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Warner deal helps build new channel for Nine

Nine will have "hundreds of thousands of hours" of content for its new channel. And finally a comment from Seven.

9logo91Nine CEO David Gyngell says the network will draw on a very big pool of content, including output from Warners which it renewed for a staggering $500m over 5 years, plus Sony and Village Roadshow.

“We will have hundreds of thousands of hours (of programs) which will help us launch the second channel,” he said.

It surely has a backlog of programmes that have been removed off its primary channel: Survivor, Fringe, ER, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Nip / Tuck, Weeds, Hotel Babylon, Primeval…it will be interesting to see which makes the cut. Gossip Girl, Entourage and Sex and the City repeats have already been given the nod.

“And while it’s not ideal from a shareholder’s point of view, from an opportunity point of view we feel the best place to target advertisers is the younger demographic, so we will be launching a younger-focused entertainment channel.”

While the thrust of the Warner deal will be for new shows on its primary channel, the Nine CEO has previously talked down his enthusiasm for being forced to launch the new channel during tight economic times, even likening it to a network ‘tax.’ Now it’s a better fit to talk it up in the public domain.

Advertisers must first buy ads on Nine’s primary channel before they could buy ads on the new channel. Sales Director Peter Wiltshire has previously indicated long-term partners will be “automatically optimised” into its new secondary channel at no additional cost, for a launch period.

Gyngell also said that in previous years Nine had onsold some Warner programs to the TEN and Foxtel as there had not been room for them in Nine’s schedule.

“But now we can use these quality shows in prime time as we have two places to play them. And it’s complementary to our advertising commitments as we now have strength from 16 to 65-year-olds.”

The latest info on Seven’s secondary channel is a two sentence comment from a spokesperson in today’s Australian: “We’ve determined our approach. Next decision will be timing on launch.”

And there you have it.

Yes timing is very crucial, for both the announcement to advertisers, media and audience, followed by the arrival on screen.

It’s a funny world we live in. Five years ago who would have thought Nine would be skewing younger, and TEN older in the pursuit of TV glory?

Source: The Australian

41 Responses

  1. I don’t hold by breath because the programming departments of all these stations have shown themselves to be little better than a herd of lemmings, but I think this a good stance by Nine.

    What needs to be done now if for them to blanket cover all competing stations shows with their own good programming and by this I do not mean “Two and a half men”

    Basically if they have enough good shows in their stable they should be able to put something good up in every alternating time slot and secure viewers glued to Nine

  2. The launch of this new channel is the chance for 9 to come back once and for all with a complete overhaul and stop the practices that have been bringing them down all year. They should launch as soon as possible, hopefully before 7 does anything, and the overhaul should include 100% accurate EPG, no more 10 minute late starts, shows run through the full series, etc.

    This would put 9 back on the map. Right now, they will be 3rd only relying on event TV like Satte of Origin to keep som share up.

  3. @ mac: actually, sony pictures just went back to the original film which has been remastered in high definition, only a small amount of cropping has been done to fit it to the screen.
    Personally, I’d prefer a show be properly cropped for widescreen/ hd tvs now days, i find it annoying watching shows (like the simpsons) that are in 4:3, with massive black bars on either side.
    I’m also a fan of the stretch image.

  4. I would be interested to know what target the different channels actually have. I’m 39, well educated – which channel is targeting me?

    This week (Sun to Sun) I will watch 0 minutes of Channel 9, 360 minutes of channel 7, 240 minutes of channel 10, 390 minutes of ABC1, 240 minutes of ABC2, zero SBS, and a bit of sport on One.

  5. @ mac – I think you’ll find that the widescreen Seinfelds are not a crop job they are the real deal, Sony went back to the film stock to create HD masters for the US syndication market where Seinfeld is still a big seller.

  6. This is a half decent idea

    Not sure you’ll see 90210 (thats a CBS show hence Ten has the rights to both old and new) but you might see Party of Five and Dawson’s Creek (both Sony) and The OC (WB)

  7. sounds like this channel will have a wide rage of programming, like others have said it should be successful as long nine don’t make constant time-slot changes and cancel series. i heard this deal with wb will also allow nine to make all these shows available on line as well. hope this new channel shows flashpoint.

  8. Seems interesting from Nine. However’s Seven’s hush hush on their second channel is quite pathetic. Why do I get the feeling that it’s going to be a 24 hour channel dedicated to Sunrise.

    6.00am Sunrise – Morning edition.
    12.00pm – Sunrise – Afternoon Edition.
    6.00pm – Sunrise- Evenining edition .
    with extra finanical advice from what’s his name?
    12am: Sunrise – Midnight edition For MA+15 only.

  9. @paull seinfeld is not in widescreen, channel nine just crop the image so it appears that way, i my self think it better to leave it in its original 4:3 ratio as cropping causing the top and bottom of the video being cut of leaving the picture looking un natural, plus i doubt anyone is expecting seinfeld to be in widescreen since the series finished in 1997.

  10. the difference is ten can pull off trying to draw in older viewers because they have the rite programming for it. Nine will fail badly trying to draw younger viewers in, everyone i know calls them the old fart channel left back in the 1800’s!!

  11. Im liking the sound of this new channel. Might actually get me watching 9.
    As long as they can get their timing right, as in playing full series in order and not shuffling them around it should be quite succesful.

  12. A lifestyle channel would be a good hit. I don’t know the ratings, but on Foxtel, Lifestyle and also Discovery Home and Health are always talked about between women.

    I know this may not appeal to us blokes, but a lifestyle channel is a good choice, especially for the women advertising dollar.

  13. $100 million per year is a lot of money, but it’s small potato compared to the next AFL TV deal, which could be worth $1 billion from 2012 to 2016 ($200 million per year)How will the new deal affect WB-produced shows that have already been sold other networks, e.g. Supernatural (currently on Ten) and Smallville (on Foxtel)? Will future seasons of the shows be returned to Nine? And will the deal affect shows produced by HBO (which like WB is owned by Time Warner)?

  14. Do you get the feeling Seven’s only option is to go for the kiddies and teenagers? Ten has found their niche in sport, Nine in youth and young adults. It would make sense for Seven to grab a bigger slice of the fast food, sweets and toys advertising dollar. Pester power alert; parents, Be Warned! I suspect they’ll be making good use of their Disney deal and we’ll be seeing a lot more of those annoying Disney brats: Raven, Hannah Montana, Zac and Cody et al.

    Given that Ten has already registered the names “Ten Life” and “Ten Living”, it shouldn’t be long before a broader demographic of older viewers is also catered to.

  15. i hope they repeat the oc because i havent seen that for years(i dont know if its Warner) and would also like to see One tree hill because looking at the foxtel program they are only up to season 4 out of 7 so far, and i would also like to see 90210 on this channel as well.

  16. If 9 play around with the digital schedule the way they’ve done with 9 for the past 5 or so years, then this extra channel will be worth almost as much as their ratings.

  17. Interesting. If only nine had this channel back in the day so that they never needed to get rid of shows like The OC, Smallville, Fringe, Terminator, etc.

    All shows I watched and pulled me to Nine and then they just took them off totally or gave them to someone else.

  18. wow i was sure that the $500mil was a typo and then thought that $50mil was still too much. but $100mil a year!!!! what are they thinking. thats more than 7&10 pay for all their deals collectively.

    it’s well more than double what they were already paying. i wonder if was 7’s speculated bid had something to do with it. heaps of people thought that 7 were only bidding so that 9 would have to pay more which is kind of evil but i guess they were succesful.

  19. So viewers can look forward to 2.5 Men on 50 times a week instead of 25? That skews ‘younger’ for sure. I just don’t see this extra channel being any better than the first.

  20. I hope they put on widescreen repeats of seinfield, been getting into it on 9hd when im there to watch it.

    Also, David, any word on whether 9 will continue its 9HD breakaway once 9SD 2 launches?

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