Nine to launch ‘entertainment channel’
Nine has finally confirmed plans for its multi-channelling, with a general entertainment channel launching in the second half of the year.
- Published by David Knox
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We have lift off. The Nine Network has finally confirmed plans for its multi-channelling, with a general entertainment free-to-air digital channel launching in the second half of the year.
“Yes. It will be an original channel,” Nine CEO Mr Gyngell told The Australian. “It will be stand-alone, not just time-shifted.”
The announcements shoots rumours of a time-shifted channel dead in the water. Gyngell indicated that while it could work as part of the strategy, time-shifting was not a strong enough basis for an entire channel. Clearly, that’s because it cannibalises your flagship channel. Why watch CSI at 8:30 when you can watch it at 10:30?
Industry sources speculated that the channel could look like a cross between general entertainment pay-TV channels TV1 and FOX8 plus some lifestyle programming.
But Nine has also on-sold a number of shows including Chuck, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Gossip Girl (which it retains via re-broadcast rights). And as we know there is a string of Nine shows we have all been waiting to see: Survivor, Weeds, Nip / Tuck, ER. Damages (S1) is also coming to pay television. Maybe this channel is where the uninspiring Superstars of Dance will land too.
“You want to be very careful of what sort of content (you put on your digital channels),” said Gyngell.
“You don’t want to flood the market with inventory. Delivering to our advertisers — that’s our primary focus.”
Nine is also in negotiations to renew its output deal with Warner Bros, which provides shows such as Two and a Half Men, Without a Trace and Cold Case.
With ONE launching this week in HD and SD, this now leaves Seven as the last of the three big commercial FTAs to announce plans for its multi-channelling.
Seven had already indicated it would announce plans within the month.
Source: The Australian
58 Responses
Hmmm, well I don’t mind some of Nine’s main shows being shown on this secondary channel, I guess no word on whether it is HD exclusive or SD or both?!? I’m kinda hoping for it being an SD channel with the HD channel being kept for simulcast broadcasting of the main channel so sporting events and the mian programmes are still shown in HD.
The second digital channel will be nice if they give good slots to shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Survivor, Nip/Tuck, E.R., Fringe, Gordon Ramsey, Gossip Girl etc plus fill slots with reruns of shows that aired earlier in the week like a repeat of Sundays CSI episode or Tuesdays Two and A Half Men on a different night of the week. This may also give benefit to those home on dud nights of TV like Friday/Saturday show, they can show a low rating programme on those nights that previously never saw the light of day. I wonder how much these secondary channels will be dictated by ratings, surely not as heavily as the main channel.
Also how will ratings be shown, we currently get shares for 5 main FTA Networks?
It’s SD. Programming on dual channels is reported as a single figure. It is separated for different titles.
You don’t realize what Nine has access to. For all we know, Nine may have stitched up a deal with their main affiliate WIN for access to the Crawfords library, when they allowed Alive and Cooking to air on the PBL stations.
1. “Delivering to our advertisers — that’s our primary focus.” This is their biggest problem. More concern over what an advertiser thinks about a show not rating well as opposed to building loyalty and building audience. Too many short, quick, cheap shows, some do OK, most don’t.
2. Yes, this is great news about the new channel, but, like other posts say, what exactly is 2nd half of year, and how about real information? Dates? Content? You can bet its not July 1. My prediction is week 1 of summer non-ratings in Dec so they can experiment before 2010 ratings year. Hope its sooner though.
3. There’s nothing stopping 7 and 9 from using their HD channel as an independent 3rd channel or broacasting content from either of the 2 SD channels.
good to hear it is not going to be time-shifted, but yes how can they not have stacks of repeats on it, they sold off all their shows, exactly what is in your inventory mr gyngell? some mothballs and a can of spam? certainly not enough for a whole new channel. the list of shows david gave us are what 9 sold to foxtel and what every one has been wanting them to air for ages, doesn’t mean any of these will actually be on the 2nd SD, it would be good if they were but considering 9 thinks what it currently airs is entertaining i won’t be expecting much until i see the list of shows.
Ooops sorry about that Leckie I meant Gyngell but haven’t had enough caffeine this morning.
Re-Paull’s point another entertainment channel is great but like everyone else I have no confidence that they’ll programme to pull in the advertisers/viewers
Finally channel 9!
Man I can’t believe the number of complaints here already, just be happy that you will have more content to watch on tv. No you won’t be entertained by it all the time, but the main 4 channels never keep me entertained 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I get probably an hour or 2 out of the main 4 combined each day, well actually the main 3 seeing as i barely ever watch abc. I personally am a fan of re-runs and of those american shows that investigate real crimes and other things, but normally they aren’t on until 2am so i never get to watch them.
Re-runs are inevitable, infact im glad i don’t have foxtel because most of their channels are full of them, particularly fox8 and the simpsons. I love the simpsons, but after a few months i’d get bored watch 5 hours of them a day. Looking at ABCTwo, their channel is packed with re-runs, they go through the entire series of red dwarf every couple of months because they air it 3 times a week.
But Nine dont know the meaning of the word entertainment!! Like OneHD, I see this as another channel I can mark as ‘Skip’ in the PVR setup screen.
I think it is a good decision for viewers. I am glad it is not a lifestyle or timeshift channel.
I am happy enough for them to use it to screen their dumped programs that are too niche for their main channel.
So instead of showing programs like Sopranos at midnight or The West Wing not at all. They could have given them a regular 10.30 schedule on their second channel.
It should reduce the anger over them cancelling programs and never showing them again.
All those programmes listed in bold above are produced in HD, except for Superstars Of Dance. What a pity that these programmes, if shown on the 2nd SD multi-channel, will not get to be seen in Australia in HD.
They’ll have to launch it before Trainwreck (err, i mean Freeview) launches otherwise it would be pointless since potentially millions of people will not take Freeview seriously.
Do these “new” channels get ratings figures like the mainstream ones? Wouldn’t it be funny if Nines new channel rates better than their other channel. I wonder if Moonlight will make it to this new channel.
Okay Leckie let’s get real here. TV programmes are not “inventory” they’re content and need to be treated as such. Which means: regular consistent programming, showing episodes of a series in order, letting an audience build and identifying how the content you own will help you build your brand. An entertainment network is great but I’ve got a feeling watching you cannabilise your brand for inventory will be more entertaining than watching the channel itself.
Leckie is with Seven.
lets hop that seven keep to their word and make an announcement by Thursday that will include actual info about the channel rather than just attacking other networks (truck racing from idaho)
i agree scotty they probably have not idea what the channel will consist of yet and are just trying to make i sound as the channel is currently in the making, i home they will show the big bang theory but they probably won’t as it didn’t get enough rating on the main channel and nine have clearly stated that the advertisers (or profits) are there number 1 concern) which sound as if they wont be showing an niche that wont get high ratings.
I’m surprised ch7 with already having HD running so long is now the last one to announce plans for its 2nd SD.
As for ch 9.2 it sounds like a dumping ground for shows that don’t work on the main channel, which is a good thing. So instead of the likes of Fringe vanishing to never never land they may try them on the main and then ‘demote’ them to the 2nd ch later.
Now what does the second half of the year mean, Dec 31?
my prediction is that 7 will announce their plans on thursday. on feb 26 leckie said that they would announce plans “within a month” on march 26th (Thursady) is the last day of that month which coincidentally is the ONE launch which would be a perfect opportunity. or maybe friday just so it’s on a lower news day in the TV world.
anyway i hope 9 announce their plans as well but i won’t hold my breath.
“Delivering to our advertisers — that’s our primary focus.”
Can’t that be their secondary focus? Can’t delivering entertainment to audiences be their primary focus? It would be revolutionary if that were so.
“general entertainment channel” vague much?
they haven’t got any plans. they’re just saying things that won’t hit them in the back of the head that make it look like their well in the process. since when has anything gyngel said been worth listening to.
as jerome said. give us a start date and the shows. or atleast an announcement date. then we will be happy.
well not sure if this counts as lift off. it’s just another one of those. “it will be great” “it will be coming soon” blah blah announcements.
“entertainment channel” why don’t they put some of that on their original channel lol
It’s not timeshifted but I bet it will show a lot of re-runs!
Expect to see older series of Two and A Half men, now six times a day over 3 channels!
A general entertainment channel with those shows would definitely appeal to me.
Whatever Channel Seven comes up with, I wouldn’t watch.
eh, wake us up when there is some real information. this is just as bad as leckies announcement a few weeks back.
although ‘2nd half’ of the year would kill the rumors that it would not be up till 2010. but gyngels promises are not very trustworthy; mr.wewillnotsacrificequalityforfinancialpurposeslol
well not much is revealed here. but something is better than nothing. i’ll be happy when we get a launch date and the shows that will be on it.
“entertainment channel” could he have been any more broad.
david leckie made a similar announcement a few weeks back which ended up revealing nothing. are they just stalling.
i have read an article that says that this multichanneling is not in the networks best econonmic interest. which makes sense i found it hard to believe that they were not here simply because 7 and 9 were not organised enough. that said i wouldn’t expect them any time soon.
expect to see lots of re-runs of The Nanny, Seinfeld and Frasier? Mind you, that’s not a bad thing!
Nine providing Entertainment! That’s a novel idea….