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
Interesting question, generally new channels don’t get added to the ratings for a wee while (like ABC News 24 was added last week). Considering the number of people likely to view the AFL Grand Final on 7mate (since it is HD), does it mean that those viewers won’t be counted?
Well this is doesn’t look good for the Family Guy and American Dad fans in Regional WA because our two commerical tv networks (GWN & WIN) don’t broadcast the digital only channels. So i’m going to miss out on new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad. Thanks for nothing GWN.
It’s a good idea, considering that men spend a lot of time in front of the TV. I hope the channel doesn’t try to stereotype the male, they may also need to be heedful of alienating their target audience too, as well as women. I do think that 7Two is the best multi-channel, and I do give them considerable credit for initiating even more digital services.
Chris Bath and Tony Squires were kind of mocking the name on this evening’s news.
great…would be better though if the Stargate offerings included SG-1 repeats (since 7 has them), and Stargate Universe (although unlikely since TEN has them)
7Mate…wow that’s dumb but whilst 7Three is boring it’s still better than what they worked up. Nevertheless there isn’t a whole lot other than Caprica that interest me, especially if you have Pay TV as most of those shows have been shown months or years ago.
If only they could buy The Office & Outrageous Fortune off Ten 🙁
Hope they show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia & Archer too!
When I first saw the name of this station on this page I thought it might have been an Aussie shows channel with all the old classic Australian show, too bad.
That can’t be the real channel name and logo, seriously? Maaaaaate, that’s a terrible decision.
Is 7 trying to compete with channel GO!’s 200% bogan voiceovers or something?
I don’t know why people are complaining about the name i reckon “7mates” is better then “7three” if they called it 7three it would sound boring. Great line-up, i can’t wait for Caprica, Warehouse 13, Stargate Atlantis, Fifth Gear, The Universe, Life After People. It would be good if they had repeats of some shows as well such as Farscape, Stargate SG1, Xena, Hercules, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Prison Break, Heroes, Bionic Woman, Flashforward and they should get Supernatural, Smallville, Stargate Universe off ten and it would also be good to have Legend of the Seeker in HD.
Hopefully Seven still broadcast shows like PTTR and City Homicide on this channel during the day or late at night so we can still view them in HD.
afl can be repeated 7two style on mate ao maybe it will be in hd.
As for the name, who cares? Sbs hardly defined cutting edge, its the content that counts. As long as old sd content ends up on 7two then no a bad result. Wish ten would start tje third channel
Great idea, great concept, and I’m sure it will work, but in terms of the promo ad, one word – Crap. What’s with all the “maaaaaaaaaaaaaaate” – bogan much?
Anyway 7HD is useless, less hope 7mate is’nt that
Any ideas what they will run in the timeslot other than prime time… eg what will be on at 10 am in the morning ?
@ Secret Squirrel
Yes that is only 20 hrs per week, but it states “native” HD and it’s confusing at this stage as to whether there will be native HD apart from the AFL Grand Final.
Anyway as others say, there are better ways of getting higher quality HD shows that you want to see, and many of them are starting to appear on Blu-ray eg Tudors, Mad Men.
I’d rather have an HD channel with its own brand and schedule than one which just simulcasts another channel. TV is TV, it doesn’t matter whether a show is on the main channel or not. Besides, some of those shows *are* being shown on the main channel in HD. And I actually think the name’s good. It says one thing: Bogan. It’s a perfect fit for Australia and 7.
@ daqua_99,@ southpatt both your comments are Spot on.
@ Michael you need Foxtel.
sounds good to me. Im glad 7 have aimed it at a specific target audience instead of 7TWO’s anybody and everybody target. Said that 7HD will be lost but hopefully once the country is digital the government will allow for HD simulcasts of the main channels (ABC, SBS, 7, 9, and 10…aswell as any future networks).
Wow, makes me feel like I should get a new couch, grab a beer and put my hand down the front of my trackies !!
Ten are taking way way too long to bring their new channel, they are taking so long we’re going to expect it to be flawless since they have had so much time getting it together, and it bloody better be!!
This is great breaking news David,i’ve been waiting a long time for this announcement & after watching that promo clip i think this new station will be a winner for 7 .
As for the name 7mate ,at first i didn’t like it,but after a while i think its quite a good pick (mate being a iconic word here in Australia).I was expecting this to be 7’s new SD channel,so i was a little surprised to read it will be HD,(not that that matters much to me)
So does everybody out there in FTA TVland agree with me that this new station is something to look forward to?
@Brenton – the digital channel numbers are not actually the “channels” themselves – they are just logical pointers so, right now, 7, 71, and 73 all point to the same stream; ie Seven’s main channel in SD. 70 points to the HD stream which currently has the same programming as the main channel. From Sep 25, 73 will point to this HD stream and it will have different programming. Don’t know whether 70 will continue to exist after Sep 25 or to which stream it will point.
@Pietro – if what you say is true (haven’t bothered to check), 1080 hours per annum is less than 3 hours per day so I’ll think they’ll probably manage. (“1080” – coincidence or someone’s little tech-joke?).
So it will it just be available on HD like ABC News 24?
Of course this decision will upset people. Losing high definition simulcasts of the #1 network in the country will only drive people away, not to the main channel, but to downloads, of their favorite O/S native HD content, lost to make way for upscaled Family Guy, American Dad and others.
Wasn’t abc the first to have 3 channels? and didn’t one hd start before 72??