Nine to simulcast The Block on 3 channels
Nine borrows TEN's simulcast strategy in a brazen bid to top the ratings.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News, Top Stories
Welcome to the new TV landscape, where multichannels are just an excuse to prop up your ratings (or even your local content quotas).
Tomorrow night Nine will simulcast The Block launch across its three channels: Nine, GO! and GEM.
Under OzTAM rules networks can merge simulcasts into a single ratings figure ….and presumably benefit from a single headline trumpeting its success the next day.
TEN boldly utilised the simulcast strategy for Family Feud‘s first two weeks (and will continue into a 3rd), resulting in ratings figures higher than it would attract on a single channel.
What if all the channels combined their ratings?
Industry observers suggested that other networks would be eyeing the strategy closely, and possibly borrowing the technique.
Nine’s Block launch on Sunday goes up against The X Factor, and competes on the same night as the penultimate MasterChef finale.
The simulcast will likely push the show to the top at a time when it is most crucial. Ironically, TEN’s chance of MasterChef topping Sunday night will now see the strategy it ignited being pitted against it. Be careful what you wish for.
Nine and TEN both employing such smoke and mirrors will put pressure on Seven to follow suit.
Updated: A Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight, “Nine was the first to do this type of simulcast, we played the launch of The Apprentice on Nine and simulcast on GO way back in 2009.
“In the heavy traffic with Commonwealth Games we want as many people as possible to sample The Block as we are really confident it’s a great series.”
Such creative use of multichannels follows the media watchdog ACMA releasing data that indicated Nine had counted 51% of its local drama as New Zealand titles on GO! and GEM in 2013.
In TV Tonight‘s recent Multichannel Survey with networks, Nine advised its branding for GO! was “Comedy and Movies.”
It’s not clear whether The Block: Glasshouse is movie-worthy, but the way viewers are being offered less choice on multichannels is becoming a hell of a comedy.
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- Tagged with Family Feud, MasterChef Australia, The Block, The X Factor
79 Responses
Either they can voluntarily stop this nonsense, or they should be stripped of their multi channels.
This is ridiculous
I have no issue with having a SD/HD simulcast if it used properly, like, I don’t know, maybe Formula 1, Commonwealth Games, Winter Olympics (are you listening TEN?) watching the World Cup on SBS HD was a treat
If only they did this for The Voice finale…
@ jonno & Damo7 totally agree
I think the numerous reasons put forward for 9 doing this are all partially correct.
Russell, I do think propping up ratings is part of the reason, as David stated in the article. As per the OzTam rules, it has to be simulcast to group as 1 figure.
Otherwise, I could make an argument that 9 would still capture the same amount of total viewers by using the Foxtel +2 method. ie: playing The Block at 18:30 on 9, at 20:30 on Go, and at 22:30 on Gem. This wouldn’t be a “forced” situation, would still capture the casual viewers and would be much easier to sell to the public imo.
I agree TEN were desperate, Nine is just greedy
WIN have The Block Glasshouse on WIN and GEM but on GO! they have Tom & Jerry Wizard of Oz at 6:31pm-7:41pm for Sunday night.
The Block simulcasting on GEM, Go and Nine? That is just waste of money. How could the Nine Network do this type of decision?
In fta tv terms this is an absolute disaster for viewers.
Quote “Such creative use of multichannels follows the media ” it is not creative, just lazy, greedy and everything everyone else has said
If the digi channels are going to be used for this crap then the networks should be forced to sell them off
First world problems eh?
As Jake S says “All they’re doing is sending the large volume of viewers who don’t want to watch The Block to another network’s channel. ”
Exactly this. Nine may well lose overall audience by this approach, because instead of their headline show (The Block) plus two lesser shows on offer, they only have The Block. Thus the audience for the two lesser shows will now switch to another network. They might as well just shut down the multichannels altogether if they are going to do this.
Just too bizarre.
And this is why I never have and never will watch channel 9 they are just to desperate on getting people to watch their shows. I’m happy sticking with X Factor and the Amazing Race that is coming up.
It was okay for Family Feud, because it was the launch of a fresh take on a classic game show. What Channel Eddie (aka 9) is doing is just plain stupid, considering that each episode of the most recent season of The Block rated an average of a million per episode. We dread whether Channel Kochie (7) follows suit with X Factor, it would be unbearable.
Freeview must step in now and shut down this stupid plot for more ratings.
To quote a line from Peter Pan: ‘we’re following the leader, the leader, the leader…’
(and for the record, I’ll be watching Grand Designs on Aunty ABC this Sunday Night).
This should be illegal ….
I like The Block and plan to watch it but it’s not fair to other viewers who don’t want to.
Pretty sure the viewers who would of tuned in to Gem or Go wouldn’t suddenly decide to watch The Block.
But if the product is as good as you say Channel 9, surely there would be no need to simulcast it over all 3 of the channels? Someone over at HQ must be thinking that they’ve deviated a bit too far from the original premise of the show and are doing all these useless twists (I’m thinking similar to the Biggest Looser). Whilst they’re at it, will the 9 Execs try and pass this off as 3 new programmes for their local quota content?
This is just stupid and a waste of the other two channels (not that I watch them. Unless for the encores). The block always pulls great numbers so shouldn’t be greedy. Along with others I’m waiting for seven to do the same for X factor and ten for master chef so those without foxtel will only get three choices. I now think we sld just have ten, nine, seven, abc and sbs if this is the bs they are going to keep pulling. Still am looking forward to the block and will watch on nine.
It still hurts my brain that this is an effective strategy.
The show is there. Available to everyone on the primary channel. Very accessible. So who are these people who apparently have no interest in watching it on the primary but will watch it because it’s on a digital channel?
And if you’re so disengaged with the programming that ‘changing channel’ is asking too much, the ad breaks can’t be worth much to potential advertisers.
I wonder whether this is 9 are seeing exaclty how many people have High Definition buy putting The Block on GEM, as there is hopefully move that will see 9 and 99 go to High Definition to reflect the market place out and a growing appertight for HD content as the sales of UHD and FHD television has shown.
So anyone that has no interest in The Block (exhibit A here) will now have no choice but to not watch a Nine network channel during that timeslot. If Nine are not going to offer any alternative I guess I’ll see what the other networks are up to at that time….
As others have said I can’t imagine they are doing this for just a headline. Sampling does seem a better reason but ultimately it’s going to be about advertising dollars. If this trend continues then it’s clear they make more money by airing one show across three channels than they do by airing three different shows. Certainly they don’t need to buy so much content.
It’s amazing that the idea of sampling the show only occurred to Nine late on a Friday afternoon and even Nine Publicity was unaware of the move when I asked. If you really wanted the audience to sample the show wouldn’t you actually promote the 3 x channels simulcast?
Not. Buying. It.
I can understand TEN doing this with FF to get it going but The Block is an established product and should do ok on just one channel.
So glad I got Foxtel. Feel sorry for the people still only on the FTA – I couldn’t imagine having to only live through the FTA networks BS all the time.
Good one, Channel Ten and Family Feud!! Look what you have started!
D@GP: “I can see the media watchdog eventually telling the networks “no go”.”
What media watchdog? It’s nothing to do with ACMA, and the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice = Free TV Australia = the very networks that are doing it.
GO! was going to have on the film Arthur (2011 version) from 6pm to 7:40pm, while GEM was to have 2 Episodes of Absolutely Fabulous from 6:30pm to 7:50pm, so guess it is not a big loss.
Then again I rarely watch any TV between 6:30pm and 7:30pm on weekends anyway, however I guess other viewers might be miffed those shows aren’t on. So I can see how it is an annoying trend that could be starting, just because it doesn’t affect me doesn’t mean it won’t one day.
Wonder if Channel 7 will do it, seeing they have 7, 70 and 71 showing the same content every day (as do 2 with 21 and One with 12), they already do have the chance of people finding their shows more remote clicking through already.
All they’re doing is sending the large volume of viewers who don’t want to watch The Block to another network’s channel.
The whole point of multichannels was to offer alternate programming and keep eyeballs on a channel you own. That option is slowly evaportating.
Bad look for Freeview which has been telling us about more choice.