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James Warburton: “Tentpoles are absolutely fundamental to our strategy”

Seven boss sends a clear message ....the network will continue to invest heavily in tent-pole programming.

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EXCLUSIVE:

Seven CEO James Warburton has reiterated the importance of “tent-pole” content in its Programming, following an article this week in the Australian Financial Review.

TV Tonight received a call from the Seven CEO to clarify the network’s position on the importance of key programming.

“Everyone that knows me, and certainly everything you’ve heard me say, (is that) tentpoles are fundamentally important to the network. In fact, look at how many we’ve got and what we’ve invested in, significantly, over the period of the three years I’ve been here, to take us back to the number one position,” he said.

“The point I was making was, it’s not just about the Overnight number. It’s about about BVOD and it’s actually about the whole focus of it. As an example, I think I was talking specifically about My Kitchen Rules.

“Sunday night was its biggest Overnight that we’ve had, and it’s growing. When the 7 days come through in both catch up and BVOD it’s growing, around 40 to 50% in 25-54s. It’s the biggest cooking show, certainly in the first nine episodes, by almost 200,000 vewers nationally.”

For Seven, the “bricks in the wall” -or a Seven ‘spine’- remains fundamental.

“It’s absolutely bricks in the wall. The Voice, Farmer, Idol, Million Dollar Island, Big Brother, AGT, Dancing with the Stars.”

He continued, “It has been about that Sunday to Tuesday performance. We’ve done a job in terms of getting it back to where it needs to be number one. So the massive investment in tentpoles goes with the rest of the spine. I always talk about the spine: Sunrise, News, The Chase, Home & Away, Better Homes and Gardens, The Morning Show.”

The AFR article suggested Seven was down-playing the importance of ‘tent-pole’ programming.

Today, Warburton knocked that idea on the head.

“Absolutely. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he told TV Tonight.

“Tentpoles are absolutely fundamental to our strategy.”

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7 Responses

  1. Tentpoles are useful in holding up good material. The canvas over the multis is 15 years old and flimsy with overuse. Adding patches out of old material is a bandaid solution. Even the notice on the multis tent flap “go to the main tent” is looking drab. Nothing will change while the site rent is low and campers are content to watch rich people playing games in the next paddock. The next generation has given up and hope that their parents don’t look too closely at their kids mobile data charges.

  2. Share price is still going down >>> I for one use to watch 7 News, now I watch Nine, I used to watch the chase now I watch Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, use to watch Sunrise now watch Today etc., etc.,

    1. Laurie, I didn’t know who wants to be a millionaire was even on…..if you meant “hot seat” I guess you are not watching it that closely……

  3. James is an advertising man, not a TV man and he won’t last long just re hashing all of David Leckie’s old ideas and shows from years ago.
    James was successful working under David but without him he will run out of ideas – remember his time at 10! Bring back the good TV minds and get rid of the show pony bean counters who can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. Seven is an older network and can only beat their chest with total people numbers, Sunrise vs Today is a perfect example, they smash Sunrise in the demos and win in the east coast, if it wasn’t for Perth scoring high for 7 every week they would be in trouble across most of their programs.

    2. Koby, I mostly watch ABC and a few of tens shows……that said, I do not agree with some of your assessment of seven. They have more than halved their debt in the last 3/4 years, partly through asset sales and partly through growing their share of a recovering advertising market. While share price is one measure as to what analysts think of a co, another is the terms they can secure for their debt and seven renegotiated much of their debt on more favorable terms (I don’t think the terms were reported). Sunrise has beaten today for something like 17 of the last 20 years including the last 3 or 4 while James has been ceo. Demographics and advertises are fine and it amuses me when network heads toggle between total people vs certain demographics being their only focus depending on results at the time. But sevens advertising share is not disputed and it looks like the prime deal is exponentially helping seven west. They still have challenges, but his tenure coincides with credible results.

    3. … the last of the “TV” people left all the networks around the end of the last century … the whole shebang is now run by bean-counters and sales people !!!

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