Nine's Upfront and Personal event on Tuesday was a clear statement of intent, big on celebrity, showbusiness and time. Although media buyers generally agree the event ran a bit long, most were impressed by the effort, confidence and Nine's programming slate for 2017.
Here's what a selection of them said in the wake of Nine's five-hour extravaganza. Also check out a photo gallery below.
Overall impressions
“Nine set out to create a point of difference and a statement in the market with their upfront this year and they certainly did that. An event that at times lost its way but none the less left us clear on their content, and wanting to know more about their data and automation plans for 2017,” opens Carat chief investment officer Ashley Earnshaw.
“It was long and the overwhelming response will be the fact it was a long event, but I applaud them in a way. I think they're keen to make a statement around TV is still big, and they made one,” says PHD Australia CEO Mark Coad.
“Nine up fronts were definitely the 'Ben-Hur' of 2016 upfronts! They by far dwarfed all other networks in terms of scale, stage and time...over 5 hours eek!,” adds Maxus national head of investment Ricky Chanana.
What about the new shows?
“The major new formats that excite me are Family Food Fight, The Last Resort, This Time Next Year, Australian Ninja Warrior and let's not forget Yolanda Hadid as ambassador for 9Honey,” Chanana says.
After admitting Married at First Sight is a personal favourite of his, Earnshaw says the new shows that could do well involving ninjas, food and comedy.
“Australian Ninja Warriror is a show that we believe is set to take Australia by storm, with the localisation of the worldwide format in Sydney’s very own harbour” Earnshaw predicts. “It's superb to see Hamish & Andy back on our screens and sure to engage audiences – we look forward to seeing what they have dreamt up this time.
“Nine revealed their take on the food genre in an area that has been a gap for the network historically. With strong production credentials and a more family centred approach it has strong ingredients, but has its work cut out against strong competitor formats."
Programmatic and data
“What excited me the most was the announcement of their data alliance and technology partnerships with Data republic and DMP Adobe,” Chanana says. “It's actually great to see all big networks are starting to push the needle when it comes to targeting consumers in these ever changing fragmented landscapes.
“Nine might be slightly behind compare to the others who had been capitalising on data from offline spending habits but nevertheless is sending a clear message to the media buyers on their focus moving forward which is great.”
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