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New channel coming: 7mate

The Seven Network has announced a new digital channel, 7mate, to launch on September 25, aimed at men 16-49.

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The Seven Network has announced a new digital channel, 7mate, to launch on September 25, aimed at men 16-49.

It will launch with high definition coverage of the AFL Grand Final.

Seven’s CEO, David Leckie said, “Seven is Australia’s most-watched network and our suite of multi-channels delivers more viewers than anyone else,.

“7mate is the next step in building on our leadership in broadcast television. 7mate is going to be great.

“The launch of 7mate delivers us a tremendous platform of channels targeting specific audience demographics – leveraging our primary channel’s success with women and 7TWO’s targeting of a 25+ adult audience.

“We’re delighted to be the first commercial network to move to three channels. With 7HD we were first into multi-channelling for the commercial networks and this is another significant step for our television business,” Mr Leckie said.

Programming Chief Tim Worner, said “We’re using the biggest sports event to launch 7mate but this new channel will be so much more than sport. We are after the most elusive demographic in media and we think we’ve got the offering to get them.”

New episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, Parks And Recreation and Last Comic Standing will lead the primetime comedy schedule. 3o Rock, How I Met Your Mother, That 70’s Show, Scrubs and Crank Yankers round out the laughs. New drama will include the sci-fi series Caprica and the adventure series Warehouse 13 and Stargate Atlantis. The reality slate will feature US ratings hits Jersey Shore and Pawn Stars, along with popular MTV series Punk’d and Gene Simmons Family Jewels, featuring the controversial KISS guitarist and his LA-based family, and Monster Garage with Jesse G. James. Factual on 7mate will see series such as Fifth Gear, The Universe, Life After People, The Boneyard, Ax Men, Jacked: Auto Theft Taskforce, Mega Movers, Mega Structures, Air Crash Investigations and Shockwave in primetime. 7mate will also be the home for first-run big movies for the blokes, including The Ringer, Strangers and Primeval.

Mr Worner said: “The channel is not designed to alienate female viewers. On the contrary we will be launching several initiatives that will see the female audience watching 7mate as well.”

To receive 7mate from 25 September, viewers will need to tune into channel 73 on an HD capable Digital TV, PVR or set top box. If you have an analogue television you will need to connect your old TV to an HD capable Digital set top box, PVR, or Digital recorder and tune in to channel 73.

A new website is online at yahoo7.com.au/tv

A spokesperson from Seven told TV Tonight: “7mate replaces 7HD, as this is all we can fit in our spectrum until 2013 or the end of Analog.

“It will be Broadcast as per 7HD currently is but will appear on channel 73.

“On Grand Final day 7mate will simulcast with Seven and then commence life as its own full time HD channel.”

This post updates.

194 Responses

  4. I was sick in my mouth when i read this. very ordinary lineup. The channel name….. there isn’t a word in the english language to describe how bad it is. The logo is something straight out of the 70’s.
    I m changing all my calenders to april 1 because surely this is a joke

  5. The name is ok. They would have done 1000 focus groups and what not, so i have to trust that they know what their doing.

    In the end the success will be on the content which looks pretty solid- even with lots of reruns.

  6. Horrendous name. It’ll turn off a lot women and plenty of men too.

    Strange also that they should name a channel full of American content “Mate”.

  11. Caprica and Warehouse 13 !!!!! Bring it on.
    Let’s hope they don’t bump the last few episodes like GO! did with Sarah Connor Chronicles. The big question remains – Will Prime have it from day one or will we have to wait a month for them to put their own watermark on the screen as they did for 7two????

  13. You would think Prime would have the technical capabilities already – they’ve shown 7HD breakaways before and since this is the new HD channel…

  14. this is not going to work…. u need the everyone factor… not just the guys factor…
    move with the times 7……I will still be watching GO! as they do offer a better lineup… David Leckie says, “Seven is Australia’s most-watched network and our suite of multi-channels delivers more viewers than anyone else,. to reply to that is this…who cares! grow up david!

  17. crap name – but all those comedies are gr8 – scrubs, 30rock, parks and recreation etc.
    @koverstreet and wildman – you keep watching GO! not everyone wants to watch 60-80s tv – whats the point of making another channel with old re-runs?
    least they are trying something a little different

  18. More people will be angry about the removal of 7HD than the removal of TEN HD and ABC HD. That blue colour for the channel just makes it even less appealing then it already is. Good to hear that a new channel will launch but very disappointed. Hopefully Nine speeds up development on their new channel and launches it before this channel. They can do multichanneling so much better.

  22. Matt, the broadcast is scheduled to begin with the footy Grand Final. I imagine we’ll be seeing the footy, V8s (with support series) and others on 7mate. So there will be some sports telecasts.

    Bogues, it might be farewell to 7HD, but with this channel hosting quite a bit of high definition content as well, it’s not the end of native HD brought to you by Seven.

  24. This is ludicrous stuff. They haven’t even got enough bandwidth for the current channels to have decent quality HD. It just means more and more people will get their HD programming for their big-screen HDTVs from other sources. Will they ever learn?

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