0/5

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.

72Channel 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.

199 Responses

  1. I also can’t get the new station!
    What a joke, i live in ballarat, not whoop whoop!
    And as for the namen, c’mon executives, what a dreadful name.
    GO! is a fantastic name.
    Wow TV, or Zoom are just a cpl of names that spring to mind.

  2. the “more entertainment for everyone” press release on the 7 corporate site has yet more information, there is a primetime schedule that indicates what changes will be made to the line up through november and december. It also mentions some other shows I don’t think we knew about yet like rome, my own worst enemy, shark and make me a supermodel usa. I’m still hoping samantha who and prisonbreak season 1 will pop up a bit later as well.

  3. Did they have to put in Home and Away. I’m sure seeing it for about 300+ nights a year is long enough. I just hope it doesn’t get a huge air time. i.e: Mon-Fri. Good move with the food. It already has Ready Steady Cook on TEN to go past. I thought Jamie Oliver was contracted to TEN. He began on the ABC then moved. He already had is American Road trip on Monday nights. Curtis Stone will sell big time. He was a guest on Master Chef and promoted budget meals for Coles. They might have put him in on Prime time [7pm]., then see the ratings fly. Ugly Betty finally gets a go. She deserves it. Jay Leno is going to be a puller for all those that don’t have Foxtel. He will just sell himself every weeknight. Lets hope Letterman has no hard feelings. The Disney movies may be repeats. i.e: The incredibles or Parent Trap. They should make sure they air new ones more often and Not Hannah Montana or High School Musical!

  4. @Tbone23, from the link above in the article and click on the FAQ page “Yes the channel will be re-submitted on Foxtel just like our main channel. It will be Channel 127 available in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.” i don’t get why people don’t look at bit harder so you don’t get 50 comments saying the same thing, i get if you where at work and the firewalls block it but i bet not all 50 or so are behind a seven website firewall block at work.

  5. @daqua_99 no, the commercial networks can each have three digital channels, each with unique content: 2xSD and 1xHD.

    Technical issues aside, there is no reason 7HD cannot have HD versions of shows airing on either 7 or 7TWO, or a completely different lineup altogether (safe to say that’s extremely unlikely).

    Would be nice if they are airing Lost, for example, on 7TWO then that will be available on 7HD. Guess we have to wait and see.

  6. Someone forgot to tell Channel 7 that they can broadcast an extra channel starting from the beginning of this year. What do the clowns at channel 7 do, leave it till the end of the year.

  7. 7TWO played it safe – too broad target audience.

    Should have either; targeted children with cartoons, kids shows and disney movies; had a 24 hour news channel – I’m sure a lot of offices that don’t have foxtel would play that all day; shown lifestyle shows or; shown sitcoms and movies.

    I personally would have liked to see them go down the same path as GO! and provided staple shows throughout the week, utilising shows that they too often bury away late at night. e.g. Family Guy, Futurama, 30Rock, That 70s Show, Prison Break, My Name is Earl, Arrested Development, Boston Legal, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs

    Although the new name 7TWO is very unimaginative, it won’t stop me watching the channel… the horrible programming will though.

  8. to all those who bag the programming for 7two (and other channels), regardless we have had 50 years of TV, it hasn’t been 50 years of completely new shows, so there are a limited number of shows available before they get repeated and repeated and repeated i.e foxtel, 2½ men, MASH, The Nanny, etc. Also impacting is that TV rights, deals etc limits one channel ability to shows as they are contracted to other networks / stations.

Leave a Reply