding their dream country property.

8:30pm – Friday, January 21 on 7TWO

NEW EPISODE

In tonight’s episode: Melissa Porter is house hunting for Jacqueline and Geoff Hughes from Camberley who are keen to start a new life in east Devon with their three young daughters. Melissa finds four properties that fit the bill, but are they really ready to escape to the country?

Escape to the Country offers expert advice on buying, selling and moving to help people achieve the dream of escaping the rat-race by finding their dream country property.

8:30pm – Sunday, December 19 on 7TWO

In tonight’s episode: ‘Manchester To Derbyshire’

Catherine Gee comes to the aid of a conservationist and a former air hostess who are searching for a two-bedroom cottage in the rural Peak District on a budget of 250,000 pounds.

Ever wanted to move from the city into an idyllic rural retreat? Escape to the Country helps people to achieve that dream, finding a suitable property and offering expert advice on buying, selling and moving. Everyone has a different story to tell and different requirements.

8:30pm – Sunday, December 12 on 7TWO

NOW ON SUNDAY AND FRIDAY

In tonight’s episode: ‘Stratford Upon Avon To Somerset’ Alison and David Partidge have decided to swap their detached Stratford Upon Avon home, located on a very busy road, for a period cottage with similar dimensions.

Ever wanted to move from the city into an idyllic rural retreat? Escape to the Country helps people to achieve that dream, finding a suitable property and offering expert advice on buying, selling and moving. Everyone has a different story to tell and different requirements.

8:30pm – Sunday, December 5 on 7TWO

NOW ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY

Ever wanted to move from the city into an idyllic rural retreat? Escape to the Country helps people to achieve that dream, finding a suitable property and offering expert advice on buying, selling and moving. Everyone has a different story to tell and different requirements.

In tonight’s episode: New Zealanders Carolyn and Richard Draper hope to exchange their one bedroom flat in Leeds for a home with more space. Catherine Gee takes them to see some beautiful villages in the North Yorkshire Dales and Moors.

8:30pm – Sunday, November 28 on 7TWO

NOW ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY

Ever wanted to move from the city into an idyllic rural retreat? Escape to the Country helps people to achieve that dream, finding a suitable property and offering expert advice on buying, selling and moving. Everyone has a different story to tell and different requirements.

In tonight’s episode Hampstead to Cotswold: Advertising executive Jules Hinds has had enough of city life. Despite living in one of London’s most desirable postcodes, she wants to swap her two bed Hampstead flat for a chocolate box cottage in the Cotswolds. To achieve her goal, she has given Catherine Gee a wide ranging budget of between 300,000 and 500,000 pounds. Will Catherine have to use all of Jules’ funds to find her the house of her dreams?

7TWO unveils its exciting new lifestyle Sunday night line-up on November 27, joining the channel’s existing schedule of drama, movies, comedy, reality and factual programming hits.

Explore, relax, travel and discover the world, with the premier new line-up including popular programs Bargain Hunt, 10 Years Younger in 10 Days, Escape to the Country, Great British Journeys, Escape to the Sun and Extreme Health Farm.

At 7.30pm join two teams of competing amateur antiques enthusiasts in the award-winning series Bargain Hunt. Trawling antique fairs and stalls for one hour with a set budget, each team attempts to uncover valuable items that will net them a tidy profit at the nail-biting auction.

10 Years Younger in 10 Days follows at 8.00pm with the 10 Years Younger team of experts attempting to wind back the hands of time for style-challenged couples using the  latest in grooming, fashion, fitness and cosmetic enhancements.

Escape to the Country at 8.30pm with host Catherine Gee and real estate agent Nick Page as they offer expert advice on buying, selling and moving to help people achieve the dream of escaping the rat-race by finding their dream country property.

At 9.45pm author and broadcaster Nick Crane presents his fascinating series – Great British Journeys – investigating eight epic and challenging journeys, following in the footsteps of Britain’s greatest explorers through some of the most spectacular and wildest landscapes in the world.

Reality series Escape to the Sun at 10.45pm follows a year in the life of a group of British expats, including entrepreneurs, entertainers and retirees who arrive in the summer holiday haven of Benidorm, Spain ready to experience the intricacies of Spanish culture.

Sixteen famous faces including Jack Osbourne and Rebecca Loos leave the trappings of the Western world behind in favour of a truly alternative lifestyle in Extreme Health Farm at 11.15pm.  The celebrities undertake four far-out health regimes including a brutal yogic detox in the Himalayas and drinking potent plant brews in Peru.

And tune in Friday nights for more episodes of Escape to the Country, (8.30pm), followed by the popular DIY programmes 60 Minute Makeover (9.45pm) and How Not to Decorate (10.45pm).

7TWO is the number 1 digital channel in its people 25+ target audience demographic (latest survey week 47) and dominates the most-watched programmes on digital channels, with 10 of the top 20 programmes.