New channel coming: 7mate
The Seven Network has announced a new digital channel, 7mate, to launch on September 25, aimed at men 16-49.
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The Seven Network has announced a new digital channel, 7mate, to launch on September 25, aimed at men 16-49.
It will launch with high definition coverage of the AFL Grand Final.
Seven’s CEO, David Leckie said, “Seven is Australia’s most-watched network and our suite of multi-channels delivers more viewers than anyone else,.
“7mate is the next step in building on our leadership in broadcast television. 7mate is going to be great.
“The launch of 7mate delivers us a tremendous platform of channels targeting specific audience demographics – leveraging our primary channel’s success with women and 7TWO’s targeting of a 25+ adult audience.
“We’re delighted to be the first commercial network to move to three channels. With 7HD we were first into multi-channelling for the commercial networks and this is another significant step for our television business,” Mr Leckie said.
Programming Chief Tim Worner, said “We’re using the biggest sports event to launch 7mate but this new channel will be so much more than sport. We are after the most elusive demographic in media and we think we’ve got the offering to get them.”
New episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, Parks And Recreation and Last Comic Standing will lead the primetime comedy schedule. 3o Rock, How I Met Your Mother, That 70’s Show, Scrubs and Crank Yankers round out the laughs. New drama will include the sci-fi series Caprica and the adventure series Warehouse 13 and Stargate Atlantis. The reality slate will feature US ratings hits Jersey Shore and Pawn Stars, along with popular MTV series Punk’d and Gene Simmons Family Jewels, featuring the controversial KISS guitarist and his LA-based family, and Monster Garage with Jesse G. James. Factual on 7mate will see series such as Fifth Gear, The Universe, Life After People, The Boneyard, Ax Men, Jacked: Auto Theft Taskforce, Mega Movers, Mega Structures, Air Crash Investigations and Shockwave in primetime. 7mate will also be the home for first-run big movies for the blokes, including The Ringer, Strangers and Primeval.
Mr Worner said: “The channel is not designed to alienate female viewers. On the contrary we will be launching several initiatives that will see the female audience watching 7mate as well.”
To receive 7mate from 25 September, viewers will need to tune into channel 73 on an HD capable Digital TV, PVR or set top box. If you have an analogue television you will need to connect your old TV to an HD capable Digital set top box, PVR, or Digital recorder and tune in to channel 73.
A new website is online at yahoo7.com.au/tv
A spokesperson from Seven told TV Tonight: “7mate replaces 7HD, as this is all we can fit in our spectrum until 2013 or the end of Analog.
“It will be Broadcast as per 7HD currently is but will appear on channel 73.
“On Grand Final day 7mate will simulcast with Seven and then commence life as its own full time HD channel.”
This post updates.
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- Tagged with 3o Rock, AFL, Air Crash Investigations, American Dad, Ax Men, Caprica, Crank Yankers, Family Guy, Fifth Gear, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, How I Met Your Mother, Jacked: Auto Theft Taskforce, Jersey Shore, Last Comic Standing, Life After People, Mega Movers, Mega Structures, Monster Garage, Parks and Recreation, Pawn Stars, Punk’d, Scrubs, Shockwave, Stargate: Atlantis, That 70’s Show, The Boneyard, The Universe, Warehouse 13
194 Responses
@ Billy yeah bring on Cop Shop!
@Secret Squirrel – it may be rating just fine but GO! is still a stupid name.
I thought Seven’s head once said they were all about appeasing most people most of the time. With the blokiness skew to it together with the bogan element this new channel will sure as hell alienate 90% of the population. They are just not giving what people want. They should have gone with something that would appeal to most. Much like ONE I hope it sinks.
@tomothy – it only takes a few minutes to register a web site name.
Will be interesting though to see if Nine reacts or if they wait and see how 7mate goes and what Ten’s plans are when released next month before finalising on their 3rd channel.
Wonder if Seven lodged with OzTam in time for ratings to count separately from day 1.
Sounds interesting . but I just want to see a complete rerun of Cop Shop , Skirts ,
Acropolis Now and The (Australian) Weakest Link !!
“7mate will also be the home for first-run big movies for the blokes, including The Ringer, Strangers and Primeval.”
wasn’t The Ringer shown on the first few days on 7TWO?
Who gives a rat’s what it’s called as long as the programming is good
More program choice is what it’s all about.
I will open myself to public ridicule once again though and say I still think all broadcasts should be SD – HD quality is not all that better.
7mate, not sure but eh. Some great shows there, and as a Female I’m more likely to watch this than some of that dribble they have on the other channel. As it’s probably been said before, being in regional – like the Prime-mate – hillarious!
gemchannel.com.au has not been registered, so I think it is a while off before Nine launch their rumoured copy of TV1, or GEM was just a decoy name.
It has a lot of overseas shows, so they should’ve called it “7seas.”
If it’s going to eventually be full of repeats, they should’ve called it “7again.”
Their target market seems to be very specific, so they should’ve called it “7gen-X.”
Instead they’ve called it something that, because of the “n-m” letter combination, is impossible to say without tripping.
It’s a shame “7-11” and “7up” are both trademarked.
It’s got everyone talking…. so it can’t be all that bad. 7mate will grown on you.
I hate that the broadcasting landscape takes a backward step in terms of having locally produced content broadcast in HD. We have the technology, put it to use.
I was not a fan of Channel 10 canceling out their HD service for local and international shows… in order to make ONE/ONEHD a reality. I don’t want to see Channel 9 go down the same path.
Taking away HD, would be like removing all traces of broadband and forcing everyone back to dialup internet.
Also Channel 7 can’t even get their lineup right on 7Two (although GO! is far worse), i dread to think of what shows will end up on which night.
“7mate will also be the home for first-run big movies for the blokes, including The Ringer, Strangers and Primeval.”
I’m obviously not much of a bloke because I can’t say I have ever heard of them..
They should fast track How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock. Although I am not sure why they are stuck on a bogan male channel. Maybe they can show It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia too?
7 should remain on 70HD and 7MATE should be in SD on 73.
I never say a bad thing about channel 7 but this is a stupid idea because all the shows that were once broadcast in HD on 70 can now only be viewed on channel 7.
Who really wants to see American shows in HD?
Sunrise, The Morning Show, Seven News, Home And Away, Packed To The Rafters even Larry The Lawnmover lol are broadcast in 7HD and all over shows are made to have a better quaility picture.
I never watch 7 on 7SD the quaility is 100% better on 70
@ johnson – would love to see the entire 4 hours of NBC Today. It’s now been whittled down to a paltry 45 min on the main ch.
Will this new channel be available in Canberra in when launches?
@wamdue it’s called Dave’s Syndrome.
Everybody knows a bloke called Dave
the reasoning behind the UK TV channel Dave
now watch I morphed that into 7mate
Everybody has a mate called Dave
7mate
Looks like the same thought went into the branding, howeer the two chanels are differnt, the only show they have in common being Fifth Gear, and Dave has alot more local content than “mate”
David Leckie
David Gyngell
David Mott
and that blogger….
Why are we allowing the current incumbent commercial TV networks to add more channels but not allowing other companies?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t ‘Mate’ one of the several fake names that Seven released in the lead-up to 7two? I agree, it’s a horrible name. If they’re gonna go into unoriginal numerical names, they should at least keep it consistent.
Prime will be Prime-Mate like the apes they are…LOL
What a bunch of whingers. I recall much the same level of “expert” comment about the name, logo, and content when GO! was announced, and that’s rating just fine for a digital-only channel that’s been going less than a year.
Who cares what it’s called? I’d watch it if it was called 7turd as long as it had a few programs different from what is on elsewhere (and it does).
@koverstreet – it’s time to come out of the closet. It’s fine that you don’t want to eat anything other than your bland meat and potatoes but don’t keep having a dig at those of us who are a little more adventurous in our tastes.
the idea of this channel is good, the content is solid but the name, “7mate”?, i dunno….
Looks like Seven has made the same mistake as Ten. With 7HD replaced by 7mate, that means most programs on the main channel that are produced in HD will not be simulcast in HD, unless they are included in 7mate’s schedule. And with the end of the AFL season approaching, perhaps Seven should also revamp 7TWO’s schedule, starting by showing all four hours of NBC Today at midnight.