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Nine multichannel aims for August

Peter Wiltshire, Network Sales Director of Nine, is reported as saying the network hopes to have its new entertainment channel on air by August.

9logo9“Multi-channelling is a difficult business for networks and many are now managing decline. Delivering TV is getting more complex and more expensive.”

So says Peter Wiltshire, Network Sales Director of Nine.

Nine’s “new approach to the marketplace” aims to simplify the way ads are sold on the new channel to add value to advertisers in this tough economic climate.

Nine’s plan will see advertising spots that are bought by Nine’s long-term partners on its primary channel be “automatically optimised” into the most demographically suitable programming on the new multichannel for no additional cost.

But two key sentences in the report on digital-media.net.au nods to the part we really want to know:

Nine is yet to announce its plans for its third channel other than to say it will take a general entertainment format and will make use of content that has been stored in its library due to a lack of air space on its primary channel. Wiltshire said it (Nine) is aiming for an August launch.

Then again it was published on April 1st…

You can read more at Digital Media.

20 Responses

  1. @Shane – I agree with Survivor, Star Trek, Seinfeld and even Fraiser. But, I don’t care about the pimple demographic shows like Gossip Girl, Moonlight, Big Bang Theory etc. If they can give something besides what they have already, count me in.

  2. Andrew B – SC Ten started airing promos for One HD yesterday confirming it is “Coming Soon” – who knows how soon that will be, but at least they’re confirming that we’re getting it.

    There is really nothing on Nine that interests me aside from the NRL and Crime Investigation Australia, and nothing from their bank of “niche shows that dont rate” but It’d be nice to see some classic series’ on their secondary channel, Australian and otherwise. I can see them running shows like Seinfeld, The Nanny, King of Queens, Frasier and Just Shoot me on weeknights.

  3. Some people initially suspected Nine would have a time shift channel, ofcourse they have quashed those rumours. But, we should have already known that there was no way nine would have another time shifted channel, as it is their current shows are time shifted around 15 minutes later than their epg/ guide.

  4. I think that’s fair enough for the advertisers.

    On the note of networks not having enough money, why not just increase ads in prime time from 4-minutes to 5!! That will solve all your problems, and force more people into taping shows.
    Don’t worry about shows running overtime due to the increase in the length of ad-breaks, you already run shows 20 minutes late on a regular basis.

  5. A August startup makes sense. If this channel has a large proportion of older 9 content, (Sale, IMT, Don Lane etc, as well as the locally produced programs that QTQ and NBN [eg. the original, mid 80’s Today Tonight, produced by QTQ], have access to from prior to becoming 9 O&O’s.) then a August 16 date would be sufficent. Why? Any 50th special QTQ runs, will probably air nationally as the first program on the new SD, and run on 9HD nationally.

    The only programs I see going to the new SD initally are the alternate Footy Show (AFL in Syd/Nthn NSW/Bris, NRL in Mel/Adel/Per) like 9HD does now, and Brisbane Extra, which would air nationally at 5:30 on the new channel, as a QTQ 50th/Extra 5000th ep celebratory gift from the network…

  6. If they cut back on the 10 2.5 men eps a week and the trashy crap like Adults Only 20 to 1 and Ladette to Lady I’m positive they could have aired all those shows and more by now. Sure, the ratings for the trashy crap are way higher, but there’s something to be said for quality programming. Ah well, I’m actually interested in seeing what will be on this channel come August

  7. @Axel, “Why multi-channel when you’ve got nothing to fill 1 channel.” well they do, survivor, star trek, nip tuck, moonlight, gossip girl, big bang theory all of these shows channel 9 has locked away somewhere, and thats just to say a few. plus they have the nanny, seinfeld for the daytime, yeah i know u need more then that but still. What channel 9 needs to do is show them in full and not move them around of remove them from the channel all together like they did from 9.

    when new channel finally launches i hope they leave some ’empty’ spaces in there program such as 8:30pm to 9:30pm mondays and 9:30pm-10:30pm thursdays so if they need to move something from channel 9 to this channel because of low ratings or whatever they have room, in the mean time they could just so old eps of seinfeld or something which would also be on the network at a different time so its not like they really removed it from there program.

    Also all everyone wanting break away 9HD programs, most of 9s programs r already in HD so i would like to see them in HD, but i would love them to do 24hrs high definition, unless theres something on channel 9 in HD.

  8. Because (in theory) they won’t need to stress so much about the ratings on the 2nd channel compared to the first which should give shows a better chance of survival and audience build.

  9. NBN (9’s northern NSW affiliate) has never had 9’s break away HD programming, but do show HD shows in HD on their HD channel. Prime (7’s affiliate) does 7HD breakaways but keep the 7HD brand rather than doing their own.

    And the worst of them all: SC10 – shows scenery and music 24/7. Never had 10HD and “may” have ONE HD “mid year”.

  10. Yes – apparently they do expect us to believe lack of airspace was a problem…

    Still, August – and in the mean time SBS will have beaten them to the punch…(again)
    This is an admission of how far behind these guys really are.

    we now return you to our regular program – in glorious standard definition

  11. “….will make use of content that has been stored in its library due to a lack of air space on its primary channel”

    Do they really expect us to believe that lack of air space has been a problem??

  12. yes 9 has dumped all their best shows, their taste is awful, so maybe now we will finally get to see shows like moonlight and primeval, too bad the dvds came out ages ago. this might be my 10HD replacement (lord knows i don’t watch 1) because it was mostly dumped shows, although to begin with 10 picked up the rights to more good shows than 9 have imo but i still may watch this sometimes, like if they show gossip girl and new amsterdam.

    9HD has had some good break away shows like invasion, studio 60 on the sunset strip, related, the nine, weeds, did regionals not get these or were you just not interested in the 9 break aways being offered?

    i’m wondering if 7 was planning the same thing and that is why their promised announcement never happened? because 9 got in first so it was back to the drawing board?

  13. looking at the tv 9hd is almost entirely a simulcast of the sd channel with only a hand full of break away programming a week and most days being a simulcast. @craig many people would like nines 2nd channel to be used as a “dumping ground” so they can show shows such as big bang which dont get enough viewers to stay one the main channel but have enough fans to show on a multichannel.

  14. 3rd channel?

    When will their HD go 24/7, it’s a joke right now or is it just regional viewer getting nothing from 9HD?

    And we all know ‘general entertainment’ is Network Nine speak for dumping ground for shows that don’t work on the main channel.

    At least August is better than December and closer to mid year but lets just see it happen first.

  15. It really bothers me how networks claim that a second SD is a “third channel”. If the second channel is actually just an HD simulcast of the first, isn’t it the same thing?

    I’m pretty sure that it would go against the Trade Practices Act…

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