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Channel 72: November or February?

Seven executives are reportedly undecided as to whether to its digital channel launch in late November or in February 2010.

februaryAccording to the lastest media speculation on Seven’s forthcoming digital channel, executives are reportedly undecided as to whether a launch in late November or in February 2010.

February would see it launch off the back of the Australian Open, and around the same time as Nine’s Winter Olympics (second week of 2010 ratings).

There are just under two weeks before Seven is due to announce the name and content of  the new channel, according to The Australian Financial Review.

The channel is due to launch on 72, but there have been ongoing and contradictory reports about its likely name and content.

Seven has just lost its fifth ratings week since Nine has launched its GO! channel. On January 1st commercial networks were permitted to broadcast 2 SD channels & 1 HD channel.

Media buying groups have reportedly urged Seven to make 72 available prior to talks on advertising rates for 2010.

Source: Business Spectator

44 Responses

  1. Seven has been running unique content in their HD channel ever since…they’re just not reporting it; similar to what Nine did when they soft launched GO! and didn’t report channel breakout ratings in the first 2 weeks. Only difference is that Seven has been running unique content since August (I think*) and still not reporting it…Shame…shame…and I thought you guys were being honest…tsk tsk…!

  2. @salf – they could also use the summer to ‘encore’ shows they aired in the last year before the new season in 2010 or show thing they promised 2 years ago like October Road.

  3. i rekon start broadcasting a soft launch of mainly repeats in november maybe simulcast the 7HD breakaways there like what ten did prior to ONE on ch12. then a proper launch in Feb. November is a very awkward time to launch, i can understand if they don’t want to waste all of the staple serial shows over the summer, it would just mean long term death. then after the AO start with the big shows hopefully 24, Lost, betty season 3, samantha who, the unit.

  4. Maybe they are worried more people will watch the 2nd SD than the Tennis and the advertisers wouldn’t like that!

    Imagine if they had it running last week end, then people not interested in the V8s could have watch other programing.

    They are not thinking of the big picture and this will cost them ratings next year!!!

  5. It’s too late now. Go! already has momentum and will have it’s programming well and truly established by the time Seven pulls their finger out. The only reason they would want to delay further is a lack of content. If they’re buying cheap content from E! they surely have a problem. Anything decent they have will have to be played out over Summer on the main channel in order to get people exposed to what they have to offer in 2010.

  6. Come on 7 hurry up. We wont be happy if you wait until next year!! Plus I think it’s already showing in the rating loses… Get it up and running then you have some time to tweak it…

  7. Neon- Nine got the first four on the back of GO.
    This last week 9 won without help. NRL G.F and Hey Hey did the job.

    Pat-Unable to use 2nd Channel for anti-siphoning sport unless it’s replay or simulcast. Every match is on the anti-siphoning list otherwise I bet it would’ve been done this year on the HD Channel.

  8. Interesting… Coud 7 use its second SD channel to show additional Aus Open matches? Or are they exclusive to Foxtel?

    Also, anyone knows if tennis on the main channel will be in HD… finally?

  9. “Go!” can’t be given credit for the last two weeks’ “wins”. Nostalgia won it for them on the main channel, surely.

    I wonder, meanwhile, if Seven’s dilly-dallying has more to do with technical issues. Look how such issues stymied Ten (and caused the loss of HD non-sport programming on that network)…

  10. Kim Williams is convinced it’ll be in November.

    But then again, Ch7 did say this channel would be availble in the first quarter of 2009 too.. and it’s Three Quarters late..

  11. If Seven don’t launch now, they will regret it later. They probably want to launch in Feb so they can plug the new channel during the weeks of tennis, just like they do with all their shows, even through subliminal commentry.
    Yay, the Olympics are on Nine, now I wont have to miss any of my favourite programming for two weeks – nothing on Nine to miss.

  12. so a February launch would mean that they have had over a year to get their act together – too little too late.

    Nine and Ten, as well as ABC and SBS deserve to have their second channels included in their overall ratings as they have at least made an effort.

  13. November! November!! Why not start in November give us a taste of it over summer period and then have a big launch in February. But put some content on a new channel next month.

  14. They would also be wise to ensure it is broadcast on SD to get maximum ratings as not everyone has HD capabilities; had Go been launched purely in HD we wouldn’t be seeing the figures that it gets.

  15. they keep on losing ratings weeks now that 9 has GO!, they need to launch their digital channel sooner rather than later. what if they wait till february and then their new channel doesn’t have the instant sucess they are banking on, it might not do better than GO! then they will be left tweaking while the ratings actually count and they are losing weeks. let it grow in popularity over summer and as new people get digital tvs for christmas and are bored with the usual holiday tripe offered up on the main channels, GO! will be taking advantage of this and 72 could too but not if it doesn’t exist.

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