Last year Nine dominated the ratings, three nights a week, for three weeks straight with Australian Ninja Warrior, and while a massive 2.1 million viewers tuned into it's finale, viewers felt a lack of grandeur that accompanied its US counterpart.
Nine's head of content production and development, Adrian Swift told AdNews this season won't end with a "damp squib" as it did in 2017, when no athletes managed to make it to the final stage, Mount Midoriyama.
"The one thing the audience said to us last year, that we've had to absorb, relates directly to the US series and it's the way we end it. When you get to the top of Mount Midoriyama [in the US], you get a whole lot of money, celebrations, you're a hero, roll credits," Swift says.
"Last year viewers really felt the finale to be a bit below their expectations when it came to the end of the season, expecting more fanfare."
Unable to reveal any further, Swift assures viewers that this year they won't be left with the same sentiment.
Swift has also set expectations high for the second season, expecting Ninja to repeat the ratings magic, especially as the show has been extended to four weeks.
He says it's tough to predict if the show will outperform the debut season, but is confident there will be "more runs on the board" when it comes to digital viewership.
"We don't want to say it will do more but it is a better series than last year and we learned a lot from last year," Swift says.
"What we wanted to do with it this year is have it be the best part of free to air television, and that means connected and engaging family viewing; bringing people around one main screen."
Nine has also revealed the major sponsors for the new season, which sees Berocca and KFC return, both taking on further digital content integrations.
Mazda has joined as the show's newest sponsor, taking out on-ground branding. It will also have Ninjas featuring in an upcoming TV advertising campaign.
As part of its sponsorship KFC will have on-ground branding over the course, in particular the Ninja Support Crew area on Ninja Island.
Berocca will have the same, and for a second year will have ownership of the “performance of the night” replay in the show and online.
This year Australian Ninja Warrior also has key local sponsorships, with the University of Adelaide sponsoring in Adelaide and Alinta Energy sponsoring in Perth and Brisbane.
Viewers can also expect an increase focus on the female athletes compeiting in this season, with Swift revealing more women than ever conquoure the show's famed 'warped wall'.
"It's a very female focused Ninja this year, they do really well, much better than anywhere else in the world," he says.
The new season will also feature ex-Bachelor, Tim Robards, who will look to make his way to the top of Mount Midoriyama.
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