Seven Upfront - Media agencies on sport, a strong content slate and a new channel

Image: Chris Pash

Media agencies, at the Seven Upfront 2023, honed in on the network's strong slate of content, wide range of sport, new gaming capabilities  and its plans for a new channel with 2,000 hours of programming

No smoke machines, fireworks or a ferris wheel, the upfront event at Sydney's Entertainment Quarter was held in a cinema, devoid of a stage or the trappings of circus-like entertainment more commonly seen in the upfront season. 

The messaging, Building for Growth, was finely aimed at advertisers and their media buyers. 

Craig Cooper, chief investment officer, Carat Australia: "Bravo for the announcement of 7Bravo which should be a ratings winner on a new secondary channel for Network 7 but does raise questions over what (if any) NBCU content would still remain on Foxtel and lesser so Hayu.

"It was great to see Sport given a significant portion of the 7 upfront narrative, and with AFL and Cricket, it feels authentic for the network to play heavily in this space.

"Interesting partnership announcement with Optus Sport however and the Women’s World Cup, given historic SBS World Cup broadcast issues.

"As for their general entertainment slate, 2023 should be a stable year for Network 7 given the return of their tried and tested formats such as Farmer Wants a Wife, Big Brother, SAS, Better Homes & Gardens, Home & Away etc.

"A super smart move by 7 by aligning themselves with SXSW Sydney and locking in their upfronts amongst a festival that promotes global technology and innovation advances." 

Philippa NoileaTani, Wavemaker chief investment officer: "Seven’s upfronts instilled confidence in a big year ahead, with an equal focus on how their content and tech strategies will enhance opportunities for viewers and advertisers in 2023.

"I’m particularly interested in hearing more about the partnership with Aura, and how we can harness new capabilities and UX to drive greater engagement for brands, particularly across Sport.

"A continued focus on ease of trading across Total Video is welcome news. Our focus on automation and risk mitigation for clients has meant we’ve leant hard into Code7, and that will continue with Code7+, as Seven’s convergence, automation, risk mitigation and targeting capabilities expand in 2023.

"Seven’s content line-up, was a nod to their strength across News, Sport and Reality. Complementing their existing and robust reality line-up of SAS, The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife and Big Brother, the majority of new content announced for 2023 were reality series that will provide advertisers scope to integrate within - Idol, Million Dollar Island and Blow Up. 

"7Bravo, backed by NBCU, will round out the audience profiles of their existing multi channels, with a strong, and slightly younger female skew. Another nod to their commitment to bringing reality TV to Australian screens in 2023."

Sarah Keith, managing director, Involved Media: "No smoke machines, no ferris wheels - just content, promised (CEO) James Warburton on stage at the beginning of the Seven Network 7 2023 up-fronts.

"And wow, did the 7 team deliver.

"The packed cinema saw a confident, multilayered presentation that promised consumers, clients and agencies reassurance of delivery and certainty in what is going to be a challenging year.

"The key elements of that delivery are the things that we know about Seven - leadership positions in News and Sport - but the layers of returning favourites, plus re-imagined franchise Idol, ensures that there are no gaps.  

"The NBC Universal content deal will ensure new channel 7Bravo will become another strong element of the 7 ecosystem as it features current and strong back catalogue content that already has an audience.  

"The FIFA Women’s World Cup will be a defining moment for the broadcast of women’s sport  (check the numbers for the Lionesses at the Euros this year) and the category exclusive packages are a great opportunity for clients to own more than cut through and association; it may be a moment in Aussie sporting history.     

"Red lead the way with integration and amplification and this meticulous detail that drives delivery was evident in the red wrist bands that feature in Million Dollar Island. This new show alongside other new franchises such as Blow Up will provide some interesting new opportunities for client involvement.  

"Comedy is finding its way back across all networks and We Interrupt This Broadcast plus a long awaited Kath and Kim return look excellent.

"And just in case we're in any doubt about the Seven Network and their confident vision for their future, they pre announced their 2023 upfronts to take place as part of SXSW Sydney next October. Putting themselves at the heart of a conference that celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film and television industries was a final reminder of their determination to retain their #1 positioning." 

Tom Cumberworth, head of partnerships, Rufus Powered By Initiative: "It’s great to see Seven’s continued support of women’s sport, securing the FTA rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

"The Matildas are one of the most loved sporting teams in the country and with the unprecedented growth we are currently seeing in women’s football globally right now, Seven’s coverage will bring women’s football to new audiences and make it accessible to all Australians.

"As evidenced by their Olympic coverage, Seven deliver an exceptional broadcast experience for audiences and the October timing is perfect, plugging the gap between the end of the footy season and the summer of cricket, giving people their sporting fix in what is historically a gap in the schedule."

Emma Wood, group investment director, PHD Australia: "Seven’s Upfront ticked a lot of boxes. Sport was a key focus in 2023 and cements them as the ‘House of Sport’. The continuation of AFL/AFLW across the network for the next nine years, as well as the addition of the Women’s FIFA World Cup Australia and New Zealand in partnership with Optus Sport showcased Seven’s commitment to ensuring Australian’s have first access to sport live and free and supports an already strong sporting line-up for the network.

"The access to both broadcast and digital rights for FIFA will draw advertisers in and provide a Total TV solution. Furthermore, the new partnership with Aura utilising advanced technology will benefit brands and allow the user to create a personalised experience through aggregating content, data, social and transactional capability which is really exciting.

"Discerning viewers are always seeking new content which they will find on Seven’s new channel BRAVO. The new channel offering will give viewers access to over 280 hours of new and classic content. It provides more opportunity for advertisers to align with brand safe environments throughout the year, especially in reaching the female under 50’s audience which seems to be the focus from Seven. Provided it’s marketed well initially and there is a clear differentiation for viewers, it does add appeal and consideration to a campaign. Seven would want to maximise incremental share gains from BRAVO but it’s an evolving, new and highly competitive landscape with new SVOD options coming into consideration.

"Building on their existing sport strategy, inclusion of BRAVO and enhanced addressability and targeting capabilities through Code7+, REDiQ and Aura provides strong appeal for advertisers. Seven were clear in their environmental, social and corporate governance approach and their positioning as ‘using the power of our platforms to inspire a better us’ indicates they understand the ever increasing importance for consumers and advertisers.  A new era of ‘interconnectedness’ was also a nice acknowledgement in their welcome to country."

Marelle Salib, national head of trading, OMD Australia: "It was clear from the upfront that Seven has the right strategy and focus with the consumer and advertiser experience at the centre of it all. In 2023, one of the biggest focus areas will undoubtedly be sustainability within the industry and how as a collective we can build a better future.

"I applaud Seven for launching with their commitment and focus to ESG and how they plan to use the power of their platforms to support communities and improving environmental impact, representing Australia through diversity. They already do a lot in these areas, bringing it altogether in one showcase was inspiring.

"Seven has clearly considered how to improve and evolve the consumer experience to create a stickier and more engaging environment through not only more content with the announcement of their partnership with NBCU, a global behemoth, but the addition of another channel in 7Bravo which will add an incremental 2,000 hours of content to their portfolio. This will provide engaged audiences and deep targeting will enhance opportunities for clients.

"Seven’s personalisation play via their partnership with Amazon’s AWS AI technology on 7Plus will use on and off platform behaviour to create a personalised and optimised experience for each individual. Combined with 45 fast channels and the plethora of content already on the platform, it’s not hard to believe that digital has moved from 2% of the total group earning to 50% in four years. Audience growth on linear is almost impossible, however the additional content and UX enhancements will engage consumers on 7Plus, grow time spent on the platform and hopefully grow the younger audiences who flock to SVOD services.

"Seven’s announcement of their partnership with Aura to deliver engaging consumer connections is an interesting and appealing one for clients, as we look for more ways to create meaningful, immersive connections with consumers that go beyond one-way communications. This announcement sees Seven push into a space beyond traditional ad pods.

"With the acceleration of broadcast audience decline and fragmentation of viewing like never before, Seven’s focus on keeping consumers within their ecosystem is impressive.

"Consumers are second screening whilst consuming broadcast content. The ability to harness this behaviour to deliver greater brand engagement and capture attention is key. There were multiple announcements around enhancements to the opportunities available to advertisers; greater addressability with the integration of Visa data into 7RedIQ, providing 50 new shoppable segments. More e-commerce solutions across 7Shop with an API-based dynamic targeting tool enabling multiple creatives in real time and the increased addressability opportunities. Frictionless commerce and interactive ads are key to delivering high impact broadcast campaigns in the future.  

"Content was at the forefront of Seven’s presentation, there was a lot of it! The most exciting for me was the revamped Australian Idol, a powerful platform which will no doubt connect emotionally with audiences. With an impressive line-up of judges with broad appeal and star power including Amy Shark, Meghan Trainor, Harry Connick Jnr and Kyle Sandilands, we expect big audiences at launch; it will then be up to the content to keep them engaged and wanting more.

"The second stand out for me was The 1% Club. Good quality, entertaining game shows have a strong audience following, and The 1% Club will generate talkability and encourage co-viewing; this feels like a hit for Seven.

"Many other new formats were announced including Blow Up which has broad appeal but expect will be compared to the incredibly successful Lego Masters; whether it can live up to these expectations remains to be seen. Million Dollar Island, We Interrupt This Broadcast, The Claremont Murders and a new Kath & Kim join the schedule of returning programs, along with Home & Away, The Voice, Big Brother, Farmer Wants A Wife, SAS Australia and My Kitchen Rules. With so much new and returning content, Seven has a real chance of stemming audience declines."

Elizabeth Baker, chief investment officer, Zenith Australia: "Seven took us into their boardroom last night, sharing a convincing content, data, tech and ESG strategy for 2023.  

"Once of the most exciting announcements was the launch of a new FTA channel, 7Bravo – a partnership between Seven and NBCUniversal.  7Bravo’s content slate, which will include Below Deck and Real Housewives (with an array of new versions), should have strong female appeal, particularly at the younger end.  For advertisers, this channel and the audience it should bring is appealing given the increasingly elusive nature of younger audiences on FTA.  Good opportunities for integration as well.  The partnership with NBCUniversal will also bolster 7Plus content.

"Securing the rights to the free-to-air rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a great win for the network.  The FTA exclusive deal will encompass the broadcast and digital rights giving the chance for all Aussies to see the Matildas in action across key tournament matches both on Seven’s FTA channels and 7Plus.  We heard from another media owner only last week about the disparity between men and women’s partnership/sponsorship spends, but that those clients who have partnered with the broadcast in some way across the women’s codes have reaped the rewards with strong ROI.  Therefore, with a maximum of 10 partnerships available here, this is a good opportunity for advertisers.  

"There were some interesting developments on their EAVE proposition including partnerships with AURA (a global gaming and tech business) and Amazon Personalise.   Increasingly consumers want less passive viewing experiences.  It sounds like these partnerships will enable a lot more interactivity, e-comm opportunities and personalisation - essentially more ways of keeping viewers engaged for longer.  I think these partnerships will unlock fantastic opportunities for advertisers within sport in particular, really helping create immersive experiences.

"The inclusion of Visa data within RedIQ will enhance understanding of audiences. Code7+ Phase 2 will also help drive consistency and certainty on delivery across metro, regional and digital video and will also open up better targeting and addressability (with the advantage of scale).

"On the content front, the program schedule looks robust. Good to see that there was quite a bit of new content in the line-up.  Australian Idol will launch in January after a long hiatus.  Kath and Kim are back! Blow Up looks like it will appeal to families with younger children, providing advertisers with a family-friendly brand safe environment for their brands.  Million Dollar Island looked like a bit of a mash up between Survivor and Squid Games and should appeal to a male skew audience as well as possibly sports enthusiasts.  The Claremont Murders includes A-grade Australian cast and is sure to be a gripping and high quality drama. Drama, comedy, reality, news and sport – something for everyone."

Sam Buchanan, CEO, IMAA: "Seven delivered another solid Upfront but with a few less bells and whistles than some other competitors and a slightly more serious tone. The event was underpinned by Seven’s two big announcements for next year – a new free-to-air channel, Bravo, and a nine-year extension to the AFL rights, all of which positions Seven well for 2023.

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