Gallery: Nine 2017 Upfronts
Nine stages the biggest, most star-studded Upfronts so far -even if it did test the most patient guest.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News, Top Stories, Upfronts
Nine stars were on show yesterday for the network’s biggest Upfronts event yet.
Stretching for nearly 4hrs at the Star Event -not counting post show drinks- the marathon event led by CEO Hugh Marks and execs including Adrian Swift, Amanda Laing, Tom Malone, Alex Parsons, and personalities including Hamish & Andy, Peter Overton, Ross Greenwood, Richard Wilkins, Lisa Wilkinson, Rhys Muldoon, Sylvia Jeffreys and more.
There was a Live cross to Karl Stefanovic, Laurie Oakes and Robert Penfold in the USA, drone shots from outside the Star, a cross to Delta Goodrem in Perth, and headlines from Peter Overton back at Nine (having previously been on stage before guests).
Showreels were interspersed between showcases of Nine News, Sport, the launch of 9Honey portal for women, and lengthy chats with Tracy Grimshaw, Liz Hayes, Julia Morris, Rodger Corser, Mandy McElhinney, Peter Stefanovic, Rebecca Maddern, Shane Warne, Liz Ellis, Shane Brennan plus Block and Married and First Sight cast members.
The theme of the day was that “Nine is back” after an uneven performance this year. CEO Hugh Marks acknowledged the network needs a better first quarter in 2017 -expect an expanded Married at First Sight to underpin its early schedule and there is speculation House of Bond will be an early drama offering (yet to be confirmed).
Despite the lunch and mid-arvo break it was a testing event for the huge crowd (there were a lot of phones being checked throughout proceedings). Amongst the more amusing moments: Laurie Oakes joking about what he might (not) be wearing underneath the desk; a deflated audience struggling to wish Delta a happy birthday; Mandy McElhinney again having to be asked about Katut; an unscripted blue joke from Rhys Muldoon; and a video screen behind Karl & Laurie Oakes in NYC plugging Grey’s Anatomy and Agents of SHIELD (oops!).
The Today show also declared it had won “5 capital cities.” Got it.
Length notwithstanding, Nine’s was the most showy, star-studded Upfronts so far this year, indicative of the message it wants to send to market.
9 Responses
This kind of ostentation seems a bit desperate. If the content they are promoting is good, it shouldn’t need this type of hype.
9Honey? Terrible name for something that might be useful. It sounds really princessy.
At its industry upfronts on Tuesday Nine network announced it is launching an online page aimed at women called 9Honey.
In charge of the new network is Helen McCabe, who edited The Australian Women’s Weekly for 6½ years. …Source: SMH
Upronts are a bit of a relic from the pre-streaming era.
“there is speculation House of Bond will be an early drama offering (yet to be confirmed).”
Too much maybe, might be and not enough definites. No use having highlighting a line up when lousy programming decisions are still made, ie Monday of this week and the viewing audience are treated with contempt. Their streaming service is still so hit and miss and requires a login on some occasions. Other times it just will not load through my TV. Netflix and Stan are winning…
I actually disagree. The purpose of Upfronts is for advertisers to see content that aligns with their brands. It isn’t for viewers to hear about timeslots. That speculation was my own observation, not a network line (hence it isn’t in italics or otherwise suggested). I would tip it to work as House of Hancock did early in the year. But in Australia it isn’t customary to confirm TX dates much as we might like it to resemble the US. With a smaller market, that kind of info remains commercial in confidence.
Fair enough. But I would also think that advertisers would want to get a full insight into the quality of ch9s streaming service. Certain tentpoles will perform. But an fta also needs to be targeting younger folk who watch mostly online.
A good example of this is the approach James Cordon took with the Late Late Show in the US, it effectively links fta with online and has been a huge success in getting eyeballs on his show or segments of it. As a strategy is has worked. I still think ch9s mentality is in the pre streaming era…
There was a lot presented on streaming, digital, online. I wish I had a $ for everytime networks said “integration” to advertisers, but that’s the gig.
Not many Gen Y faces in those photos of Nine personalities.
Nine Honey? What’s that all about?
an online page aimed at women called 9Honey. ….make of that what you will…