Nine poised to take 2021 demos

Nine is set to take out 2021 demos after a year of consistent content, says Nine’s Director of 9Now and Programming Hamish Turner.

Nine is on the cusp of claiming its key Demos 25-54, 16-39 and Grocery Shopper + Child.

It is also set to claim Primary Channels in the Survey Year. It comes at a time when Nine has returned to its legacy “Still the One” slogan in on-air promos.

Survey Year to Nov 6 (excluding Easter / Olympics)

Network:

Total People:
Seven: 28.6
Nine: 28.3
10: 17.8
ABC: 16.9
SBS: 8.4

25-54:
Nine: 30.6
Seven: 27.5
10: 22.9
ABC: 12.2
SBS: 6.9

16 – 39:
Nine: 29.7
Seven: 27.8
10: 24.5
ABC: 11.8
SBS: 6.2

“We’re number 1 in every Demo, and Total People on the Primary Channel now, and will be at the end of survey,” Turner tells TV Tonight.

“At their Upfront Seven said 25-54 is their Demo. But we’ve won that. We’ve won 16 -39, GBs with Kids and we’ve won Primary Channel as well -the place that drives the majority of revenue and where you get integrated sales dollars.

“Then when you look at BVOD, it gets even better. You’re getting up towards a 48 share on all the Demos.”

Nine’s early evening programming this year include shows such as Married at First Sight, The Block, Lego Masters, Australian Ninja Warrior, Beauty & the Geek and Celebrity Apprentice. They add to stablemates such as Nine News, A Current Affair and 60 Minutes.

“It’s been consistent. There haven’t been any holes. We’ve managed to deliver a strong, consistent audience within the demos across the entire year. And that continues today,” says Turner.

“Parental Guidance is delivering amazing shares in the Demos. It launched at 300,000 in 25-54s in Overnights and it’s actually doing a good job on BVOD as well. It’s got people talking. It’s definitely a show that’s unashamedly targeted at families and parents.”

In a competitive TV landscape Turner also noted some boasts in the trade press around ratings performances this year.

“This feels like the US election again. You’ve got Trump -and I’m not going to name who Trump is- saying one thing and us saying another.

“There’s fake news, and there’s people shouting in an echo chamber just hoping that someone will listen.

“You can confuse people with rhetoric and hyperbole, and I think probably a lot of this stuff is centered very much in that space. You cannot say, ‘Any way you cut it, we’re number 1, all demos we’re number one. It’s just not fact.'”

But there is some conjecture over whether the Olympics is a 2 week period or 17 days -the Opening & Closing ceremonies tip into two other survey weeks, adding to Seven’s annual share (there were even two events prior to the Opening Ceremony, and the Paralympics which screened later).

“The definition of an event is when it opens, and when it closes. That’s the way we’re looking at it,” Turner insists.

But in network share, with or without Olympics, Seven is set to win Total People when survey ends on November 27th.

“Why will they win Total People in network? Because they have a very strong 65+ base,” Turner observes.

“I’ve conceded, ‘Yes absolutely, you should report on the Total People number because that is traditionally what has been measured.'”

But he points to Seven statements around the diminishing importance of Overnight numbers and says the addition of BVOD improves their standing.

“Based on a Total TV metric, that changes the picture. If you look at the BVOD numbers, Seven and Nine are both dominant in BVOD and 10 is a distant third.

“I actually don’t understand why 10 is just a distant third, because if they’re the youth network, shouldn’t this be an area that they actually have strength in?”

In the BVOD space Love Island is drawing big numbers, which contrasts with its low linear figures.

Nine will also screen Lego Masters Christmas and SnackMasters in coming weeks.

“We need to continue to drive an audience into BVOD deep into December because it doesn’t abate. This is a very conscious decision to deliver a show that we feel isn’t a big commitment. They tap into a festive feel,” he continued.

“Snackmasters is nostalgia, kind of comfort food at the back end of the year. Not a huge commitment for the audience. But it’s something where you can sit there as a family and enjoy.

“But really, this goes back to delivering and continuing to drive the platform to deliver for audiences and audiences.”

Source: OzTAM Metro Wks 7-13 & 16-45 (excludes 23/07/21-08/08/21), Various Demos, Con 28, 18:00-24.00.