7TWO to launch November 1st
It's official. Seven's new digital channel 7TWO will be a broad entertainment channel with new seasons of Lost, Ugly Betty, Heroes and 24.
- Published by David Knox
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Channel Seven has unveiled its free-to-air digital channel 7TWO, a broad entertainment channel set to launch on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 12noon on Channel 72.
Channel Seven’s Director of Programming and Production Tim Worner said, “I am pleased to announce that 7TWO will be the new home for premiere episodes of our international hits including J.J Abrams’ Lost, Ugly Betty, Heroes and 24,” said Worner.
“We’ve been strategic in putting together a program schedule for 7TWO that allows us to grow our audience between our two channels, without sacrificing one for the other. It is a complementary relationship that will go from strength to strength maximising the opportunities for our audience and clients.”
Other titles including The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Murphy Brown will screen on the channel alongside new, primetime episodes of The Jay Leno Show, five nights a week.
7TWO will feature British television including A Touch of Frost, Prime Suspect, Judge John Deed, Rosemary & Thyme and Minder to premiere episodes of motoring hit Fifth Gear, Heartbeat, Holby Blue, Benidorm, Gavin & Stacey and Britain’s Best Dish.
Additional themed nights of programming include Action & Adventure, Lifestyle and Movies with family titles from Disney’s studios.
Cooking programmes include Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone, Rick Stein, Ainsley Harriott and Gary Rhodes on Monday to Friday afternoons.
There are new and classic programs – including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Shortland Street, The Martha Stewart Show, Home and Away: The Early Years, Sons and Daughters, Magnum PI and Moonlighting – complete the channel’s daytime schedule.
Channel Seven also announced popular television presenter Tom Williams as the face of 7TWO.
“What I love about 7TWO is the great mix of the new and classic. I’m a big Leno fan so it will be great to be able catch that on a daily basis. And I can’t wait to see how the last season of Lost unravels,” he said.
“It’s fair to say I’ll be booking in some extra time on the couch. I can’t wait for it all to kick off.”
To watch 7TWO, tune into channel 72 on a high definition digital television or on analogue or standard definition digital television connected to a digital set top box.
Website now live: http://au.tv.yahoo.com/seven-two/
With Week 1 Tv Guide http://au.tv.yahoo.com/seven-two/schedule/article/-/article/6373630/
This post updates.
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- Tagged with 24, A Touch of Frost, Benidorm, Britain’s Best Dish, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Fifth Gear, Gavin & Stacey, Heartbeat, Heroes, Holby Blue, Home and Away: The Early Years, Judge John Deed, Lost, Magnum PI, Minder, Moonlighting, Murphy Brown, Prime Suspect, Rosemary & Thyme, Shortland Street, Six Feet Under, Sons and Daughters, The Jay Leno Show, The Martha Stewart Show, The Sopranos, Ugly Betty
199 Responses
wth does TWO mean?
It would be nice if they can time shift Lost, Heroes etc to late night 7/7HD so we can get them in HD. But I prefer timeliness anyway. If I want the picture quality I would wait for the blueray release.
The UK soaps are a smart idea. I know a segment out there that only has Foxtel to watch these shows on UKTV. If these shows are fairly up to date, they will dump their Foxtel subscriptions.
Stargate Atlantis season 4? They already have shown that where is 5!
>_>
I’m glad I have access to this, but what about those who don’t? Will channel 7 still somehow screen Lost, 24 and Heroes on 7, and therefore on HD?
@tomothy: Yes a lot of this stuff is on Foxtel, but without the price. If you want to see it first, pay for Foxtel. I’d rather save my money at get better internet or pay for an iPhone plan or save up to go overseas.
I think this will stop some viewers from getting Foxtel now. Still a way to go though. Needs a few more content themed Freeview channels before this will happen though.
The line up sounds good but we have not been told anything about a timeframe of getting any of the digital stations in my area yet (regional SA). We don’t have One or Go, we don’t even have channel 9’s normal station so I’m not holding my breath on this one. I know plenty of people around here that are going to be irritated about not getting to see Lost anymore.
Is it just me or is this new network orange not red?
No mention about PRIME : (
It says Premiere episodes of Lost, Heroes, 24 etc are on 7TWO! However i still expect Seven to play them at 10:30pm next year. This just means they are exclusive premieres to 7TWO first then Seven will premiere them on the main station at a later time. Surely Seven wouldnt not put shows on in the late timeslot that rates very well.
Expect Seven to finally have a boost. I think this channel will out do GO!
only show out of all of them i would watch six feet under. very similar to 9’s 2nd channel
Doesn’t sound as bad as i thought it would end up being.
All they need to do is put Louis Theroux on at a decent hour and I’d be pretty happy with 7TWO
Now what are the odds of getting some 30 Rock in prime time, I wonder?
Couldnt have said it better guys!!
The only good shows are 6 Feet and Sopranos Lenos new show is failing in the U.S why Seven didnt put his old Tonight show on confuses many people to this day but hey we are talking about Tim Worner 😛
Gary Wallace says:
October 23, 2009 at 11:18 am
Wonder how many consultants were employed to come up with that name
CrAig says:
October 23, 2009 at 10:52 am
It’s embarassing it took them this long to launch this…. Nothing new, nothing inventive.
Sounds like a good mix of old and new but do the plan to air Lost and Heroes only on 7TWO? or will the time shift them to late night on the main channel for those with out digital?
Nice of them to confuse the issue with the whole HD v SD thing!
Nov 1 here we come! and with PayTV having some 15 new channels lots to watch.
@Russell: Over 1 million people still don’t have access to digital, thanks to the networks not bothering to launch it. I think those are the people that are pi**ed about Lost/Heroes/24 moving from the main channel.
Finally!
The line-up sounds interesting. I wonder how Seven got the rights to HBO shows like The Sopranos (was it due to the fact that Seven co-produced The Pacific with HBO?) and British shows such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale (will they stay on UKTV?).
It means I have to get a new set-top box to watch Ugly Betty, one of my favourite shows.
24! Woohoo… please give it a 8:30pm timeslot and give it good promos each week like u used to!
1. Can’t wait for Heroes but annoyed it won’t be in HD now (unless 7 play them later at night – which what not be a bad idea either).
2. Wonder what they are doing 12-6am? Hopefully prime time repeat. Would help avoid recording clashes.
3. Ratings confusion until Nov 22 I guess, with 7TWO adding onto 7 until the separation – just like the GO mess.
4. Regionals: 7 QLD have it, Prime NSW/VIC no word yet. No time image even on ch 62.
I just read the TV Guide. Its embarrassing. The daytime lineup is awful, most of these shows are on Foxtel, bad name, bad logo, bad spokesperson.
@ Newtaste – I don’t find Leno all that offensive that he would qualify for an M – TCC just doesn’t want to go to the effort to individually classify shows so they give everything a blanket M rating (Like I think they even rate Scrubs and Malcolm in the Middle “M”!)
Having said that there is one segment of Leno which is at least “PG” being that ‘uninveted guest’ dude who comes on once a week, he’s funny as hell, but he’s not “G” rated!
7 TWO is a terrible name. Glad they have sorted it out and it’s coming so fast., a lot of stuff I wont watch but much better than those rumors. Looking forward to seeing the Jay Leno show.
I’m sold on the fact that 24 will be on and hopefully at a decent timeslot too!!
Hopefully they’ll drag out more classic programming – would like to see the original Gladiators series make an appearance!
OK – Finally they put Reaper on!
Does this mean new episodes of Ugly Betty won’t be seen on the normal 7 channel. I. one of these poeple that aren’t up to date with these new digital channels.